MLB Player News

Yates struck out two batters over a scoreless inning Thursday, picking up his 17th hold in a 3-0 win over the Cardinals.

Yates hasn't allowed an earned run in four September appearances after posting atrocious results in August (12.19 ERA). The Friars' setup man can once again be relied upon as a source of strikeouts (13.9 K/9) and holds (17) now that he appears to have rediscovered his midseason form.

Hand allowed three hits in the ninth inning against the Cardinals on Thursday but escaped the jam to earn his 16th save.

He didn't make things easy on himself, giving up a trio of singles to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but Hand ultimately struck out Dexter Fowler to leave the bases loaded. The lefty has been a little shaky in his first three appearances of September (seven hits, three runs in three innings), but he should have plenty of leash in the role after going two months without an earned run allowed earlier this summer.

Kontos (groin) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Thursday, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Kontos was able to get through a 20-pitch simulated game with no issues Tuesday, clearing the way for him to return before Thursday's series finale against the Cubs. The 32-year-old, who owns a 3.65 ERA through 56.2 innings this season, should immediately return to pitching high-leverage innings for the Pirates.

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.