MLB Player News

Oviedo (4-3) gave up two earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings to take the loss in a 2-1 defeat to the Cardinals on Friday.

Oviedo held his own against the postseason-bound Cardinals, but he received only one run of support and was forced to settle for the loss despite posting his second quality start in a row. Oviedo has become a regular part of the Pirates rotation since he was called up in September and has an ERA of 3.04 in six starts with his new team. He is tentatively expected to make his next start in a rematch against the Cardinals next week. As it will be the final game of the regular season, the Cardinals could be resting their starters in anticipation of their opening postseason series.

Flaherty (2-1) gave up one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings to earn the win in a 2-1 victory over the Pirates on Friday.

Flaherty made his best start of the season by holding the Pirates lineup to one run which scored on a bunt single by the speedy Ji-hwan Bae. Flaherty threw 95 pitches and has shown that he can handle a normal workload after missing most of the season due to a shoulder injury. The 26-year-old right-hander demonstrated a high ceiling in 2019 when he posted a superb 2.75 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 196.1 innings. Depending on how the Cardinals decide to structure their rotation in the playoffs, Flaherty may take the mound in a rematch against the Pirates in Pittsburgh next week.

Kelly (13-8) allowed eight runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings, taking the loss Friday versus the Giants.

Evan Longoria took Kelly deep twice and Mike Yastrzemski added a home run and an RBI double, accounting for seven of the eight runs Kelly yielded. The eight runs allowed matched Kelly's season high from May 17 versus the Dodgers. Outings like this have been rare for the right-hander, who still has a 3.43 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 170:59 K:BB through 194.1 innings across 32 starts. He's projected for one more start in 2022, which would be in Milwaukee next week.

Cobb (7-7) allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out five over five innings to earn the win over the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Cobb wasn't at his sharpest Friday, but he made it through five frames with enough run support to earn his first win in three starts. He's given up 11 runs over his last 15.1 innings. The right-hander now has a 3.79 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 144:43 K:BB through 144.2 innings across 27 starts this season. Cobb is projected for one more start in 2022, a road outing in San Diego next week.

Kershaw (11-3) earned the win Friday over the Rockies. He threw six scoreless innings, striking out four and walking two while scattering five hits.

Kershaw has now won four straight starts, allowing just three runs over 25 innings in that span. He's picked up quality starts in his last five outings and didn't allow more than two runs in any of his six September starts. The southpaw lowered his ERA to 2.30 with a 0.96 WHIP and 128:22 K:BB through 121.1 innings across 21 starts. Kershaw is projected for one more start in the regular season, a rematch with the Rockies next week that would put him in line to start Game 1 of the NLDS.

Darvish (16-8) allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings, taking the loss Friday versus the White Sox.

Darvish threw 70 of 104 pitches for strikes in a solid outing, but he was responsible for all three of the White Sox's runs. The right-hander had won six straight starts entering Friday, though he managed to extend his streak of quality starts to eight. For the year, he has a 3.10 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 197:37 K:BB through 194.2 innings across 30 starts. Darvish is tentatively lined up for a home start versus San Francisco next week, though it's unclear if he'll ultimately pitch again in the regular season or be saved until the playoffs should the Padres secure their spot.

Ashcraft (5-5) allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks over 2.2 innings Friday, striking out one and taking a loss against the Cubs.

Ashcraft was charged with three runs in each of the second and third innings during Friday's brutal outing. It was his shortest start since June 30 when he coughed up seven runs in just 2.1 frames. Over his last four starts, Ashcraft has posted an unsightly 6.86 ERA, raising his season number to 4.52 across 18 starts. The 24-year-old righty is expected to face the Cubs at home next week to finish off his rookie campaign.

DeGrom (5-4) exited Friday's start against Atlanta with a blister, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. He gave up three earned runs on five hits while striking out 11 and taking the loss.

The right-hander threw 86 pitches and could have stayed in for the seventh inning if not for the blister. Austin Riley and Matt Olson hit back-to-back homers against deGrom at one point, so perhaps the blister was affecting his command. He tentatively lines up to pitch on the final day of the season against the Nationals, but the Mets may opt to give him more time to get past this blister in advance of the postseason.

Fried exited Friday's start against the Mets after five innings with an apparent illness, Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

He allowed four hits and one run while striking out three over five innings before exiting. Fried had only thrown 71 pitches, but he was seen vomiting into a trash can in the dugout in between innings, so it seems likely he caught a stomach bug. He lines up to pitch in the final game of the regular season Wednesday in Miami if he feels up to it.

May (back) threw 15 pitches in a bullpen session Friday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

This was his first bullpen session since going on the injured list. May will throw another session Sunday and could face hitters during sim games before the NLDS. Manager Dave Roberts said he is growing confident that May will return during the division series.