MLB Player News

Skenes (6-8) took the loss Wednesday against the Phillies, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out five.

Five of the runs charged to Skenes came in the second inning, which was capped by Trea Turner's three-run homer. The 24-year-old Skenes has now gone nine straight starts without a win, posting a 5.36 ERA across 47 frames in what's been the first extended rut of his MLB career. Overall, Skenes sports a 3.62 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP and 119:22 K:BB across 18 starts (97 innings) this season. His next start is tentatively scheduled to come against Atlanta at home.

Atlanta will skip Elder's turn in the rotation this week, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Elder had been lined up to make his next start Friday against the Mets, but Atlanta will give him extra time to rest after he displayed diminished velocity during his last outing Saturday. Grant Holmes will now take the mound to begin Friday's contest. Meanwhile, Elder's next start is likely to come next week in Pittsburgh.

Peralta (5-7) took the loss Wednesday against the Blue Jays, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out four.

Hard contact was a problem for Peralta, who gave up three extra-base hits (one home run). The 30-year-old right-hander endured another laborious start, needing 91 pitches to complete four innings, and his lack of efficiency has prevented him from working at least six frames in four consecutive appearances. Peralta will carry a disappointing 4.81 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 92:38 K:BB across 95.1 innings into his next scheduled outing against Atlanta.

McGreevy (3-7) took the loss Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out three.

McGreevy has now gone nine straight outings without a win despite logging quality starts in five of his last six appearances, posting a 3.34 ERA in that span (35 innings). Overall, the right-hander sports a strong 3.12 ERA this season with a 1.11 WHIP and 60:22 K:BB across 17 starts (95.1 innings). McGreevy is currently slated to face the Brewers at home his next time out.

Lopez (4-1) earned the win Wednesday over St. Louis, allowing a run on two hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out six.

Making a second straight start, Lopez would give up a run in the first inning before settling in and holding the Cardinals without a hit over his final four frames. After a rough start to the year, Lopez has turned things around of late, posting a 2.70 ERA over his last 11 appearances (23.1 innings). Lopez looks to have earned another chance in Atlanta's rotation going forward -- he's currently slated to face the Mets at home in his next outing.

Wood went 2-for-4 with two walks, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 10-2 rout of the Red Sox.

The star outfielder wrapped up the scoring for the Nationals by taking Alec Gamboa deep in the seventh inning, giving Wood his 22nd homer of the season. The star outfielder went 13 straight games without going yard in the second half of June, but Wood's bat could be heating back up -- over his last six games he's gone 8-for-24 (.333) with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI.

Wicks allowed one run on five hits across three innings of relief to earn the save in Wednesday's 23-3 win over the Padres. He struck out two.

Wicks certainly had a big enough cushion to work with, and he finished off the rout for his second save in the last four days. The lefty isn't necessarily Chicago's top option for saves, as his last one came after the team had already gone through six pitchers in an extra-inning contest, and Wednesday was simply mop-up duty. Wicks should settle in as a middle-relief option most days, which limits his general fantasy appeal.

Chaparro went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Red Sox.

Getting the start at first base and batting third against left-hander Payton Tolle, Chaparro gave the Nationals a quick lead when he launched a 95.3-mph fastball over the Green Monster in the first inning. It was his first long ball of the season, but even with that showing, he was replaced by pinch hitter Luis Garcia once Tolle was out of the game. Chaparro appears stuck in a short-side platoon role, and through 26 big-league games this season, he's slashing just .170/.328/.298.

Alvarez (2-1) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing two hits and a walk over 4.2 scoreless relief innings in a 10-2 rout of the Red Sox. He struck out six.

Entering the game in the third inning with the Nationals already up 2-0 after Brad Lord recorded the first seven outs as the opener, Alvarez kept the shutout going while tossing 74 pitches (46 strikes) in bulk relief. The 27-year-old southpaw has given up two runs or fewer in six straight trips to the mound since the beginning of June, producing a 2.45 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB across 25.2 innings during that stingy stretch. His next outing is set to come at home early next week against the Astros.

The Nationals transferred Parker (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Parker is likely to undergo Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a Grade 3 UCL sprain in his left elbow, so the Nationals will stash him away on the 60-day IL for the rest of the season. The move creates space on the 40-man roster for Kyle Nicolas, who was acquired from Baltimore on Wednesday.