MLB Player News

Gomez was charged with his first blown save of the season in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Yankees, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out two.

The unlikely closer, who was picked up by Minnesota after being DFA'd by Tampa Bay in early May, made it to the final two weeks of the regular season without blowing a save chance, but Gomez couldn't protect a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning Wednesday. He allowed a couple singles before Anthony Volpe tied it up with a two-out double, and after walking another batter the right-hander was replaced by Kody Funderburk. Gomez has been tagged for multiple runs in three of his last eight appearances, stumbling to an 11.05 ERA, 2.32 WHIP and 9:7 K:BB in 7.1 innings over that stretch as his luck has finally begun to run out down the stretch.

Vargas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

After starting in five consecutive contests from Sept. 6 through last Friday, Vargas has now been excluded from the lineup for five straight games. Arizona will likely continue to prioritize Tim Tawa at first base ahead of Vargas, who is slashing a middling .242/.281/.354 since the All-Star break. Tawa is actually in center field Wednesday with Pavin Smith at first.

Matthews didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Yankees, allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out eight.

The 26-year-old right-hander put together one of his best performances of the season, firing 63 of 97 pitches for strikes, and Matthews left the mound in line for his 10th win of the year before both bullpens got squirrelly as the game went to 13 innings. The quality start was Matthews' 11th of the season, and three of them have come in his last five outings -- a stretch in which he's produced a 3.45 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 26:8 K:BB over 28.2 innings. He's set to make what could be his final start of 2026 on the road early next week in San Francisco.

Bellinger went 3-for-5 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Twins.

The veteran outfielder did what he could to set the table for the rest of the Yankees' lineup out of the two-hole, but offense got tough to find after Aaron Judge (lower leg) left the game in the sixth inning. Bellinger has banged out multiple hits in five of his last seven games as he wraps up the regular season on a heater, and through 14 contests in September he's batting .390 (23-for-59) with three doubles, four homers, two steals, 12 RBI and 14 runs.

Bednar was charged with his fourth blown save of the season in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Twins, giving up two unearned runs on three hits over two innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The Yankees closer got the call in extra innings and had one-run leads to protect in both the 10th and 11th frames, but each time Bednar couldn't prevent the phantom runner from crossing the plate. It was a tough way to see his streak of seven straight save conversions come to an end, but the veteran righty has still been tagged for earned runs in only two of his last 13 appearances, posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB through 14.2 innings during that span with two wins and eight saves. With a team day off Thursday, Bednar's heavy usage Wednesday may not affect his availability heading into this weekend's road series in Arizona.

Arrighetti struck out two and gave up two unearned runs on one hit and two walks over two innings of relief in Tuesday's 10-1 loss to the Tigers.

Arrighetti made his second consecutive relief appearance, pitching on two days' rest as part of a bullpen game. The Blue Jays didn't turn to Arrighetti until they were down 6-0 in the top of the seventh, with his usage in a mop-up role likely indicating that he's lost his grip on a rotation spot. Since being acquired from the Astros at the trade deadline, Arrighetti has submitted a 6.20 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 17:12 K:BB in 20.1 innings across six appearances.

Rodon didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Twins, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out five.

The veteran southpaw left the mound after 102 pitches (59 strikes) with the Yankees down 2-0, but they were able to tie it up in the ninth and take Rodon off the hook for his fourth loss. Rodon has produced back-to-back quality starts, giving him five on the season in 15 trips to the mound. Since coming off the IL in mid-August, he's delivered a 2.40 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB over 30 innings. He lines up to make what will likely be his final start of the regular season at home next week against the Rays, in a game that could still have huge significance in the race for the AL East title.

Varland earned the save in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Tigers, retiring all three batters he faced with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.

After Spencer Miles gave up a single and a walk to open the ninth, the Blue Jays turned to Varland who promptly recorded the final three outs, locking down his 34th save this season. It was a nice rebound effort from Varland, who gave up a run in a blown save against Detroit his last time out. The right-hander now sports a 1.30 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and 95:22 K:BB across 76 innings this season.

O'Brien (3-9) took the loss Wednesday as the Cardinals were downed 6-5 in 10 innings by the Giants, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk in an inning of work. He failed to strike out a batter.

With the game tied 4-4, O'Brien got the call in the top of the 10th inning but hung a first-pitch slider to Drew Gilbert, who launched it 415 feet to right-center field for a game-winning homer. It's only the fifth long ball of the season O'Brien has served up, but three of them have come since Aug. 23, a 10-inning stretch that's seen him blow three of seven save chances and get tagged for five losses while stumbling to a 10.80 ERA, 2.30 WHIP and 9:7 K:BB. The right-hander's late-season struggles could prompt St. Louis to look for another closing option to begin the 2027 campaign, despite his career-high 37 saves this season.

Scherzer (3-8) earned the win Wednesday against the Tigers, allowing a run on three hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out three.

It was a strong bounce-back effort from Scherzer, who gave up six runs over five innings in a loss to Baltimore his last time out. The veteran right-hander allowed a two-out run in the first inning before settling in and blanking Detroit over his final four frames. Scherzer's ERA now sits at 6.07 through 16 starts (72.2 innings) this season with a 1.36 WHIP and 54:31 K:BB. He's currently in line to face the Orioles on the road his next time out.