MLB Player News

Bieber (4-2) picked up the win in Friday's contest against the Rays, conceding two runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts over five innings.

This wasn't Bieber's sharpest performance, as he generated only nine whiffs out of his 90 total pitches. Both runs the Toronto right-hander allowed came on solo homers in the second, with Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda going deep. Following a return from Tommy John surgery in mid-August, Bieber produced a 3.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 37:7 K:BB across 40.1 regular-season innings. The one-time Cy Young Award winner's performance in the playoffs will likely have a heavy bearing on his 2026 draft price.

Taylor earned the save in Friday's 10-9 win over the Nationals, allowing one hit and no walks with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.

Taylor was tasked with protecting a one-run lead in the ninth inning and closed the door on 16 pitches. The 23-year-old has now strung together 10 straight scoreless outings, posting a sharp 16:3 K:BB in that span. For the season, he's recorded six saves and nine holds while carrying a 4.91 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 54:15 K:BB across 36.2 innings.

Leiter (10-10) earned the win Friday against the Guardians, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out 10.

In what was his final start of the season, Leiter went out with a bang while matching a season high in strikeouts. It was also the first time he fired seven innings since Aug. 23 against Cleveland. Leiter proved to be an effective starter during his first full year in the major leagues, though he struggled with walks and was hit hard at times. Despite posting a superb .222 opponents' batting average, Leiter managed a more modest 3.86 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 148:67 K:BB across 151.2 frames.

Houser (8-5) allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings to take the loss in Friday's game at Toronto. He struck out five.

The Tampa Bay right-hander pitched relatively well over this 96-pitch appearance, generating a respectable 12 whiffs. The big blow occurred in the fifth when Nathan Lukes slugged a two-run long ball. After posting an unsightly 5.84 ERA across 69.1 frames in 2024, Houser wraps an impressive 2025 campaign with a 3.31 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 92:38 K:BB in 125 total innings between the White Sox and Rays. The 32-year-old is slated to become a free agent again this offseason.

Cecconi (7-7) took the loss Friday against the Rangers, allowing four runs on five hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out three.

It was a pivotal game for the playoff-hopeful Guardians, but Cecconi was unable to deliver a positive performance. It was his shortest outing since Aug. 10 against the White Sox, though the right-hander at least managed to settle in for three scoreless innings after giving up all of his runs in the first. Cecconi will finish the regular season with a decent 4.30 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 109:32 K:BB over 132 innings, turning in 11 quality starts in 23 outings.

Garcia went 3-for-4 with three home runs and four RBI in Friday's 10-9 loss to the White Sox.

Garcia did his best to spark a comeback from an early seven-run deficit, slugging three home runs for the first time in his career. The effort was especially encouraging after the 25-year-old had gone just 3-for-32 since his last multi-hit game Sept. 10. On the season, he's slashing .255/.291/.417 with 16 homers, 66 RBI, 66 runs scored and 13 steals across 519 plate appearances.

Alcantara (11-12) earned the win Friday against the Mets, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out three.

It might have been too little too late for the Marlins' playoff aspirations, but Alcanatara really rediscovered his ace form for fantasy managers following the All-Star break. Friday was his eighth quality start in 13 outings since mid-July, a stretch in which the right-hander submitted a 3.33 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 71:20 K:BB across his last 83.2 frames to improve his ERA from 7.22 entering the break to 5.36 to end the year. Although he struggled mightily during the first half, Alcantara's second-half surge certainly raised his stock significantly both in real life and in fantasy ahead of the offseason.

Sproat (1-2) took the loss Friday against the Marlins, allowing four runs on five hits and one walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out two.

Sproat cruised through four innings to begin his outing, but things fell apart for him when he conceded four runs amid the Marlins' six-run fifth frame. The two strikeouts were his fewest of the season, as he was unable to give the playoff-hopeful Mets a quality showing in what was a crucial game for the club. Sproat has struggled with run prevention despite not giving up a single home run in four starts, as he'll wrap up the regular season with a 4.79 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB over 20.2 innings.

Ryan (13-10) took the loss against the Phillies on Friday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over five innings.

Ryan threw 59 of 90 pitches for strikes and generated 14 whiffs, but he was outdueled by Aaron Nola. The 29-year-old was uneven down the stretch, giving up five or more runs in four of his final seven outings while holding opponents to two earned runs or fewer in the other three. He'll still close the campaign with a career-best 3.47 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 194:39 K:BB across 171 innings.

Nola (5-10) earned the win against the Twins on Friday, allowing one run on two hits with nine strikeouts over eight innings. He did not issue a walk.

Nola looked like his old self Friday, throwing 56 of 90 pitches for strikes and retiring the first 17 batters he faced before giving up a solo homer in the sixth. Per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the 32-year-old passed Robin Roberts for second place on the Phillies' all-time strikeout list. Despite the strong finish, this has been a career-worst regular season for Nola, who ends with a 6.01 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 97:28 K:BB across 94.1 innings.