MLB Player News

Priester (2-1) earned the win Saturday, allowing five runs on five hits and six walks over five innings against Philadelphia. He struck out seven.

Priester struggled with his command for most of the afternoon, issuing a walk to Kyle Schwarber in the first at-bat of the game before hitting Brandon Marsh with a pitch in the top of the third. The right-hander still managed to get through the first inning unscathed despite his command issues, but it caught up with him in the fourth, when he allowed four runs to come across following two early walks. Despite the poor outing in which he walked a season-high six batters, Priester was able to come away with his second straight win while also marking a season high with seven strikeouts. He now holds a 9.19 ERA through his first three major-league starts to go along with an ugly 13:11 K:BB.

Atlanta recalled Smith-Shawver from Triple-A Gwinnett ahead of his scheduled start Sunday versus the Brewers at Truist Park.

The highly touted rookie is likely just making a spot start for Atlanta, as the team is expected to get Max Fried (forearm) back from the 60-day injured list next week to permanently fill the vacant fifth spot in the rotation. In his first stint with the big club before he was demoted to Gwinnett on June 26, Smith-Shawver made four appearances (three starts) and turned in a 1-0 record, 4.32 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB across 16.2 innings.

Nola (9-7) took the loss Saturday, allowing seven runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks over 4.2 innings against the Pirates. He struck out six.

Nola appeared to be on track for a solid outing Saturday, striking out four of the first six batters he faced through two scoreless innings to open the game. However, the right-hander would then go on to surrender a leadoff home run to Liover Peguero to open the bottom of third before allowing another six runs over the following two innings. It marked Nola's fourth start this season in which he's allowed at least five earned runs and just the second time that he was unable to make it through five innings. On a positive note, he's now recorded at least six strikeouts in five straight starts to only four walks.

Cueto (0-2) took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on four hits and one walk over six innings against Detroit. He struck out five.

Most of the damage against Cueto came in the top of the second inning, when he surrendered a three-run blast to Akil Baddoo to put the Marlins in an early hole. The right-hander would then give up a second home run to Riley Greene to lead off the sixth before eventually being tagged with his second loss in four starts this season. On a positive note, Cueto has now gone six innings in back-to-back starts, posting a 13:2 K:BB over that stretch.

Carrasco (3-5) took the loss Saturday as the Mets were downed 11-6 by the Nationals, coughing up eight runs (six earned) on eight hits and a walk over 2.1 innings. He struck out two.

It was another early exit for the veteran right-hander, who has thrown only 9.1 innings over his last three starts while getting hammered for 24 hits and 15 runs. The Mets are cleaning house at the trade deadline, and Carrasco is in the final year of his contract, but it's hard to imagine a contender showing much interest in the 36-year-old given his 6.40 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 52:32 K:BB through 70.1 innings on the season. If he remains with the club past Tuesday, his next start would likely come next weekend in Baltimore.

Corbin (7-11) picked up the win in Saturday's 11-6 win over the Mets, giving up four runs on six hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The veteran lefty also tossed a wild pitch and hit a batter in a not particularly sharp outing, but the Nationals erupted for eight runs in the first three innings to give Corbin a huge buffer. He's been tagged for four runs or more in four of his last seven starts, stumbling to a 5.66 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 33:10 K:BB through 41.1 innings over that stretch, and he'll take little momentum into his next trip to the mound, which is likely to come next weekend in Cincinnati.

Sheehan allowed two hits and a walk while striking out five over five scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Reds on Saturday.

Caleb Ferguson couldn't hold the lead in the sixth inning, costing Sheehan a chance at the win. The right-hander rebounded well from a skid that saw him allow 17 runs over 12.1 innings across his previous three starts. He's now at a 5.77 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 27:17 K:BB through 34.1 innings across seven starts this season. Sheehan remains on the bubble for a rotation spot with the Dodgers, though Saturday's outing may give him the upper hand over Michael Grove to remain a starter until Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) is ready to return.

Pfaadt pitched 5.2 innings against the Mariners on Saturday, allowing three runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out three batters in a no-decision.

Pfaadt gave up a single run in each of the second, third and fourth frames, but Arizona chipped away and eventually took him off the hook for a loss. The rookie righty was pulled with two outs in the fifth, costing him a chance at a second straight quality start. Pfaadt was a popular name in fantasy circles coming into the season, but he's mostly struggled with an 8.20 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 30:11 K:BB over 37.1 innings on the campaign. He's been a little better in two starts since being recalled from the minors July 22, allowing six runs over 11.2 frames.

Darvish (8-7) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out nine over six shutout innings to earn the win over the Rangers on Saturday.

Darvish has turned in three quality starts over four outings since the All-Star break. This was a good bounce-back for him after the Pirates tagged him for seven runs in 4.1 innings in his last start. Darvish continues to battle inconsistency this season with a 4.53 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 117:38 K:BB through 107.1 innings over 19 starts. The 36-year-old is lined up for a home start against the Dodgers next week.

Wainwright (3-5) took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three batters over six innings against the Cubs.

Wainwright gave up a two-run homer in each of the third and fourth frames, which accounted for all of the scoring against him and was enough to saddle him with the loss. The right-hander at least managed to give St. Louis six frames, logging his longest outing since June 17. Wainwright has lost four of five starts since that performance against the Mets, and he's seen his season ERA balloon to 7.18. That's on pace to easily be the worst over a season in the 41-year-old's big-league career, as is his unintimidating 4.9 K/9.