MLB Player News

Beck allowed a run on six hits and a walk while striking out three over five innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers.

Beck put together a strong outing against a tough opponent, limiting the damage to a Mookie Betts RBI single in the fifth inning. This was just the third start of the year for Beck, who often worked as a piggyback option or a long reliever in his first big-league campaign. The rookie ends the season with a 3.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 68:21 K:BB as well as a 3-3 record, two saves, two holds and a blown save over 33 appearances spanning 85 innings. The right-hander should enter 2024 with a chance to win a spot in the Giants' rotation.

Gurriel went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Astros.

Gurriel has gone just 2-for-12 over three games since shaking off a minor shoulder issue. The steal was his fifth of the season, one shy of his career high from 2019. The outfielder has been a fairly steady hitter this year with a .260/.308/.461 slash line, 24 home runs, 81 RBI, 65 runs scored, 34 doubles and two triples over a career-high 144 contests.

Kelly (12-8) allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out five over seven innings to take the loss Saturday versus the Astros.

Kelly pitched well, but the RBI double he surrendered to Jose Abreu in the fourth inning was the lone run for either team. The Diamondbacks had chances with five hits and six walks but couldn't even the score. Kelly concludes the regular season with a 3.29 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 187:69 K:BB through 177.2 innings over 30 starts. He should be a part of Arizona's wild-card round rotation.

Smyly will start Sunday's game against the Brewers, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Smyly figures to work a few innings in what may turn out to be a bullpen game for Chicago after the club was eliminated from postseason contention Saturday night. The veteran southpaw has plenty of experience in a starting role, though he was converted to a reliever for the final month of the season and has worked only 15.2 innings over 11 appearances in September.

Nootbaar went 2-for-4 with a walk, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 15-6 rout of the Reds.

He took Fernando Cruz deep in the second inning to help the Cards race out to a 10-0 lead. Nootbaar snapped a 23-game homer drought with the blast, as he mostly struggled in September, batting .194 (18-for-93) over 26 games. The 26-year-old heads into the final day of the season with 14 homers, 11 steals, 46 RBI and 74 runs and a .791 OPS over 116 contests, numbers very similar to his 2022 campaign.

Wacha (14-4) earned the win Saturday, allowing three hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings against the White Sox. He struck out seven.

The 32-year-old scattered three singles and needed just 87 pitches to complete seven scoreless innings en route to his 14th victory of the campaign. Outside of a recent seven-run start against the Dodgers, Wacha compiled a 6-1 record with a 2.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 48:15 K:BB across 44.2 innings after returning from a shoulder injury Aug. 15. Building upon a resurgent 2022 season for the Red Sox, the right-hander's first year in San Diego concludes with a 3.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 124:43 K:BB across 134.1 innings with his highest win total since Wacha went 17-7 in 2015.

Rom came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 15-6 rout of the Reds, giving up four runs on seven hits and three walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out seven.

The Cardinals' offense handed the southpaw a 10-0 lead after two innings, but Rom wasn't efficient enough to stick around and qualify for his second win, getting the hook after 90 pitches (55 strikes). The seven strikeouts did tie his career high, however, set Sept. 13 against the Orioles. Rom has had a shaky start to his big-league career, posting a 32:19 K:BB through his first 33.2 innings but also an 8.02 ERA thanks to seven homers allowed. The 23-year-old could have an uphill climb to secure a full-time rotation spot next spring.

Marte went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Saturday's 15-6 loss to the Cardinals.

The 21-year-old is having a fantastic finish to the season, hitting safely in seven straight games and batting .355 (11-for-31) over that stretch with two of his three homers since his mid-August promotion to the majors. Marte is expected to be a key part of the Reds' future, and while his spot in the lineup has been secure to close out 2023 due to the absence of Matt McLain (oblique), the team will likely have to do something to alleviate its infield roster crunch in the offseason, either by trading a player such as Jonathan India or by shifting someone like Marte to the outfield.

Kershaw appears in line to start Game 1 of the National League Divisional Series, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Kershaw had a chance for one final tune-up Saturday night against the Giants, surrendering two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five across 5.1 innings. He would ultimately take the loss in a low-scoring contest, though he looked sharp, firing 52 of his 83 pitches for strikes. Manager Dave Roberts all but solidified Kershaw as the starter for Game 1, so expect an official announcement to arrive sometime next week.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk, two home runs, a third run scored and six RBI in an 11-4 win over the Phillies during the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

It was a big day for Mets catchers, as Omar Narvaez launched his second homer of the season in the matinee, but Alvarez was the star of the show in the nightcap. The 21-year-old slugged both his long balls off Michael Plassmeyer -- a two-run shot in the second inning and a grand slam in the third, the first of his young career. Alvarez is up to 25 homers in 122 games in his first full big-league season, and his .211/.285/.439 slash line figures to improve as he matures given his 77th percentile barrel rate and 91st percentile max exit velocity in 2023.