MLB Player News

Verlander (2-10) allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings to earn the win over the Cubs on Tuesday.

Verlander's performance has swung wildly in August, as he's allowed 15 runs (14 earned) over 27.1 innings across his five starts this month. Tuesday's outing was his first win of the month, as he was able to effectively mitigate the traffic on the basepaths. Verlander is now at a 4.55 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 104:39 K:BB over 116.2 innings over 23 starts this season. The 42-year-old is projected for a home start versus the Orioles this weekend.

Duran (6-6) took the loss Tuesday against the Mets, allowing one run on four hits and no walks. He failed to record an out.

The Mets strung together four straight hits to walk it off, though it wasn't a save situation for Duran in a 5-5 game to begin the ninth inning. The hard-throwing right-hander has now permitted a run in two of his past three outings, although he should remain Philadelphia's closer going forward. Duran owns a 2.35 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 9:0 K:BB over his first 7.2 innings with the Phillies.

Cubs assistant general manager Jared Banner said Tuesday that Birdsell is scheduled to undergo season-ending right elbow surgery later this week, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The exact nature of the procedure and and a timeline for his recovery won't be revealed until the surgery is completed. A shoulder/lat injury had delayed Birdsell's season debut until the second June, and once he was healthy enough to join Triple-A Iowa, he produced a 3.38 ERA and 1.32 WHIP across 18.2 innings over four appearances before getting placed on the 7-day injured list Aug. 8 due to the elbow issue.

The Rockies announced Tuesday that Senzatela will work out of the bullpen moving forward, Christian Saez of TheDNVR.com reports.

Senzatela has struggled immensely as a starter this season, posting a career-worst 7.15 ERA through 112 innings. Even more alarming is the fact that his ERA jumps up to 7.38 while pitching away from Coors Field. The 30-year-old will now move into a long-relief role in an effort to get him back on track, or at the very least, minimize the amount of damage he's able to give up in a single outing. It's unclear who will take Senzatela's place in the rotation, which is due to come up again Thursday against the Astros.

Contreras went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 9-8 win over Arizona.

The homer was Contreras' seventh of the month and his 15th of the year. The catcher's .763 OPS for the year may be slightly disappointing based on his high expectations entering the season, but he's been rolling for the past month or so. Over his last 130 plate appearances, Contreras is slashing .321/.415/.616 with nine long balls, six doubles and 23 RBI.

Moreno went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 9-8 loss to Milwaukee.

Moreno smashed his seventh homer of the year and his first since coming off the injured list due to a fractured finger. The 25-year-old backstop is primed to serve as Arizona's top catcher to finish out the campaign, and he's slashing a respectable .279/.332/.447 with nine doubles, one triple, 27 RBI, 33 runs scored and one stolen base over 205 trips to the plate.

Pirates manager Don Kelly said that Mlodzinski will start Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Wednesday will mark Mlodzinski's 11th start of the season and his second start of the month. The 26-year-old righty has posted a 5.15 ERA and 1.49 WHIP over 43.2 innings across his previous 10 starts, but he's had better luck while facing the Cardinals, who have managed just three runs in 9.2 innings against him. Given that Mlodzinski hasn't covered more than four innings in any appearance in the majors or minors dating back to June 4, the Pirates are unlikely to have him work deep enough into the start to qualify for a win. Kelly hasn't outlined his plans for once Mlodzinski exits the game, but Bubba Chandler is available on four days' rest and could be used in a piggyback role out of the bullpen.

Bader went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Mets.

The homer was Bader's 14th of the season and his second since being acquired by the Phillies. The veteran outfielder is playing a significant role in center field with his new club, slashing .288/.386/.441 with three doubles, six RBI and eight runs scored over his last 70 plate appearances. The three-hit game was Bader's fourth of the year.

Alonso went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Phillies.

The four-hit game was Alonso's second of the year, with both such efforts coming in the month of August. Alonso is batting a strong .286 with seven home runs, seven doubles and 24 RBI over his last 98 at-bats as New York's top cleanup hitter. The All-Star slugger also has at least one knock in 16 of his last 23 outings.

Helsley was charged with a blown save Tuesday against Philadelphia, allowing two runs on one hit and two walks in one-third of an inning. He struck out one.

The poor performance came in the eighth inning, as Helsley continues to struggle in a setup role with the Mets. The hard-throwing right-hander now has a disastrous 10.38 ERA, 2.31 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB over 8.2 innings for New York. It wouldn't be surprising to see the club use Helsley in lower-leverage situations until he bounces back.