MLB Player News

Cubs reliver Pedro Strop worked a perfect ninth inning Saturday, striking out one, to notch his third save of the season in a win over the Cardinals.

Hector Rondon came out to start the ninth inning in a non-save situation, hit the only batter he faced and promptly got ejected. Zac Rosscup then allowed three straight hits, forcing Strop to come in and put out the fire. Rondon is still manager Joe Maddon's top choice as closer, but Strop is more than capable of handling the job should he be called upon again.

Braves reliever Arodys Vizcaino earned his sixth save in a 2-1 victory Saturday over the Phillies, working a scoreless ninth inning in which he surrendered one hit and struck out two.

Vizcaino is 6-for-7 in save opportunities for the Braves since being announced as the team's closer on July 31, and he now has five whiffs over the last two innings. Saturday's outing was also the third consecutive scoreless effort for the 24-year-old righty after having given up five runs (four earned) in just 2/3 innings in the two appearances prior.

The Braves appear to have made a prudent move in allowing Vizcaino to garner valuable experience in late-inning pressure situations in the closing weeks of a forgettable 2015 campaign, as he appears to slowing be developing into their closer of the future.

Braves starter Ryan Weber took a no-decision on Saturday against the Phillies, allowing two hits, one run and two walks in seven innings. He struck out five.

It was the young righty's strongest performance yet since his Sept. 7 call-up from Triple-A Gwinnett. Two of Weber's starts since that point have been against this same Phillies squad, and he has surrendered only three earned runs on six hits over 13 innings to them, while striking out seven. Despite the strong pair of outings, he did not earn a victory in either due to an almost complete absence of run support.

Another encouraging sign for Weber coming out of Saturday's performance was his stamina and pitch count, after having only made nine starts in 38 appearances in the minors this season. Weber threw 98 pitches against the Phillies and has now increased his pitch count in each of his three trips to the mound with the major league club.

Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson (head) will not make his next start Tuesday against the Cubs, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Even though Nelson escaped with just a bruise after getting hit by a line drive Thursday against the Cardinals, manager Craig Counsell decided to skip his start due to precautionary reasons saying, "It's great to have him back out here. He's doing great. He's chomping at the bit, obviously. He'll be a spectator until Monday. After he sees the doctor on Monday, we'll have a better idea of what's going to happen the rest of the year."

The Brewers have yet to announce a starter to replace Nelson, although more details should arise as it gets closer to Tuesday.

Diamondbacks pitcher Rubby De La Rosa will have his next start pushed back to Friday against the Padres, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

De La Rosa was scheduled to take the hill Wednesday against the Dodgers, but because of his immense struggles against his former team this season (0-3, 11.21 ERA, 1.86 WHIP in four starts), Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale will tinker the rotation. Chase Anderson is now in line to make Wednesday's start.

Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson (head) was released from the hospital Saturday and is scheduled for a checkup with a neurologist Monday. Nelson was fortunate to escape with only a bruise on his head after taking a line drive to the dome during his start Thursday against the Cardinals.

The Brewers sent Nelson as the hospital as a precaution, but he's been diagnosed with nothing more than a bruise as of yet. The visit with the neurologist will likely allow the Brewers to determine if Nelson is experiencing any late-arriving concussion symptoms. He has yet to be ruled out for his next start, scheduled for Tuesday against the Cubs.

Diamondbacks pitcher Rubby De La Rosa (13-8) outdueled Madison Bumgarner on Friday, as he allowed one hit and four walks while striking out five across 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Giants.

De La Rosa has been struggling as of late, as he allowed 17 runs over his four previous starts. It's been a strange season for De La Rosa, as he mixes gems with duds seemingly week by week.

His 56 walks and 31 homers allowed are likely the main contributors to his struggles and if he cleans that up, de La Rosa could be a nice fantasy asset going forward. He'll look to continue this form against Zack Greinke and the Dodgers on Wednesday in his next scheduled start.

Cubs pitcher Pedro Strop pitched a scoreless inning against the Cardinals on Friday. While Strop has struggled with walks a bit this year, Friday was his fifth consecutive appearance without issuing a free pass. On the other hand, he has just one hold in his last nine appearances.

Considering that he had 12 holds in 15 appearances immediately before this run, it looks like Strop's situational usage has changed a bit.

Rockies relief pitcher John Axford allowed a walk in a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 24th save in a 7-4 win over the Padres on Friday.

Axford blew a save in his last outing, but that can be chalked up to bad luck, as an infield and bloop hit did him in. Aside from that, Axford has been sparkling since regaining the closer's role. Since August 13, Axford has allowed just two runs, while striking out 20 batters in 14.2 innings. The velocity is what's most impressive, as he's been hitting upper-90's regularly since his insertion back into the closer's role.

Mets reliever Dario Alvarez (groin) will begin a rehab stint with High-A Port St. Lucie and could be out for the remainder of the regular season, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Alvarez left Tuesday's game with a groin injury, and it appears the ailment will keep him out for at least the next two weeks. He could be available in the postseason depending on how far the Mets advance, but it's possible the lefty may not pitch again in the majors until 2016.