MLB Player News

Herz (3-7) earned the win over Pittsburgh in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, issuing three walks and striking out five batters over five hitless and scoreless innings.

Herz walked one batter in each of his first three frames, but each was with two outs, and none of those batters reached second base. The rookie left-hander finished his outing by retiring the final seven hitters he faced, with four going down on strikeouts. A no-hitter was never really feasible for Herz since he needed 87 pitches to get through five innings, but some fantasy managers may be a little disappointed that he wasn't allowed to remain in the game for the sixth to try for a quality start. Regardless, this was an impressive performance by the 23-year-old, who has more than held his own in his first major-league campaign with a 3.82 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 93:29 K:BB over 75.1 frames.

Manager Alex Cora said after Saturday's 7-5 win over the White Sox that Bello will make his next start in Monday's series opener against the Orioles, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Bello was slated to start in Sunday's series finale versus Chicago, but the decision was made to push him to Monday in order to give Tanner Houck additional rest on the heels of the latter pitcher's last outing Wednesday against the Mets. Cora added that a minor-league call-up could be utilized for Sunday's contest, with Richard Fitts being a leading candidate to move up from Triple-A Worcester. In his nine starts since the All-Star break, Bello has gone 2-2 with a 3.78 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 50:20 K:BB over 52.1 innings.

Myers (7-5) picked up the win Saturday against the Rockies. He allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out 11 over six innings.

Outside of a solo home run served up to Ryan McMahon, Myers was fantastic in one of the best starts of his young career. Myers got his first career start with double-digit strikeouts and at one point recorded eight straight outs via punchout. The rookie right-hander has been one of the better pitchers in the National League for over half the season now. Since the beginning of June, Myers has a 2.22 ERA, which is good for third best in all of MLB over that span.

Blach (3-8) allowed five runs on six hits over 3.2 innings Saturday, he struck out one and took the loss against Milwaukee.

Blach fell victim to the long ball, tying a career high with three home runs allowed. He allowed back-to-back homers to Willy Adames and Gary Sanchez in the first inning, and then a two-run blast to William Contreras in the third. Blach was given a second straight start after being called up on Sept. 1, but he's been lit up for five runs in each of those appearances. The 33-year-old has a 6.94 ERA through 71.1 innings this season.

Cortes (9-10) was the pitcher of record in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Cubs, allowing one walk and no hits with three strikeouts over 4.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Cortes pitched in relief for the first time this season and didn't allow a hit while throwing 33 of 48 pitches for strikes. The results had been a mixed bag in his previous five outings, as he fired three quality starts but gave up 11 earned runs in the other two appearances. On the season, he owns a 3.97 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 147:33 K:BB across 163.1 innings. Cortes piggybacked Clarke Schmidt on Saturday in the latter's return from the injured list, but it's unclear if the two pitchers will be deployed in tandem moving forward, or if both will have starting roles as part of a six-man rotation.

Eflin (10-8) took the loss against the Rays on Saturday, allowing three runs on eight hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 5.2 innings.

Eflin coughed up two solo homers and was lifted at 91 pitches after allowing a run on three hits in the sixth inning. It was the 30-year-old's first loss with the Orioles and ended a streak of five consecutive quality-start victories since he debuted with the club July 29. On the season, he owns a 3.65 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 125:17 K:BB across 148 innings and lines up to face the Tigers next week.

Pepiot (8-6) earned the win against the Orioles on Saturday, allowing one run on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Pepiot tossed five scoreless frames before surrendering a solo home run to Cedric Mullins in the sixth. The 27-year-old has been taken deep in four consecutive starts but has yielded two earned runs or fewer in eight of his past 10 outings overall. On the season, he owns a 3.66 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 118:40 K:BB across 113 innings and lines up for a road matchup with the Guardians next week.

Assad (7-5) took the loss against the Yankees on Saturday, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts over 5.2 innings.

Assad allowed one run in the first inning and then tossed four scoreless frames before being lifted and charged with an unearned run in the sixth. Despite the loss, the 27-year-old has yielded three earned runs or fewer in each of his past 10 appearances. On the season, he owns a 3.14 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 111:56 across 131.2 innings and lines up for a road matchup with the Rockies next week.

Schmidt did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 2-0 win against the Cubs, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out two over 4.2 scoreless innings.

Schmidt was lifted at 75 pitches and fell just an out shy of a win in his first appearance since May 26. He kept the Cubs off the board but did show some signs of rust, throwing just 44 strikes and generating only six whiffs. On the season, the 28-year-old owns a 2.34 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 69:21 K:BB across 65.1 innings and will try to increase his workload in a matchup with the Red Sox next week.

Glasnow (elbow) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Saturday marks the first time Glasnow has thrown off a mound since he landed on the injured list in mid-August due to right elbow tendinitis. He's not expected to make it back to the Dodgers before mid-September, but the fact he's back on a mound is a good indication of progress. The 31-year-old righty will presumably throw a few more bullpen sessions before progressing to live batting practice.