MLB Player News

Burnes (9-8) took the loss against Pittsburgh on Monday, allowing four runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out seven batters over six innings.

Burnes began well, retiring nine of 11 batters through three scoreless frames. However, he served up a game-tying two-run homer to Jack Suwinski in the fourth and yielded two more runs in the fifth. That was enough to saddle him with the loss in a game during which Milwaukee managed just two runs. Burnes extended his streak of starts without a win to eight contests, though he hasn't been all that bad during that span with a 3.99 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 49:16 K:BB over 49.2 frames. He's still above .500 with a 9-8 record on the campaign, though his 3.63 ERA is well below the standard he set over the previous three seasons, when his worst ERA was 2.94.

Ortiz (4-4) earned the win over Milwaukee on Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

Ortiz worked as the Pirates' primary pitcher in relief in his last outing before returning to a traditional starter role Monday. The right-hander fell behind 2-0 in the second inning but didn't allow any other runs and moved into position for the win when Pittsburgh tallied four runs over the fifth and sixth frames. Ortiz ended up tossing 84 pitches over six innings, marking the third time he's pitched at least that many frames in an outing this season. The 24-year-old has posted a mediocre 4.90 ERA and 1.74 WHIP over 68 innings on the campaign, but he's yielded just three runs over 11 frames during his past two appearances, which should be enough to help him continue to hold down a spot in the rotation.

Kelly (11-6) allowed one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings Monday, striking out 12 and earning a win over the Rockies.

Kelly was electric yet again and produced double-digit strikeouts for the third time in his last five outings. He rebounded nicely after being tagged for seven runs by the Dodgers in his last start. Despite that hiccup, he now owns a 3.21 ERA with a strong 61:16 K:BB over his last nine starts. The only downside is that Kelly once again left the start earlier than expected due to cramping. He'll carry a 3.22 ERA into his next start, which is currently projected to be against the Cubs in Chicago.

Steele (16-3) earned the win Monday against the Giants, striking out 12 over eight shutout innings. He scattered two hits and two walks.

Steele shined in front of the holiday crowd at Wrigley Field, notching a career-high 12 punchouts. The one-time All-Star now has seven wins in his last nine starts, dating back to July 21. He has produced a 2.64 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 54.2 innings over that span.

Webb (9-12) took the loss Monday against the Cubs, allowing three earned runs on five hits and one walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out four.

Webb was stuck with his third straight loss even though he managed to earn a quality start. The 26-year-old has seen his strikeout rate drop significantly post-All-Star break to 6.8 K/9 after being 9.1 in first half. Webb has also produced an unspectacular 4.27 ERA over 61 innings in his 10 second-half starts.

Ashby (shoulder) will make another rehab appearance for High-A Wisconsin this week before moving his rehab to Double-A Biloxi next week, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Ashby struck out two and walked two in a scoreless frame Sept. 2 in his first rehab appearance for Wisconsin. If he stays on this track, Ashby could be activated in mid-to-late September.

Ortiz will start for the Pirates on Monday versus the Brewers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Things had seemed to be pointing in Ortiz's direction, but the Pirates declined naming a starter until releasing their lineup. Ortiz's last appearance was in bulk relief and he has posted a 5.08 ERA and 44:33 K:BB over 62 innings this season covering 11 starts and two relief appearances.

Cecconi was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Monday.

Cecconi was roughed up by the Orioles over the weekend and now finds himself back in the minors. It's not clear what the Diamondbacks plan to do with his rotation spot, but Arizona could look to bring back Ryne Nelson, who has pitched well over his last three starts at Reno. Cecconi holds a 4.44 ERA and 18:4 K:BB over 24.2 innings in the majors this season.

The Dodgers are expected to place Urias on administrative leave while MLB investigates his felony domestic violence arrest from Sunday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

As Plunkett notes, Urias, who is a free agent after the season, isn't traveling with the Dodgers on their six-game road trip this week and may have pitched his last game for the team. He served a 20-game suspension for his involvement in a domestic violence case that occurred in 2019 and will likely be receiving a longer suspension this time around.

Urias was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence late Sunday night, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Urias was booked late Sunday and released early this morning on a $50,000 bond. The 27-year-old is a repeat offender, as he served a 20-game suspension for domestic violence back in 2019. Urias had been scheduled to start Thursday in Miami, but that could very well be pushed back indefinitely as the league investigates. The pitcher might be facing a lengthy suspension.