MLB Player News

Kershaw (back) is feeling much better thanks to his epidural injection, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Kershaw hit the injured list with lower-back pain in early August. The injury isn't thought to be particularly serious, and he was able to resume throwing earlier this week, but the Dodgers have a very comfortable lead atop the NL West, so they can focus on getting him ready for the postseason rather than maximizing his number of regular-season starts.

Rogers (back) will make his second rehab start Sunday with a yet to be determined minor-league affiliate, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old lefty made his first rehab start Tuesday with Double-A Pensacola, and he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with five strikeouts and zero walks over 3.1 innings. Rogers will continue building up his workload Sunday, and it's unclear if he'll require any additional rehab outings before being cleared to rejoin Miami's starting rotation. If not, he could make a start for the Marlins late next week.

Lodolo (3-4) took the loss against the Cubs on Thursday, giving up four runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out six batters over 4.2 innings.

Lodolo threw a first-pitch strike to 19 of the 24 batters he faced, yet he issued four free passes and hit one batter. The rookie gave up three runs in the first inning, struck out the side in the second and allowed three baserunners in each of the third and fourth frames in the uneven performance. Lodolo has walked multiple batters in each of his past five starts, and he's added five hit batsmen over that stretch. He's registered a strong 12.1 K/9 over 47.2 innings on the season, but his control issues have led to an unsavory 4.72 ERA and 1.66 WHIP.

Smyly (5-6) earned the win over Cincinnati in the Field of Dreams game Thursday, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over five scoreless innings.

Smyly's nine punchouts came out of nowhere -- he hadn't fanned more than five batters in any of his 14 appearances coming into Thursday. The veteran racked up 18 swinging strikes and didn't allow any extra-base hits in the dominant outing. This was Smyly's second consecutive scoreless appearance, and he's allowed one run or fewer in four of his past five starts. Over that stretch, the southpaw has posted a 2.42 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 26:6 K:BB over 26 innings while picking up three victories.

Brubaker did not factor in the decision against Arizona on Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six batters over five innings.

Brubaker allowed a pair of runs in the fourth inning but was otherwise impressive, allowing only one hit and one walk over his other four frames. The right-hander racked up 13 swinging strikes and finished with six punchouts for the second straight game, but he lost his chance at a victory when the Pirates' bullpen gave up seven runs in the seventh inning. Brubaker has had some poor outings this season, but he's given up three or fewer earned runs while pitching at least five frames in 14 of his 22 starts.

Kelly completed five innings against Pittsburgh on Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six batters. He did not factor in the decision.

This appeared to be a great opportunity for Kelly to extend his streak of seven consecutive quality starts, but he needed 99 pitches to get through five innings and wasn't allowed to go out for the sixth. The right-hander gave up three runs in the fourth frame and departed in line for the loss before a big Arizona seventh inning took him off the hook. Kelly hasn't taken a loss since late June, and he's posted a 1.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 44:12 K:BB over 53.1 innings across his past eight starts.

Kershaw (back) threw a baseball at "really light intensity" Wednesday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

The activity was minimal -- Kershaw made only a handful of throws -- but it was nonetheless a positive sign that the All-Star hurler is feeling better after receiving an epidural shot Friday for his ailing back. An MRI last week didn't show anything concerning, so it appears that Kershaw could return by the end of the month. However, the Dodgers are 16 games up in the NL West, so they have no reason to rush their ace back into action. It's likely that they'll take a conservative approach to Kershaw's recovery to ensure that he's fully healthy before returning.

Gibson (7-5) allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out three across six innings to take the loss Thursday against the Marlins.

Gibson allowed only one run through 5.2 innings, though he fell apart late in the outing after surrendering two singles and a double -- he also threw a wild pitch -- to take his fifth loss of the season. The effort marked his third consecutive quality start, though he's also allowed five or more earned runs in three of his last eight starts. Gibson now owns a 4.29 ERA and 91:34 K:BB across 121.2 frames on the campaign.

Cabrera (3-1) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six across 5.2 scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the Phillies.

Cabrera took his second turn through the rotation since being activated from the injured list Aug. 5. He generated seven groundball outs and 11 swinging strikes across 91 pitches to shut down the Phillies' offense. Cabrera has been impressive in his pair of starts since returning, throwing 10.2 scoreless frames with a 14:5 K:BB. For the season, he has a 2.05 ERA across just 26.1 innings.

Marquez allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out six in six innings in an 8-6 victory over St. Louis. He did not factor into the decision.

Marquez faced one over the minimum through the first three innings, erasing one of the two hits allowed with a double play. In the fourth, Nolan Gorman put a 1-2 pitch in the seats to lead off and Corey Dickerson drove in a run on a single. The rest of the way, Marquez pitched around trouble and kept the Cardinals off the board. The 27-year-old appears to have figured something out of late and has a 3.11 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 27:9 K:BB in 37.2 innings over his last six starts. His next outing will likely be in the middle of next week in a rematch at St. Louis.