MLB Player News

Lovelady will draw the start Wednesday for the Nationals in a bullpen game against the Tigers, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Lovelady will make his sixth start of the season while the Nationals lean on their bullpen to get through Wednesday's series finale. The 31-year-old southpaw has given up three runs (one earned) in 2.1 innings since returning from the injured list and will likely remain in the game for only an inning or two.

Griffin went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a strikeout during Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Cardinals.

With the two base knocks Tuesday, Griffin has now recorded at least one hit in seven of his last eight games. The 20-year-old snapped a 10-game drought with no stolen bases by swiping his 23rd bag in the eighth inning. This year, Griffin has slashed .271/.324/.397 with five homers, 31 RBI and 23 stolen bases.

Soto struck out two in a clean ninth inning to earn the save Tuesday against the Cardinals.

After allowing a leadoff walk, Soto retired the Cardinals in order en route to his 16th save of the season. The 31-year-old punched out JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera. Soto has now recorded three consecutive scoreless outings after back-to-back rocky appearances against divisional opponents. This year, the southpaw owns a 6-5 record, 3.72 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 78:29 K:BB over 65.1 innings.

Jones (5-6) earned the win after allowing one hit over seven scoreless innings against the Cardinals on Tuesday. He struck out nine.

Jones has recorded scoreless outings of six innings or longer in three of his last four starts. Over his last seven games, the right-hander has posted a 2.09 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 53:12 K:BB over 38.2 innings. The 25-year-old is slated to start the final game of the season for Pittsburgh on Sunday against the Tigers.

Pallante (12-8) took the loss after allowing one run on three hits and two walks over six innings against Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He struck out two.

Despite the loss, Pallante recorded his first quality start since Aug. 11 against the Phillies. The right-hander was unable to get any run support from the Cardinals offense during his start Tuesday. Through 28 outings, the 28-year-old owns a 3.61 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 106:49 K:BB over 157 innings. Pallante is in line to make his final start of the campaign during Game 162 against the Brewers on Sunday.

Acuna was removed from Tuesday's game against the Reds after fouling a ball off his left leg, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Acuna immediately went to the ground after hitting himself on the leg and wasn't able to finish his third-inning at-bat, but he managed to walk off the field under his own power. The X-rays on his leg came back negative shortly after his removal, and the team is considering him day-to-day for the time being with a bruised shin. Brewer Hicklen would be the next man up to start in right field if Acuna needs to miss a start or two.

Snell (groin) is expected to start Saturday's game against the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Snell was pulled from his most recent start last Wednesday due to groin tightness but felt good after throwing a bullpen session Tuesday. He expects to throw off the mound one more time later this week, and assuming all goes well, he'll make one final start before the postseason against a Giants team that has placed every member of its Opening Day lineup on the injured list.

Ohtani (knee/biceps) is expected to return from the injured list Wednesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Ohtani still has a few hurdles to clear after spending the past couple of weeks on the IL, per Katie Woo of The Athletic, but the Dodgers skipper anticipates that Ohtani will be cleared to resume working as the team's primary designated hitter Wednesday against the Padres. Ohtani isn't expected to make another appearance as a pitcher in the regular season or postseason, however.

Manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday that Ortiz has been dealing with an abdominal strain for the past few days, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Ortiz will get a day off Tuesday to recover from his injury, but Murphy noted that the 28-year-old would likely be playing if it were the postseason, so it doesn't seem like Ortiz is dealing with anything major. David Hamilton will man the hot corner Tuesday and is the favorite to start there during any future games that Ortiz may have to miss.

Snell (groin) felt good after throwing a bullpen session Tuesday and complete another one soon, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Snell is aiming to make another start before the conclusion of the regular season Sunday, as he would otherwise be in store for an extended layoff if the Dodgers were to clinch a first-round bye in the postseason. The southpaw has been dealing with left groin tightness that cropped up in his most recent start Wednesday in Cincinnati, when he exited after just one inning.