MLB Player News

Kirby allowed two runs on five hits and five walks while striking out five over 4.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Wednesday.

Kirby's five walks were a season high, and it underscores his step back in the command department this season. The right-hander has issued 44 walks this year, already 15 more than in any other campaign of his career, though his 2.3 BB/9 is still pretty good in the general context of the majors. The walk rate has been creeping up lately -- he's issued 19 free passes over 49.2 frames since the start of August. Through 169.2 innings this season, Kirby has a 4.24 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 143 strikeouts. His next start is projected to be at home versus the Astros.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Marlins.

Smith has gone 4-for-12 with two extra-base hits and two RBI over four games since returning to the majors. He's getting a decent share of playing time at first base to close out the campaign. For the year, he's batting .167 with a .504 OPS, two homers, eight RBI, seven runs scored, two doubles and two stolen bases over 101 plate appearances in the majors.

Arenado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Marlins.

Arenado was pulled from Tuesday's game due to a thumb injury, but he was able to start and play a full game at third base Wednesday. He contributed a solo shot in the eighth inning to get Arizona back within a run, though the comeback effort fell short. Arenado is batting .243 with a .770 OPS, 26 homers, 74 RBI, 71 runs scored, 23 doubles, one triple and four stolen bases over 143 contests. The thumb issue originally cropped up in late August, so it may be a matter of pain management for Arenado the rest of the campaign.

Moreno went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Marlins.

Moreno homered for the third time in four games, and he's logged multiple hits in four of his last six contests. The catcher is coming up clutch late in the season as the Diamondbacks try to stay in the fight for a playoff spot. Moreno is batting .307 with an .870 OPS, 15 homers, 32 doubles, one triple, 75 RBI, 65 runs scored and six stolen bases over 122 contests this year.

Curry (0-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Orioles, allowing six runs on six hits and one walk over three innings. He struck out three.

Curry was taken deep by Pete Alonso, Jeremiah Jackson, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Samuel Basallo to account for all of the runs against him. It was the first start of the season for the right-hander, who worked out of the bullpen in his eight prior big-league appearances this year and had a respectable 3.44 ERA over 18.1 innings. Curry is likely to shift to the bullpen or potentially be sent back to Triple-A Syracuse after the spot start.

Kelly (9-14) allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out nine over 4.2 innings to take the loss versus the Marlins on Wednesday.

Kelly gave up a pair of runs in both of the second and third innings. He exited at 91 pitches (61 strikes) while falling short of the five-inning mark for the second start in a row. The veteran right-hander is now at a 5.00 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 111:69 K:BB through 28 starts this season. This was his 200th career start in the majors. Kelly is projected to make a start in Colorado next week, which may be his last of the campaign.

Lopez went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Lopez is up to 31 steals on the year, though he's just 2-for-3 on the basepaths over 15 games in September. He has logged five multi-hit efforts while batting .316 (18-for-57) this month. The infielder has maintained good contact skills all year, batting .306 with a .787 OPS, 10 home runs, 69 RBI, 89 runs scored, 31 doubles and nine triples across 149 contests.

Hernandez went 4-for-5 with one RBI in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Hernandez has hit safely in six straight games, but this was his first multi-hit effort in that span. He's also gone nine contests without an extra-base hit. The outfielder is now batting .232 with a .766 OPS, 24 home runs, 64 RBI, 47 runs scored, 16 doubles, one triple and 11 stolen bases through 121 contests this season.

Marsee went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk, a stolen base and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Marsee filled the box score with his sixth multi-hit effort over his last 10 games. He has two homers, seven RBI and two steals in that span. For the season, the 25-year-old outfielder is batting .227 with a .702 OPS, 11 homers, 23 steals, 39 RBI, 78 runs scored, 19 doubles and six triples across 147 contests.

Alcantara walked one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

With the Marlins still technically holding onto thin playoff hopes, Alcantara stepped up just two days after his most recent start to close out this game. The Marlins are without Pete Fairbanks (hand) for the rest of the year, but Alcantara is not expected to move to the bullpen on a full-time basis. This was Alcantara's first relief appearance since he began his career with eight games out of the Cardinals' bullpen in 2017. The workhorse starter has a 3.84 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 149:58 K:BB through 206 innings over 33 games (32 starts) this year. Assuming Wednesday's appearance functioned as a between-starts bullpen session, Alcantara is lined up to pitch over the weekend in San Diego.