MLB Player News

Luzardo came away with a no-decision Saturday, giving up three runs on three hits and three walks over five-plus innings in Miami's 5-4 victory over Milwaukee. He struck out four.

The southpaw blanked the Brewers for five innings before the wheels began to come off in the sixth, but he still exited the game with the Marlins ahead 4-1 before A.J. Puk served up a Carlos Santana homer that cashed in two baserunners Luzardo had left behind. It's just the second time in his last six outings he's been charged with more than two runs, a stretch in which Luzardo sports a 2.91 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 38:13 K:BB through 34 innings. The Marlins remain alive in the NL wild-card race, sitting one game back of the Cubs for the final spot heading into Sunday's action, so the club could need its best remaining starter to come up big in his final start of the regular season, likely to come on the road next week against the Mets.

Morton was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right index finger inflammation.

The right-hander suffered the injury during Friday's start against the Nationals and will finish the regular season on the IL. Morton is now likely to be unavailable through at least the NLDS, as he won't be eligible to be activated until after the roster for that series needs to be set. However, he could be reinstated mid-series if Atlanta places another player on the IL. Allan Winans was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move and will start Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader in Washington.

Woodruff came away with a no-decision Saturday in the Brewers' 5-4 loss to the Marlins, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out six.

A three-run shot by Jake Burger in the first inning accounted for most of the damage off Woodruff, but the right-hander still left the mound having generating 29 called or swinging strikes among his 87 pitches. He saw his quality start streak end at five. Since returning to the rotation in early August, Woodruff has posted a 2.59 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 62:12 K:BB through 55.2 innings. With Milwaukee having already clinched the NL Central title, he could be headed for a reduced workload in his final regular-season start next weekend, likely to come at home against the Cubs.

Mastrobuoni went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in Saturday's win over the Rockies. He also stole a base.

Mastrobuoni has been playing well lately, as he's currently riding a four-game hitting streak and batting a robust .533 during the stretch. He still profiles as more of a bench option for the Cubs overall, though increased playing time has been available with Jeimer Candelario (back) and Nick Madrigal (hamstring) both on the injured list.

Morel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's win over the Rockies.

Morel is now up to 25 home runs this season, and he's been on a bit of a power surge recently, with five long balls over his last 11 games. However, the 24-year-old is batting just .217 during the stretch, which shows that he's often a boom or bust option in fantasy. Morel will need to cut down his strikeout rate, which is currently 31.4 percent, if he wants to make more consistent contact at the plate moving forward.

Diaz (9-6) suffered Saturday's loss, allowing four runs on five hits over two-thirds of an inning against Pittsburgh.

Diaz, who has allowed multiple runs in four of his last 11 appearances, was tagged with a second consecutive loss. The 26-year-old made his career-high 68th appearance, which may be part of the reason for a recent falloff -- he has a 7.45 ERA over his last 9.2 innings. Cincinnati's bullpen, which has saved the team throughout the season, has blown the lead in three straight games, and the Reds have fallen 2.5 games back in the wild-card race with six games remaining.

Friedl went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run and a stolen base in Saturday's 13-12 loss to the Pirates.

Friedl raced around for an inside-the-park home run -- the Reds' first since 2012 -- in the second and later doubled, advancing a runner that eventually scored. Friedl often sits against left-handers, but the outfielder got the start Saturday after reaching base safely five times Friday. He responded to manager David Bell's faith with another productive night. Friedl has homered and stolen a base on consecutive nights, upping his season totals to 16 homers and 26 steals.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Mets.

He got the Phillies on the board by leading off the second inning with a solo shot off Jose Quintana. Harper extended his run-scoring streak to seven games in the process, and over his last 13 contests he's slashing .279/.446/.651 with five of his 20 homers on the season along with one steal, 11 RBI and 13 runs.

Alvarado struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his 10th save of the season in a 7-5 win over the Mets.

The lefty fired 11 of his 14 pitches for strikes and topped out at 98.3 mph in another impressive performance. Alvarado appears to have supplanted Craig Kimbrel in the pecking order for saves in the Phillies' bullpen -- he has three saves since Kimbrel recorded his last one Sept. 11, with the right-hander blowing his most recent opportunity Friday. Since returning from elbow inflammation in late August, Alvarado has a 2.70 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 21:9 K:BB through 13.1 innings with four saves and five holds over 14 appearances.

Wheeler (13-6) picked up the win in Saturday's 7-5 victory over the Mets, giving up five runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out six.

The right-hander fired an efficient 99 pitches and generated 30 called or swinging strikes, but Wheeler faded late and nearly squandered the Phillies' lead by allowing three runs in the seventh inning. He held on for his fourth straight winning decision, and over that six-outing stretch he's posted a 3.41 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 42:8 K:BB through 37 innings while delivering five quality starts. Wheeler lines up to take the mound once more in the regular season -- a rematch with the Mets in New York next weekend -- but with the Phillies all but locked into the top wild-card spot in the NL, he could make an early exit to get a bit of extra rest ahead of the postseason.