MLB Player News

Hernandez is starting Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez was initially scheduled to start Thursday, but he'll be moved up a day since the Royals will shift their rotation plans. The right-hander has earned wins in three of his last four outings and has posted a 1.09 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 24.2 innings during that time.

The Nationals activated Nolin (suspension) ahead of Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Nolin is back in the fold for Washington after he completed his five-game suspension Tuesday. Before receiving the ban for intentionally throwing at Freddie Freeman in his Sept. 8 start, Nolin had compiled a 5.60 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 17.2 innings. Those poor numbers make it far from a safe bet that Nolin will take back a rotation spot from Josh Rogers, who gave up two runs on 6.2 innings in his previous start last weekend in Pittsburgh. Rogers will get another starting nod Wednesday, and Nolin will likely be available in bulk relief if needed.

Alexander will start in Thursday's game against the Rays in Tampa Bay, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

After a brief cameo out of the bullpen Sept. 7, Alexander rejoined the rotation last weekend versus Tampa Bay, stepping in for the injured Matthew Boyd (elbow) on late notice. With Boyd having since landed on the injured list and at risk of missing the rest of the season, Alexander should have some security in a starting role. Since the start of August, Alexander has posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 33 innings.

Kowar didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against Oakland after allowing five runs on three hits and four walks across one inning, fanning one. He also tossed a wild pitch.

It's not a secret that Kowar has struggled mightily in his first big-league campaign, but this one could go down easily as his worst start to date. The fact that he hasn't been able to complete two full innings in three of his six appearances is concerning, but so is the fact that he has allowed at least four runs in four of those six starts. With those numbers, the fact that he owns an 11.50 ERA with a 2.17 WHIP and a 7.5 BB/9 through 18 big-league innings shouldn't be surprising.

Brentz (5-2) earned the win in relief Tuesday against the Athletics after tossing a scoreless inning, striking out two.

Brentz has secured the win in each of his last two relief outings while striking out four of the six batters he's faced in that span, but perhaps more importantly, he has posted five straight scoreless efforts. He owns a 2.84 ERA across seven September appearances.

Barlow picked up the save Tuesday against Oakland after tossing a scoreless inning, walking two.

Barlow had a few command-related issues, issuing multiple walks for the first time since July 8, and tossing 10 of his 23 pitches for strikes. He found a way to get the job done, however, and he's now closed the door in each of his last five save chances. He has gone 13-for-19 in save opportunities this season but still owns a career-best 2.34 ERA through 66 appearances (69.1 innings).

Colome gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning during the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader to record his 14th save of the season in a 6-3 win over Cleveland.

After blowing his last save chance Monday, Colome got an opportunity to get right back on his horse and didn't disappoint. Since moving back into the closer role at the beginning of August, the right-hander has a 2.29 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB through 19.2 innings while converting 12 of 15 save chances, adding two wins to his ledger as well.

Coulombe (3-2) took the loss in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against Cleveland, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk in the seventh inning of a 3-1 defeat. He struck out two.

Joe Ryan (wrist) tossed five strong innings but exited after being struck by a comebacker, and while Jorge Alcala was able to keep the score knotted at 1-1 in the sixth, Coulombe wasn't able to get the game to extra innings when he got the call. The southpaw has been fading since the beginning of August, posting a 4.50 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 11:6 K:BB over his last 14 appearances and 14 innings while collecting two wins and two holds.

Estevez allowed a hit and a walk but also struck out a batter during a scoreless ninth as he got the save over Atlanta on Tuesday.

Estevez worked around the aforementioned two runners to close out the game for his eighth save of the year. The 28-year-old has converted four of five save chances already in September and has pitched very well aside from his blowup against the Giants last week. Overall, Estevez has a 4.50 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 55:19 K:BB over 54 innings this year.

Clase struck out one in a perfect seventh inning during the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader to record his 23rd save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Twins.

The right-hander continues to thrive as the main man in the Cleveland bullpen. Since July 25, Clase has converted 12 straight save chances, posting a dazzling 0.40 ERA, 0.49 WHIP and 23:1 K:BB through 22.2 innings over that stretch. With James Karinchak still trying to fix his mechanics at Triple-A, Clase has taken full advantage of his opportunity to cement himself as the unquestioned closer for his club.