MLB Player News

Martinez (7-6) earned the win Wednesday against the Astros, allowing four runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out seven.

Martinez didn't get much help from his defense Wednesday, as three of the runs against him were unearned, though he got more than enough support from his offense in an eventual 12-5 Reds victory. It's the first win since Aug. 5 for Martinez, who'd struggled to a 6.75 ERA in his previous four outings. Overall, his ERA sits at 3.67 on the season with a 1.15 WHIP and 93:17 K:BB across 115.1 innings. Martinez is currently lined up to face Atlanta on the road in his next start.

German (0-1) allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk while striking out three over three innings to take the loss versus the Cubs on Wednesday.

German didn't pitch well, but it wouldn't have made much difference considering the Pirates couldn't muster a hit. He's given up 17 runs (16 earned) over his last 8.2 innings, a span that includes Wednesday's start and a pair of relief appearances. For the year, German has a 7.84 ERA, 1.84 WHIP and 18:13 K:BB through 20.2 innings over seven appearances (two starts). The Pirates haven't revealed if he'll get a chance to stay in the rotation after this poor outing.

Imanaga (12-3) pitched seven innings of no-hit ball, striking out seven and walking two without allowing a run to earn the win over the Pirates on Wednesday.

Imanaga threw 95 pitches (66 strikes) in his best start of the year, which was his seventh scoreless outing. Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge each threw a perfect inning of relief to secure the combined no-hitter for the Cubs. Imanaga pitched to a decent 3.68 ERA over 36.2 innings across six starts in August and is off to a stellar start in September as the Cubs try to make up ground in the wild-card race. For the season, Imanaga has a 2.99 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 155:25 K:BB over 153.1 innings across 26 starts. He's projected for a tough road outing versus the Dodgers his next time out.

Hodge pitched a clean ninth inning in Wednesday's 12-0 win over the Pirates to wrap up a combined no-hitter for the Cubs.

It wasn't a save situation for Hodge, though he still faced plenty of pressure after starter Shota Imanaga and Nate Pearson kept Pittsburgh without a hit through eight innings. Hodge didn't flinch and breezed through the frame on just nine pitches, which has been customary for the young righty all season as he's now sporting a sparkling 1.75 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. Hodge looks locked in as the Cubs' closer for the rest of 2024, and the 23-year-old appears ready to be a fantasy contributor for years to come as well.

Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, an additional run scored and three total RBI in Wednesday's 12-0 win over the Pirates.

At the end of July, Crow-Armstrong was batting just .194 with three home runs. In 30 games since then, the young outfielder is batting .327 with five long balls. Crow-Armstrong's greatest strength remains his speed, as he has 26 stolen bases in 27 attempts this season, but his recent production at the plate has unlocked another level of fantasy relevance. The 22-year-old could be poised for a true breakout campaign in 2025 if he can get off to a faster start, as he has the tools to be a star player.

Swanson went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, an additional run scored and three total RBI in Wednesday's 12-0 win over the Pirates.

It's been a down year overall for Swanson, but he's getting things going lately. Over his last 10 games, the Chicago shortstop is batting .385 with four home runs, 14 runs scored and 15 RBI. Swanson is now up 14 long balls for the season. The 30-year-old might be hard pressed to reach the 20-homer plateau for the fourth straight year, though given his recent hot streak, it's not out of the question with 22 games to go.

Hoerner went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in Wednesday's 12-0 win over the Pirates.

Hoerner went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's contest, but before that, he was riding a nine-game hitting streak. Over his last 15 games, the infielder is batting .316 with 14 runs scored and five stolen bases. Hoerner's greatest fantasy asset is his speed, and if he keeps getting on base consistently, he should be able to rack up plenty of steals and score a fair amount of runs as well.

Bellinger went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 12-0 win over the Pirates.

While he's batting just .214 over his last 10 games, Bellinger is at least riding a modest four-game hitting streak, which now includes his first multi-hit performance this month. The 29-year-old is up to 15 home runs this season to go along with a .749 OPS. It's a step back from the 26 long balls and .881 OPS Bellinger posted in 2023, though his production has still been serviceable for fantasy managers.

Fitzgerald will start at shortstop and bat fourth Wednesday versus Arizona, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Fitzgerald was originally scheduled to receive a day off Wednesday, but he will now join the starting nine to replace the scratched Matt Chapman. Fitzgerald has recorded a base hit in five of his last six games, going 7-for-23 with an RBI and two runs scored in that span.

Chapman was scratched from the Giants' lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against Arizona, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Chapman isn't dealing with any injuries, per Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants simply made a late decision to give the 31-year-old the day off. Brett Wisely will move over to third base while Chapman rests, and Tyler Fitzgerald will enter to play shortstop.