MLB Player News

Cease (12-10) took the loss against the Mets on Thursday, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits and one walk over 6.1 innings. He struck out seven.

The Mets got to Cease early, tagging the right-hander for a run in the first and two more in the fourth, though one of those would not be charged to him after coming across on a passed ball. He would still manage to come away with his first quality start since July 25 despite taking his 10th loss, generating 14 whiffs in the process. Cease has gone at least five innings in each of his last three outings, though he's allowed multiple runs on each occasion. He now carries a 3.50 ERA in August to go along with a 19:8 K:BB.

Smith started at first base and went 0-for-3 in Thursday's 7-0 loss to the Pirates.

Smith, who was signed earlier in the day after being released by Boston on Tuesday, made his debut for the Reds. With Jeimer Candelario (toe) and Jake Fraley (knee) landing on the the 10-day injured list in recent days, the Reds could have regular spots in the lineup available for both Smith and Ty France against right-handed pitching at either first base and designated hitter.

Marte went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Thursday's 7-0 loss to Pittsburgh.

Marte was one of only two Reds to reach scoring position, when he singled and stole second base in the eighth inning. The third baseman has steals in two consecutive games and is up to six for the season. A silver lining to the dark cloud that's characterized Marte's year to date is that he hit safely for a third straight game and saw his batting average creep up to .200.

Steele (4-5) picked up the win Thursday against Detroit, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks across seven innings. He struck out 10.

Steele blanked the Tigers on two hits across the first six innings before allowing a single to Colt Keith and a two-run homer to Spencer Torkelson back-to-back in the seventh. The left-handed Steele reached double-digit strikeouts for the first time this season. In 21 starts, Steele has a 3.07 ERA and a 125:32 K:BB across 123 innings. Steele is on track to face the Pirates in Pittsburgh for his next start.

Amaya went 3-for-4 with a grand slam and an RBI single during Thursday's 10-2 win over Detroit.

Amaya started and finished the Cubs' scoring barrage, getting the team on the scoreboard in the second inning with a two-out grand slam off Kenta Maeda before plating Pete Crow-Armstrong in the seventh for Chicago's 10th run. Amay has a .767 OPS through 14 games in August is slashing .221/.277/.333 with six home runs in 275 plate appearances for the season.

De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI in Thursday's 7-0 win against the Reds.

De La Cruz broke the game open in the fifth inning with a three-run double to give Pittsburgh a 5-0 lead. That was more than enough breathing room for Paul Skenes and a pair of relievers to guide Pittsburgh to a shutout victory. For De La Cruz, the pair of two-baggers snapped a 16-game stretch without an extra-base hit. During that span, he batted a meager .203 with 23 strikeouts over 64 at-bats.

Lodolo (9-6) took the loss against Pittsburgh on Thursday, allowing five runs on two hits and three walks while striking out nine batters over 4.2 innings.

On the plus side, Lodolo racked up 17 whiffs and nine punchouts -- his most since he struck out 11 Padres on April 29. Despite that, the left-hander's outing ended on a very sour note, as he followed four scoreless frames with a disastrous fifth. In that inning, Lodolo gave up only one hit -- an infield single -- but also experienced a loss of control, hitting two batters and walking two more. He gave up two runs before departing with two outs and the bases loaded, then watched from the dugout as all three of the runners he passed over to the bullpen came around to score. Lodolo is 1-3 in his past five starts and has an ugly 9.75 ERA over that span.

Skenes (8-2) earned the win over Cincinnati on Thursday, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out nine batters over six scoreless innings.

Skenes gave up a walk and a single in the first inning but came out of the frame unscathed on the scoreboard. He was absolutely dominant thereafter, yielding only one more baserunner, who was wiped out on a subsequent double play. Recent conversations in the Pittsburgh organization have centered on shortening Skenes' outings at some point moving forward, but it's not clear if that was a consideration Wednesday, as the rookie phenom was pulled after six frames despite a modest 87 pitches -- his fewest since his MLB debut May 11. Regardless, Skenes has been efficient and excellent enough to be an elite fantasy option even with a slightly reduced workload. He now has a 2.16 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 130:25 K:BB over 104 innings covering 17 starts.

Duvall went 3-for-3 with a solo homer in Thursday's win over the Phillies.

Duvall reached on infield singles in each of his first two at-bats before crushing a 421-foot leadoff homer in the sixth to extend Atlanta's lead to two runs. It marked just the third three-hit performance for the outfielder this season, while the long ball was his first since July 26. Duvall certainly showed out in his return to the starting lineup (his last start was Aug. 12), and he'll look to build off that performance as Atlanta continues to battle through the injury bug down the final stretch of the regular season. However, even after the three-hit effort Duvall is still batting just .181 (4-for-22) in August, with his lone RBI and run for this month coming on Thursday's homer.

Iglesias picked up the save over the Phillies on Thursday, striking out three over a perfect ninth inning.

Iglesias entered the game with a one-run lead in the ninth and needed only 12 pitches to strike out the side for his 28th save of the campaign. The right-hander hasn't allowed any hits or walks in 10 straight appearances while posting 13 strikeouts over that stretch -- per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, he's only the third pitcher in modern history to record at least 10 straight perfect appearances. Thursday also marked the first time this season in which he struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning.