MLB Player News

Gray (12-2) took the loss against the Blue Jays on Saturday, allowing five runs on 10 hits and no walks with three strikeouts over five innings.

All five runs came with two outs in the third inning, but Gray wasn't at his best all day, allowing 10 hard-hit balls despite generating an impressive 12 whiffs on 75 pitches. It was a rare clunker for the 36-year-old, who snapped a streak of nine straight quality starts while taking his first loss since April 14. He owns a 2.78 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 93:28 K:BB across 106.2 innings this season and will aim to rebound in a road matchup with the Athletics next week.

Beeter worked a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his ninth save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks. He didn't strike out a batter.

The right-hander needed just nine pitches (six strikes) to take care of the middle of Arizona's order. Beeter had been tagged for at least one run in three straight appearances prior to Saturday, and while he's the best closing option the Nationals have at the moment, his 3.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 33:19 K:BB over 30.2 innings on the season are far from elite ratios.

Cease (7-5) earned the win against the Red Sox on Saturday, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out 12 in a complete-game shutout.

Cease threw a career-high 120 pitches en route to his third career complete game, shutting out the Red Sox and allowing just one hit for the second time in his past three starts. Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, he joins Nolan Ryan as just the second pitcher in the modern era to allow no more than one hit while going at least eight innings and striking out 10 or more batters in consecutive road outings. The 30-year-old has now logged four straight quality starts in July, allowing only three earned runs while recording 39 punchouts during that stretch. He'll take a 2.46 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 167:48 K:BB across 113.1 innings this season into a home matchup with the Cardinals next weekend.

Griffin (12-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the Diamondbacks, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out two.

The 30-year-old left-hander continues to impress in his first MLB action since 2022. Griffin has delivered 12 quality starts this season, including seven in his last eight outings -- a stretch in which he's produced a 1.56 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 44:7 K:BB over 52 innings. While his name has come up in trade rumors, it's hard to imagine Griffin getting dealt if the surprising Nationals intend to remain in playoff contention. He's scheduled to make his next start on the road next week in Atlanta.

Bratt (0-1) took the loss Saturday, surrendering five runs on seven hits and five walks over five innings as the Diamondbacks fell 5-3 to the Nationals. He struck out three.

The 23-year-old southpaw had trouble finding the plate in his fourth career MLB start, tossing 55 of 92 pitches for strikes. Even when Bratt did get the ball into the strike zone, he paid for it -- four of the seven hits off him went for extra bases, including a solo homer in the fifth inning by CJ Abrams. Through his first 15.2 innings for Arizona, Bratt carries a 6.32 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and 10:11 K:BB, but with none of the team's injured starters expected back until August, he may stick in the rotation for another turn or two. He's set to make his next start on the road next weekend in Cleveland.

Devers went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Angels.

The big blow for the 29-year-old slugger was a three-run homer in the fourth inning off Brent Suter that capped the scoring on the day for the Giants. Devers has gone yard in back-to-back games, and over 19 contests in July he's batting .286 (20-for-70) with seven of his 22 long balls on the season, along with 16 runs and 16 RBI.

Manager Oliver Marmol said Nootbaar was removed from Saturday's win over the Reds due to dehydration and lightheadedness, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Nootbaar walked and scored in the bottom of the sixth inning but was replaced in left field by Jose Fermin in the top of the seventh. Marmol said overall Nootbaar is fine, so it sounds like he'll have a chance to play in Sunday's series finale, though he could easily get a day off with lefty Andrew Abbott set to take the mound for Cincinnati. Since making his season debut June 5, Nootbaar has a .715 OPS with just three homers across 154 plate appearances.

Lee went 2-for-3 with a double and a three-run home run in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Angels.

The outfielder capped a five-run third inning when he lofted a first-pitch sweeper from Ryan Johnson over the right-field wall. It was Lee's sixth homer of the season and his first since June 23, snapping a 25-game drought in which he's managed just a .514 OPS with seven RBI and 10 runs. Despite the month-long slump, Lee still carries a .302/.336/.435 slash line through 361 plate appearances in 2026.

Ray (9-6) picked up the win Saturday, allowing six hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a 9-2 victory over the Angels. He struck out five.

The veteran southpaw tossed 54 of 80 pitches for strikes en route to his eighth quality start of the season. Ray could be on the move at the trade deadline, and he's doing what he can to improve the return the Giants might get for him -- over his last seven starts he's held the opposition to one earned run or fewer six times, posting a 1.04 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 35:20 K:BB in 43.1 innings while serving up just one home run. Ray will look to stay locked in during his next outing, which currently lines up to come on the road next week in San Diego.

Johnson (2-5) took the loss Saturday, coughing up eight runs on eight hits and a walk over 3.1 innings as the Angels were downed 9-2 by the Giants. He struck out four.

San Francisco reeled off six straight hits in the third inning to get the rout rolling, capped by a three-run homer from Jung Hoo Lee. Johnson had given up just seven earned runs total over his prior five outings, but Saturday's disaster undid all the progress he'd made in getting his ratios under control. The 23-year-old right-hander will take a 7.34 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 34:17 K:BB over 41.2 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Brewers.