MLB Player News

Ray allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against Colorado on Wednesday.

Ray was staked to a 4-0 lead through three frames, but he gave up the advantage when the Rockies scored five times across the fourth and fifth innings. The lefty did manage an impressive 19 whiffs and eight punchouts, but he's now allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over nine innings across his past two games to nudge his season ERA up to 3.31. Ray will look to post a better line in his next start, which lines up to come against Arizona early next week.

Gorman went 3-for-3 with a solo home run in a 5-1 win against the Athletics on Wednesday.

Gorman singled in his first two plate appearances before launching a 381-foot solo homer in the seventh inning. The infielder snapped an 11-game stretch without a multi-hit performance, and he had batted a paltry .135 (5-for-37) during that span. Gorman isn't lighting the world on fire with a .726 OPS on the campaign, but he has offered a bit of pop with 14 homers and 44 RBI across 338 plate appearances.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win against the Athletics.

Contreras plated St. Louis' first two runs with a single in the third inning. He capped the Cardinals' scoring in the contest with a two-run triple in the eighth. Contreras finished with his first multi-hit game over his past 10 contests, and his four RBI on Wednesday were as many as he'd recorded during that 10-game stretch. Contreras is up to 78 RBI on the campaign, establishing a new career-high mark.

Romero earned a save against the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing two hits while striking out one batter over 1.2 scoreless innings.

Romero entered with one out in the top of the eighth frame when St. Louis led by two runs. He allowed a single to the first batter he faced before retiring the next two hitters. Romero then returned for the ninth and gave up a leadoff single, but that was quickly wiped out on a double play. Romero subsequently wrapped things up to finish with his seventh save of the season, four of which have been longer than an inning in length. With Riley O'Brien (shoulder) currently on the shelf, Romero is the clear top option for save chances for the Cardinals.

Liberatore (7-11) earned the win over the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over 5.1 scoreless innings.

Liberatore came into Wednesday with no victories over his past nine starts. He snapped that winless stretch in impressive fashion against the A's, recording his first scoreless outing since June 29. The southpaw also notched seven punchouts, his most since he struck out eight Pirates on May 6. Liberatore still hasn't completed six frames since that June 29 start, however, which was also the date of his most recent win prior to Wednesday.

Nola (3-8) took the loss Wednesday against Milwaukee, allowing six runs on five hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out six.

Nola struggled mightily this year before going on the injured list with rib and ankle injuries in mid-May, turning in a 6.16 ERA through nine starts, and he's fared worse since returning from the three-month absence. The veteran right-hander has yielded at least four runs in three of his last four starts, and he's served up four home runs over that span. Nola's 6.78 ERA and 1.51 WHIP for the season would both easily be career worsts if they stand, and things won't figure to get much easier in his next scheduled outing against a Mets team with an .870 OPS since the beginning of August.

Quintana (11-5) notched the win Wednesday against Philadelphia, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks in 6.1 innings. He struck out six.

After tying a season high in runs allowed his last time out versus the Diamondbacks, Quintana bounced back with a quality start Wednesday. The six strikeouts were his most since Aug. 6 in Atlanta, and the quality start was the veteran southpaw's fourth in his last six outings. Quintana owns a steady 3.72 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 83:46 K:BB over 121 innings, and his next appearance lines up for a road tilt against the Rangers.

Elder (6-9) notched the win Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing one unearned run on four hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out six.

It was the first start of the season with zero earned runs allowed for Elder, who issued no walks for the first time since his June 7 outing in San Francisco. The right-hander has been quite a boom-or-bust fantasy option over his last eight starts, during which he's permitted two runs or fewer in five outings and conceded five runs or greater in his three other appearances. Elder will be searching for some consistency in a scheduled rematch with the Cubs next week. He carries a 5.54 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 105:43 K:BB across 131.2 innings this year.

Horton didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing no hits and one walk in five shutout innings. He struck out six.

Despite being pulled with just 75 pitches, Horton was brilliant while submitting his eighth scoreless start since the beginning of June. The Cubs have been cautious about the rookie right-hander's workload this year, as Horton has reached the 90-pitch threshold just four times over 19 outings, but he's delivered a masterful 0.77 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 44:14 K:BB over his last 47 innings since the All-Star break. Horton has a very promising 2.78 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 87:32 K:BB through 103.2 innings overall, and he's slated for a rematch with Atlanta next week.

Collins went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in a 6-3 win over the Phillies on Wednesday.

It was the ninth homer of the year and the third game with at least three hits for Collins. The switch hitter had a .635 OPS as of May 31, but he's made a huge impact for the Brewers since the start of June. Collins is slashing .296/.391/.487 with 25 extra-base hits, 47 RBI, 40 runs scored and nine stolen bases over his last 273 plate appearances to push his OPS up to .804 for the campaign.