MLB Player News

Stanek struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 4-1 win over the Pirates.

Stanek secured his second save of the season in dominant fashion, fanning two of the three batters he faced while tossing seven of his 12 pitches for strikes. Riley O'Brien remains the Cardinals' primary closer with 34 saves, so Stanek's path to regular save chances would seem blocked. Friday's outing shows Stanek is capable of handling the ninth when O'Brien is unavailable.

Mathews (1-2) earned the win Friday against the Pirates after allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out seven over 5.2 innings. He also hit a batter.

Mathews made his first start since manager Oliver Marmol said last Sunday that the lefty would remain in the team's rotation for the foreseeable future, and Mathews responded by delivering the best outing of his young career. Mathews threw 63 of 102 pitches for strikes and matched his career high with seven strikeouts while completing a career-best 5.2 innings. The strong outing lowered his ERA from 6.43 to 5.03 through four starts. His next start will be a tough test, however, as he's scheduled to face the Dodgers on the road.

Suzuki went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 10-8 loss to the Reds.

Suzuki recorded his third multi-hit effort over his last five games, and during that span, he's sporting a robust 1.173 OPS with three RBI and seven runs scored. This month, the talented outfielder is slashing .287/.385/.521 with four home runs, two steals, 17 RBI and 19 runs scored in 24 contests. It's been another outstanding season for Suzuki, and he'll remain a key offensive figure for the Cubs during their stretch run.

Jones (2-6) took the loss Friday against the Cardinals after allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out six over 4.2 innings.

Jones kept the Cardinals scoreless through two innings before Nolan Gorman doubled and Jimmy Crooks followed with a two-run homer in the third. This was the third straight game in which Jones struck out at least five while allowing three earned runs or fewer, but he's also failed to pitch more than five innings in any of those outings. Jones owns a 5.26 ERA with a 44:16 K:BB in eight starts and 37.2 innings since the All-Star break, and he's scheduled to make his next start at home against the Giants.

Quintana (elbow) will throw two simulated innings at the Rockies' complex in Arizona on Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Quintana threw a 45-pitch bullpen session in mid-August and has been ramping up his activity. While he seems to be making clear progress, it's unclear whether he'll be able to return to the mound before the season ends.

Karros (concussion) has resumed both hitting and fielding drills at the Rockies' complex in Arizona, MLB.com reports.

Karros has dealt with a concussion or concussion symptoms for nearly three weeks, and he attempted to return once already. The next step in his recovery will be a simulated game Saturday.

Yelich went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI in Friday's 6-1 win over the Rangers.

Yelich doubled home Jake Bauers in the first inning to give Milwaukee an early 2-0 advantage, and Yelich later added singles in the sixth and seventh innings. This was Yelich's sixth three-hit performance of the season and first since July 7. Even though his overall numbers have been down this season, the veteran outfielder has been seeing the ball well of late. He's hit safely in all but one of his last eight games while slashing .393/.438/.607 with a homer, three doubles, seven RBI, five runs scored and a 3:3 BB:K over that stretch.

Veen went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored Friday against Atlanta.

Veen hit well immediately after being recalled in mid-August, but he entered Friday's game having gone hitless across his last six games and 10 at-bats while striking out seven times in that span. Veen snapped out of that slump with a pair of singles in the loss. He has started nine of 10 games against right-handed pitching since being promoted.

Henderson (9-2) earned the win Friday against the Rangers after allowing one run on one hit with no walks while striking out seven over seven innings.

Henderson has been trending in the right direction of late and has now given up exactly one earned run in each of his last three starts, posting a 1.35 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB over his last 20 innings. Further, he hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 14 outings this year and owns a 2.06 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star break. His next start should come next week on the road against the Cubs.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with three RBI in Friday's 6-1 win over the Rangers.

Contreras opened the scoring with an RBI groundout in the first inning before adding an RBI single in the seventh and a sacrifice fly in the eighth. This was his eighth game of the season with at least three RBI. He has 69 RBI on the campaign and continues to produce, albeit with a relatively modest .268 average and .729 OPS. He's been seeing the ball well of late, as he has five multi-hit games and an impressive .433 average over his last seven contests.