MLB Player News

Vodnik walked one and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Friday's 5-2 win over the Padres.

All five of Vodnik's saves this year have come since July 6. He's on a four-inning scoreless streak currently, picking up two saves with a 4:2 K:BB in that span. The right-hander has a 3.70 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 53:25 K:BB over 58.1 innings this season. He may not be a full-time closer, but Vodnik appears to be at least at the head of a committee that will likely also see high-leverage work for Tyler Kinley and Justin Lawrence.

Gomber (3-7) allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six over seven innings to earn the win Friday over the Padres.

Gomber gave up solo home runs to Manny Machado and Donovan Solano, but he was able to limit the damage there. This was Gomber's third outing of at least seven innings this year, and it snapped a three-start winless skid. He's at a 4.66 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 84:28 K:BB through 116 innings over 21 starts this season. While homers remain an issue -- he's allowed 22 of them this year -- Gomber is still having his strongest campaign since 2021. His next start is projected to be at home versus the Mets.

Phillips (3-1) allowed eight runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one over 1.2 innings to take the loss Friday versus the Mariners.

Phillips had pitched 15 consecutive scoreless innings over his last two starts, but Victor Robles ended that streak with a solo home run in the first inning. Luke Raley added a three-run home run and Justin Turner hit a grand slam in the second, which was enough to end Phillips' outing early. He's now at a 4.39 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 20:5 K:BB through 26.2 innings over five appearances (four starts). The rookie right-hander will have a tough test when looking for a bounce-back effort next week on the road versus the Dodgers.

Blackburn (5-2) claimed a win in Friday's 5-1 win over the Angels, allowing one run on six hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings.

Blackburn worked in and out of trouble in his first start with the Mets, needing two separate inning-ending double plays to get through six frames while giving up just one run. The veteran recently came off the injured list and showed enough in his first start back with Oakland for the Mets to trade for him, and he quickly rewarded New York with a solid debut. Blackburn has quality starts in five of his 10 outings this season and will carry a 4.11 ERA into his start next week versus the Rockies at Coors Field.

Allard will serve as a bulk reliever behind opener Orion Kerkering during Saturday's game against the Mariners, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Kerkering has recorded more than three outs just three times this season, so it's likely Allard will enter Saturday's game to begin the second inning. The 26-year-old southpaw started in his Phillies debut this past Sunday against the Guardians, surrendering three earned runs in four innings while taking a no-decision.

Nimmo went 3-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 5-1 win over the Angels.

Nimmo broke out of a 4-for-49 slump over his last 13 games with a solid showing in Friday's win. It's the sixth three-hit game of the season for Nimmo. The 31-year-old has yet to be caught stealing this season as well, going a perfect 11-for-11 on steal attempts. Nimmo is having another solid season hitting .237/.352/.416 with 16 homers, 65 RBI and 64 runs scored over 103 games.

Kerkering will serve as the Philles' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Mariners, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Kerkering has opened a game once already this season, during which he posted a scoreless inning against the Athletics. He'll now be asked to do the same versus Seattle, giving bulk reliever Kolby Allard one less matchup against the Mariners' top three hitters.

Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Athletics.

Hernandez got the game started with a first-inning blast off Joey Estes, but the Dodgers wouldn't score again until the ninth. This was Hernandez's fourth homer over his last 11 contests, and he's driven in eight runs in that span. The outfielder is up to 23 long balls, 71 RBI, 54 runs scored, four stolen bases and a .263/.328/.482 slash line through 108 games this season.

Ohtani went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Athletics.

Ohtani had gone 0-for-11 over his previous three games and was hitless through four at-bats Friday. He went deep in the ninth inning to get the Dodgers within a run, but they couldn't find a tying run. The brief slump had little impact on Ohtani's season-long numbers -- he's still at a stellar .308/.398/.630 slash line with 33 long balls, 28 stolen bases, 79 RBI and 84 runs scored through 107 contests.

Stone (9-5) allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five over four-plus innings to take the loss Friday versus the Athletics.

Stone gave up multiple home runs for the second start in a row, as Shea Langeliers and Seth Brown each took him deep for solo shots in the fourth inning. Stone stayed in for the fifth, but he couldn't get an out, and Joe Kelly also allowed an inherited runner to score on a two-run home run by Brent Rooker. This was the fourth time in five outings that Stone has given up at least four runs. He now has a 3.63 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 87:31 K:BB across 111.2 innings through 20 starts this year. Walker Buehler (hip) will require another rehab start, so Stone is likely to get at least one more turn through the rotation, which is tentatively projected to be at home versus the Phillies. With River Ryan pitching well in his first stint in the majors, Stone's place in the rotation over the remainder of August is up in the air.