MLB Player News

Wacha will be deployed as a traditional starter for the opener of a three-game series versus the Rockies on Tuesday, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Wacha was utilized as a bullpen-day opener in his last turn, firing two scoreless innings against the Giants last Wednesday while pitching on short rest. However, he'll be back to serving as a conventional starter moving forward and will take the hill against Colorado with the benefit of a full five days off. Wacha has been slightly better as a starter than reliever in what's been a rough season, generating a 4.89 ERA across 99.1 innings, compared to a 5.68 figure over 12.2 frames out of the bullpen.

Wood, who was scratched from his scheduled outing Tuesday against the Phillies due to lower-back soreness, said he's hopeful to pitch again this season, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Wood indicated that he first experienced back stiffness the morning after his Aug. 29 start in Miami, with the Reds opting to skip his subsequent turn in the rotation after he failed to show much improvement in the days that followed. Considering Wood missed the first three months of the season with a related injury, the Reds could be inclined to err on the side of caution and hold him out of the pitching schedule for additional turns. Tyler Mahle is expected to serve as the Reds' fifth starter for the duration of Wood's absence.

Gonsolin will start Saturday's game against the Giants.

An off day Thursday allowed the Dodgers to temporarily reshuffle their rotation, resulting in ace Clayton Kershaw moving ahead of Gonsolin in the pitching schedule. The rookie will rejoin the rotation Saturday on seven days' rest and will continue to stake his claim to a spot on the Dodgers' postseason roster. Through his first six outings in the big leagues (five starts), Gonsolin has posted a 2.89 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB in 28 innings.

Davies (9-7) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over five innings while striking out four in a 7-1 victory over the Cubs.

The red-hot Nicholas Castellanos touched him up for a solo shot, but otherwise Davies cruised through his five frames before being lifted after 79 pitches (47 strikes). He'll take a 3.69 ERA and 91:46 K:BB through 141.1 innings into his next start Wednesday in Miami.

Hamels (7-6) took the loss Friday as the Cubs were blasted 7-1 by the Brewers, giving up five runs on nine hits and two walks over 3.1 innings while striking out three.

Familiarity definitely bred some contempt in this case -- facing Milwaukee for the second straight start, the veteran lefty wasn't fooling anyone, with Yasmani Grandal and Christian Yelich both taking him deep. Hamels will carry a 3.95 ERA and 125:47 K:BB through 130 innings into his next outing Wednesday in San Diego.

Keuchel (7-5) picked up the win in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Nationals, allowing six hits and two walks over six scoreless innings while striking out three.

The southpaw has reeled off four straight wins and five straight quality starts, posting a dazzling 0.87 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 27:9 K:BB over 31 innings in that five-game stretch. Keuchel will look to stay locked in for his next outing Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Corbin (11-7) took the loss Friday, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and six walks over five innings while striking out nine as the Nationals fell 4-3 to Atlanta.

The lefty wasn't at his sharpest -- the six free passes were a season high for Corbin -- but he generated a whopping 20 swinging strikes among his 107 pitches (63 total strikes) and fanned at least eight batters for the fifth time in his last six starts, a stretch during which he's posted a 2.13 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 46:16 K:BB over 38 innings. Corbin will look to get back into the win column Thursday in Minnesota.

Walker (elbow, shoulder) threw off flat ground Friday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Walker was expected to toss a bullpen session Friday, but the organization opted instead for another flat-ground session. Manager Torey Lovullo said he did not know why there was a change of plans.

Gallen, who has pitched a career-high 159.2 innings this season, will not be under any restrictions for now, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Gallen blew past his previous career high of 133.1 innings, established in 2018 while he was in the Marlins organization. Clubs will often monitor or shut down young pitchers at this point of the season in hopes of preventing injury, but the Diamondbacks will stay the course while chasing down a postseason berth. "Not right now -- as long as we're in this thing," manager Torey Lovullo said. "As long as we're in it, he's going to keep pitching." The right-hander has posted a 2.25 ERA while striking out 39 and walking 14 over 32 innings (six starts) since joining Arizona. Lovullo had been concerned with the number of walks, but Gallen's cut those down considerably, issuing just four over the last 17 innings.

Matz didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 5-4 win over the Phillies, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks over 5.2 innings while striking out four.

The southpaw tossed 109 pitches (67 strikes) and ran out of gas just short of his 14th quality start of the season. Matz has a 2.78 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 54:13 in 58.1 second-half innings, and he'll look to keep rolling in his next outing Wednesday, at home against the Diamondbacks.