MLB Player News

Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson made one mistake Sunday and paid for it.

Nelson allowed two runs on five hits over seven innings of work. He struck out six and walked two. It was actually a pretty fantastic start for Nelson. He tossed five scoreless innings before making one big mistake in the sixth. With one man on, Nelson gave up a two-run shot on an 88 mph slider to Lucas Duda. He composed himself after that at-bat, and was able to throw a scoreless seventh.

With the loss, Nelson fell to 1-2 on the year. His next start will come against the Cardinals. 

The Giants optioned pitcher George Kontos to Triple-A Fresno after Saturday's game to clear a roster spot for Sunday starter Jake Peavy. Kontos has made 14 appearances with the Giants, going 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 21:8 K:BB ratio in 21 innings.

Braves closer Craig Kimbrel picked up his 31st save Saturday, striking out the side to finish off his team's 5-3 win over the Padres.

Kimbrel took a loss in his last outing while giving up his first earned run since June 20, but he has still managed to rack up nine strikeouts in four innings over his last four appearances. Kimbrel has managed to strike out the side in a perfect inning seven times this season. He owns a 1.94 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 71:17 K:BB ratio in 41 2/3 innings.

Cardinals starting pitcher Shelby Miller was unable to factor into the decision Saturday afternoon against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The right-hander permitted two runs on three hits and no walks while striking out three over 5 2/3 innings of a 6-3 victory.

Miller has not won a decision since June 7 against Toronto. He owns a 4.20 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP over 115 2/3 innings of work. He will look to get back to his winning ways Thursday in San Diego.

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman secured a rare four-out save Saturday afternoon against the Nationals.

Chapman struck out two and worked his way past a walk in 1 1/3 scoreless innings to secure a 1-0 win. He has converted 22 saves in 24 attempts, with a 2.30 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP and 63:11 K:BB ratio over 31 1/3 innings of relief.

Mets reliever Carlos Torres (5-4) picked up a relief win Friday night against the Brewers in Milwaukee.

The right-hander permitted one hit and struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning. The Mets exploded for three runs in the top of the ninth, which proved to be the difference, Torres owns a 2.93 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP over 61 1/3 innings of relief.

Marlins starting pitcher Brad Hand continued to pitch well Friday night against the Astros in Houston, limiting hitters to three hits in 7 1/3 scoreless innings to improve to 2-2 on the year. The right-hander struck out four and walked two in 97 pitches, 66 for strikes.

Hand has won back-to-back starts since returning from the All-Star break. He owns a 4.19 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP over 53 2/3 innings of work this season. His next start will come Wednesday at home against Washington.

Cardinals pitcher Joe Kelly was unable to make it out of the fifth inning in a no-decision against the Cubs Friday afternoon.

Kelly allowed a three-run home run to Ryan Sweeney in the second and a solo home run to opposing pitcher Travis Wood in the fourth inning. The right-hander was charged with five runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four over 4 2/3 innings of work. Of his 95 pitches, 56 were strikes.

Kelly has allowed five-plus runs in two of his last three starts. He owns a 3.90 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP and 20:9 K:BB ratio over his first six starts (30 innings). He will make his next start Wednesday at San Diego.

Braves closer Craig Kimbrel earned a rare loss Thursday against the Marlins.

Kimbrel entered a tie game in the ninth inning. He quickly worked a strikeout for the first out of the inning. Kimbrel also struck out Marcell Ozuna, but Ozuna reached base on a wild pitch. Ozuna would also take second on another wild pitch from Kimbrel. Jarrod Saltalamacchia then proceeded to hit a single, which drove Ozuna home. 

The Braves couldn't muster up a run in the bottom of the inning, giving Kimbrel the loss. He dropped to 0-2 on the year.

The reports of Shelby Miller moving back to the Cardinals rotation have Fantasy owners taking another look at the 23-year-old right-hander. Don't even try to deny it. We keep track of these things.

During his time out of the rotation, he made one relief appearance, and it was shaky. He allowed two hits and one walk in a scoreless inning of work.

Same old Miller? That's the impression I got.

If he's been working on anything in the 13 days since his last start, he hasn't shown it in a game yet. The only reason the Cardinals gave for his banishment to the bullpen was a need for extra rest, so I'm not expecting to see anything different from Miller. And considering he wasn't any good at the start of the season, when he was as rested as he could possibly be, I don't expect the results to change either.

Someone somewhere down the line is going to get through to Miller someday, but I'll opt for Jacob deGrom, Rubby De La Rosa, Danny Duffy or Wade Miley off the waiver wire instead. The signs of progress are much clearer for them.