MLB Player News

Zerpa (2-0) earned the extra-inning win over the Nationals on Tuesday, pitching a perfect inning.

Zerpa worked the ninth inning in a scoreless game, and he was able to keep it that way. He's allowed just one hit while striking out six over four innings across four appearances since he rejoined the major-league roster Sept. 14. The left-handed reliever is at a 4.06 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 47:18 K:BB with 10 holds and a blown save over 51 innings in the majors this season.

Manzardo went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Reds.

Manzardo has gone 7-for-18 with three homers and four walks over his last eight games. In his last four starts, he's batted second after having previously been in the bottom half of the order regularly. The 24-year-old is up to five homers, 15 RBI, 11 runs scored and a .248/.299/.451 slash line through 50 major-league games this season.

Polanco went 4-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Astros.

Polanco continued his recent surge at the plate -- he's 10-for-21 (.476) with four RBI and three extra-base hits over his last five games. Unfortunately for the Mariners, Polanco was often stranded on base as the bottom third of the order went hitless. The second baseman has had a career-worst season with a .214/.295/.359 slash line over 115 contests, though he's added 16 homers, 45 RBI, 43 runs scored, four stolen bases and 11 doubles while seeing regular playing time when healthy.

Gilbert (8-12) allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings to take the loss versus the Astros on Tuesday.

This was just the fifth time all year that Gilbert gave up multiple home runs, as the Astros were able to tag him for three overall. Over five starts in September, Gilbert has allowed 16 runs over 31.1 innings, including eight homers, despite a 41:6 K:BB. He's now at a 3.33 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 213:37 K:BB through 203 innings over 32 starts this season. He is not currently projected to pitch again in the regular season, though he would be on regular rest if the Mariners have anything to play for in their last game Sunday versus the Athletics.

Heyward went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Mariners.

Heyward delivered a go-ahead blast in the fifth inning, and the Astros held the lead the rest of the way. This was Heyward's second straight game with a homer, and he's gone deep four times over his last 11 games while hitting .310 (9-for-29) in that span. The outfielder has reached the 10-homer mark for the second year in a row after missing it for three consecutive seasons. He's added a .214/.290/.418 slash line with 37 RBI, 33 runs scored and five stolen bases over 85 contests between the Astros and the Dodgers.

Tucker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Mariners.

Tucker has gone 13-for-34 (.382) with four homers, six RBI, nine runs and seven walks over his last 10 games. The outfielder helped erase a two-run deficit Tuesday with his fourth-inning blast. Tucker's counting stats are down after he missed three months with a shin injury, but he's still been productive with 23 homers, 48 RBI, 55 runs scored, 11 stolen bases and a .281/.405/.588 slash line over 76 contests this season.

Bregman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Mariners.

Bregman gave the Astros an early lead with his first-inning homer. He's gone deep three times over his last five games while adding seven RBI and five runs scored in that span. The third baseman is up to 26 homers this season, his most in the last five years. Bregman has added 74 RBI, 79 runs, three stolen bases and a .257/.314/.449 slash line over 143 contests this season.

Hader struck out three over 1.1 perfect innings to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Mariners.

Hader stranded runners on the corners he inherited from Ryan Pressly in the eighth inning before pitching a perfect ninth for the save. Over his last seven outings, Hader has gone 5-for-7 in save chances while picking up a win and a loss in that span. He's been scored on in five of his last 13 outings and now has a 3.60 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 104:24 K:BB with 34 saves in 38 chances over 70 innings this season.

Valdez (15-7) allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Mariners on Tuesday.

Valdez was one out shy of a fifth straight quality start, but he was able to get the win, which also clinched the AL West for the Astros. Over his last five starts, he's allowed five runs across 33 innings with a 30:11 K:BB in that span. The southpaw is now at a 2.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 169:55 K:BB through 176.1 innings across 28 starts this season. Valdez's next start is likely to come in the playoffs. He is on turn to pitch during the wild-card round, as the Astros are locked in to finishing third among the American League's division winners.

Ober (12-8) allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings, taking the loss versus the Marlins on Tuesday.

Ober allowed all four runs in the second inning, and the Twins' offense couldn't back him up. The right-hander has gone eight starts without a win, allowing 26 runs over 45.2 innings with a 50:12 K:BB in that span. His late fade has pushed his ERA up to 3.94 with a 1.00 WHIP and 187:43 K:BB through 173.2 innings over 30 starts this season. Ober is tentatively projected to make one more regular-season start at home versus the Orioles.