MLB Player News

Strop (4-4) picked up the win in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the Pirates. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning with a walk and a strikeout.

After Jose Quintana and Hector Rondon blanked the Pirates through seven innings, Strop followed suit in the eighth. He then picked up the win when the Cubs broke up the scoreless tie in the top of the ninth. Strop should continue working in high-leverage situations for Chicago the rest of the way.

Rodney struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his 36th save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Dodgers.

The 40-year-old now has a 1.89 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 23:6 K:BB in 19 innings with a perfect 14-for-14 mark in save situations over the course of the second half. Rodney's erratic track record keeps him out of the ranks of elite fantasy closers, but he's pitching as well as any of them right now.

Lamet (7-7) took the loss despite holding the Cardinals to two runs on three hits and four walks with eight strikeouts over six innings Wednesday.

Lamet cruised through six shutout innings, but a leadoff single followed by a two-run home run in the seventh ended his night after 101 pitches. The flamethrowing rookie owns a 1-3 record over his last five starts despite posting a 2.73 ERA and 11.5 K/9 over that span. While the Padres' futile offense has failed to reward Lamet with the wins he deserves, his solid ratios have been enough to place him back on the fantasy map after an inconsistent start to the season. The 25-year-old will look to continue lowering his 4.32 ERA in his next start against the Twins on Wednesday.

Vizcaino gave up a pair of hits in a scoreless ninth inning en route to his 10th save Wednesday against Texas.

After giving up runs in a pair of recent appearances, Vizcaino's delivered two straight scoreless outings now. Now finally the Braves' closer, he's looking to close out a strong 2017 on a positive note by racking up a few more successful conversions -- which would in turn solidify his status for next season.

Peters (0-1) took his first loss in the big leagues Wednesday after allowing three runs on six hits over five innings against the Nationals. He struck out six and walked a pair.

Peters' sterling MLB debut may have raised fantasy owners' hopes, especially in the context of his outstanding career stats in the minors -- including a 1.98 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in his 13 games at Double-A -- but it's worth remembering that the 24-year-old lefty has little high-level experience, including having skipped Triple-A entirely. He also isn't a particularly hard thrower or a prolific strikeout artist, so Peters' success will always hinge on him keeping the ball on the ground and getting some help from his fielders.

Pivetta (5-10) got slammed for six runs on 10 hits over five innings in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Mets. He struck out five without a walk.

This game was shortened to less than six full innings by rain, but Pivetta was gone before it ended anyway. The rookie right-hander is averaging more than a strikeout per inning, but he's also averaging a homer per start while walking way too many batters. Pivetta's high velocity and promising minor-league resume provide him with long-term fantasy value, but he's been far too unsteady to trust down the stretch this season.

Gsellman (6-6) gave up three runs -- two earned -- on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts while pitching all six innings of Wednesday's rain-shortened win over the Phillies.

Maybe a little rain was all he needed, as Gsellman -- taking the mound for the first time since Aug. 26 -- bounced back nicely after averaging less than five innings per start over his last six outings. Overly prone to both homers and walks, Gsellman's largely made his own bad luck this year, and his occasional quality outing can't obscure his general ineffectiveness.

Kontos (groin) was able to toss a 20-pitch simulated game prior to Tuesday's contest and should be activated within the next couple days, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

This marked the first time that Kontos threw off the mound since landing on the DL on Aug. 22, and he felt fine following the brief outing. According to head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk, the right-hander is on the verge of returning to the big-league club, and should be able to slide right back into high-leverage roles for the Pirates' bullpen upon his reinstatement.

Gsellman was confirmed as Wednesday's starter against the Phillies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Gsellman takes the place of Matt Harvey, who was moved to Thursday due to a weather concern for Wednesday's contest. During his latest major-league outing, Gsellman gave up six runs on nine hits and a pair of walks during a loss against the Nationals on Aug. 26, and struggled during his showing with Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday. Throughout the course of the 2017 season, the right-hander has made 20 appearances for the Mets, posting a 5.60 ERA and 1.60 WHIP over 91.2 innings.

Rodney gave up one hit in a scoreless 10th inning Tuesday against the Dodgers to pick up his 35th save of the season.

Relief pitching prospect Jimmie Sherfy recently picked up a two-inning save for the Diamondbacks, but that was because Rodney was unavailable after pitching in two straight games. Rodney is tied for fourth (with Roberto Osuna) in the majors with 35 saves, leading the likes of Craig Kimbrel, Corey Knebel, Edwin Diaz, Ken Giles and Wade Davis in that department.