MLB Player News

Junk (6-2) recorded the win Wednesday against the Astros, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out two.

Junk gave up a pair of runs in the opening frame but was able to settle down afterwards, tossing four innings of one-run ball the rest of the way. Although the right-hander is without a quality start in any of his last four outings, he's pitched at least five innings in seven consecutive appearances. Junk will take a solid 3.97 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 50:8 K:BB across 70.1 innings into his next scheduled start, which is set to come in Cleveland against the Guardians.

Horton (6-3) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing two hits over 5.2 innings in a 6-1 victory over the Reds. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The rookie right-hander extended his scoreless streak to 23.1 innings with another sharp performance, and he didn't issue a free pass for the first time since May 16. Over his four-start shutout stretch, Horton has posted a 0.75 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB, and he's won his last three trips to the mound. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Toronto.

Abbott (8-2) took the loss Wednesday as the Reds fell 6-1 to the Cubs, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out three.

The lefty kept things close through six innings, but he was left in for the seventh and got tagged for a couple additional runs to miss out on his ninth quality start of the season. It was Abbott's first loss since June 4, and over his last 10 outings he's produced a 3-1 record with a 2.48 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 40:16 K:BB across 61.2 innings. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Phillies.

Peterson (7-5) took the loss Wednesday, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks over six innings as the Mets fell 4-1 to the Guardians. He struck out seven.

The southpaw didn't pitch all that poorly, tossing 58 of 89 pitches for strikes, but the New York offense didn't get its first hit until the ninth inning, while Peterson served up homers to David Fry and Angel Martinez. Peterson has worked at least six innings in six straight outings, posting a 2.15 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 29:11 K:BB over 37.2 innings during that span. He'll look to get back in the win column in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next week against Atlanta.

Tatis isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Tatis will get a rare off day Wednesday after going just 2-for-21 with an RBI and three runs scored through the first five games of August. While he regroups, Ryan O'Hearn will cover right field and bat fifth.

O'Brien earned the save in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Dodgers, issuing one walk with no hits or strikeouts over 1.1 scoreless innings.

After Freddie Freeman singled with two outs in the eighth inning, O'Brien was called upon to set down Teoscar Hernandez to end the frame. The right-hander would come back out for the ninth, and he worked around a two-out walk to earn his first major-league save. After allowing 10 earned runs in eight innings last season, O'Brien has emerged as one of the Cardinals' top bullpen options this year, posting a 1.84 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP and 29:14 K:BB across 29.1 innings. O'Brien could be in line for additional save chances down the stretch following the departures of Ryan Helsley and Phil Maton at the trade deadline, although JoJo Romero has looked like the preferred choice at closer so far for manager Oliver Marmol.

Liberatore didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Dodgers, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out one.

After starting the day with two scoreless innings, Liberatore gave up a two-run homer to Shohei Ohtani in the third before the Dodgers tacked on an unearned run in the fourth. The 25-year-old Liberatore has struggled to provide much length recently -- he's failed to make it through the fifth inning in any of his last four starts. Overall, the left-hander sports a 3.98 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and 85:27 K:BB through 21 starts (113 innings). Liberatore is currently lined up for a home matchup with the Rockies his next time out.

Ohtani did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Cardinals, allowing a run on two hits and no walks while striking out eight over four innings. At the plate, he went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer.

While the Dodgers would ultimately come up short against the Cardinals, it was a vintage performance from Ohtani, who threw a season-high 54 pitches over four innings. After giving up a lone run in the top of the third inning, Ohtani put the Dodgers back in front with a two-run shot off Matthew Liberatore in the bottom half of the frame, which was his 39th homer this year and the 1,000th hit of his eight-year MLB career. While he'll likely be limited in a pitching capacity during the regular season, Ohtani's posted a strong 2.37 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 25:5 K:BB across 19 innings. At the plate, he's slashing .276/.381/.606 with 106 runs scored, 75 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 112 games.

Freeland (2-12) took the loss Wednesday against Toronto, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.

After holding Toronto scoreless through his first two innings, Freeland gave up a two-out, three-run blast to Bo Bichette in the third before surrendering three more runs in the fifth. The 32-year-old Freeland has given up seven home runs in his last four starts (19.2 innings). His ERA is up to 5.53 with a 1.52 WHIP and 78:28 K:BB across 21 starts (109 innings) this season. The left-hander will look for better results in his next outing, tentatively lined up for next week in St. Louis.

Heaney did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Giants, allowing one run on two hits and no walks with four strikeouts over 4.2 innings.

Heaney cruised through four innings before giving up a solo homer in the fifth. The veteran southpaw was lifted at 76 pitches to avoid a third trip through the Giants' lineup, marking the fourth time in his past five starts he's failed to complete five frames. He'll carry a 4.77 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 80:36 K:BB across 115 innings into a road matchup with the Brewers early next week.