MLB Player News

Pirates pitcher Justin Wilson was stuck with a walkoff loss Saturday, giving up one hit and one walk in his team's 4-3 defeat against the Nationals.

Wilson (3-3) walked the first batter he faced, and the runner moved to second on a wild pitch. The reliever then surrendered a game-ending ground-rule double to right field to the next batter, ending his night without recording an out. Wilson owns a 4.75 ERA and 48:26 K:BB ratio in 47 1/3 innings.

The return to the rotation of Henderson Alvarez for the Marlins means that rookie Brad Hand or veteran Brad Penny will be out. The decision as to which Brad will be dispatched to the bullpen has yet to be made.

Off-days will allow Mike Redmond to stall and use both in relief for a while.

"Probably just a feel thing I guess," Redmond told the Miami Herald when asked about his potential choice. "Gives us a couple days to think about it. I was hoping for one of them to really make a clear and easy decision. So do we go with a guy that has experience, or a young guy?"

Hand has performed bettery, though Penny has had just two starts. The latter yielded four runs in five innings in the second of those two outings while Hand has pitched will over his last six starts aside from a clunker on Aug. 10.

Jimmy Nelson tossed a strong start Friday against the Dodgers.

Nelson allowed two runs on six hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked one during the outing. Yasiel Puig proved to be a thorn in his side throughout the night. He singled in a run in the first inning, giving the Dodgers the lead. Puig would do the same thing in the fifth inning, driving in another run.

The Brewers mounted a comeback in the eighth inning to take the lead, giving Nelson a no-decision. He fell to 2-4. Nelson will take on the Pirates in his next start.

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman picked up his 26th save Friday.

Chapman entered with a one-run lead, and managed to make things interesting. With one out, Chapman put the tying run on via the walk. He managed to escape a possible jam by inducing an inning-ending lineout. 

Rockies pitcher Matt Belisle allowed one run in his surprise start Friday. 

The club scratched Franklin Morales prior to the game, which caused Belisle to step in. He lasted three innings, giving up a run on four hits. He struck out one and walked one. Belisle threw 49 pitches. He did not factor into the decision. Should Belisle get another shot in the rotation, he would take on the Marlins in his next start. 

Marlins pitcher Brad Hand couldn't pick up a win Friday against the Diamondbacks.

Hand allowed three runs on five hits over seven innings. He struck out three and walked two. Home runs proved to be an issue for Hand. Cliff Pennington hit a solo shot in the first inning. That was followed up by a two-run shot by Aaron Hill just three batters later. 

With the loss, Hand dropped to 2-5. He'll take on the Rockies in his next start.

Rockies pitcher Franklin Morales will not make his scheduled start Friday against the Reds, as he is expected to birth of his child, the team announced.

Matt Belisle will make a spot start in Morales' place, but is not expected to go long. It is not yet clear how this impacts the team's rotation plans moving forward, nor when Morales' makeup start is expected to occur. 

The Pirates have acquired John Axford from the Indians, according to FoxSports.com

Axford joined Cleveland during the offseason. He posted a 3.92 ERA over 43 2/3 innings with the club. Axford will likely be a setup man for Pittsburgh.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen bent twice, but didn't break Thursday against the Braves in notching his 34th save, which ranks fourth in the National League.

Jansen was called upon in the eighth inning and promptly allowed a run-scoring single to Andrelton Simmons before fanning pinch-hitter Evan Gattis. He yielded two hits in the ninth before striking out B.J. Upton to end it.

Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Chafin tossed five scoreless innings Wednesday against the Indians.

Chafin gave up three hits over five innings during the outing. He walked three and struck out two. Despite the strong start, Chafin was sent down following the game. The Diamondbacks are in need of a fresh arm, so Chafin was a casualty of that situation. The Diamondbacks had a tough time scoring, which gave Chafin a no-decision. He should be back with the club soon.