MLB Player News

Cease (8-11) allowed one run on five hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings to earn the win over the Rockies on Saturday.

Cease had to work for the quality start, throwing 109 pitches (70 strikes) in this outing. He's gotten himself back on track with a pair of wins over the Rockies in his last two starts, allowing just two runs over 11 innings in those games. For the season, he's at a 4.59 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 201:66 K:BB across 157 innings over 30 starts. He's topped the 200-strikeout mark in five consecutive seasons, though he is likely to fall short of the 224 he had last year.

Thomas went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer during Arizona's 5-2 extra-inning win over Minnesota on Saturday.

Thomas hadn't hit a home run since Aug. 4, but he gave the Diamondbacks the early lead with a two-run shot in the fourth. The 25-year-old outfielder has nine home runs this season, which ties his career high from the 2023 campaign. Thomas has struggled at the plate over his last 15 games, having gone 5-for-33 (.152) over that span.

Arraez was removed from Saturday's game against Colorado after getting hit by a ball in the head area while jogging onto the field in the ninth inning, Andres Soto of MLB.com reports.

Arraez spent some time on the ground after getting hit by the errant warmup throw, and he was subsequently replaced in the field by Jose Iglesias. The Padres were up 11-3 at the time, so it wouldn't have made much sense for Arraez to remain in the game even if he avoided injury. Manager Mike Shildt may have more to share about Arraez's status following the contest. Prior to exiting, Arraez went 2-for-5 with two runs scored.

Alexander went 2-for-5 with a two-run double during the Diamondbacks' 5-2 extra-inning win over the Twins on Saturday.

Alexander gave Arizona a three-run cushion in the 10th inning on a double to right field that brought Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno home. It was a nice bounce-back performance for Alexander after he went 0-for-5 with a strikeout in Friday's series opener. He has logged at least one hit in five of his last six games and has gone 10-for-41 (.244) with seven RBI in 11 games since the start of September.

Moreno went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and a run scored during the Diamondbacks' 5-2 extra-inning win over the Twins on Saturday.

Moreno broke the 2-2 tie in the 10th inning with an infield RBI single before coming home to score two batters later on a Blaze Alexander two-run double. Moreno has logged exactly two hits in each of his last five games, going 10-for-20 (.500) with one steal, two homers and six RBI over that span. He has a 1.011 OPS in 70 plate appearances since returning from the 10-day injured list in late August.

Nelson did not factor into the decision in Saturday's extra-inning win over the Twins. He allowed four hits and three walks while striking out four across six scoreless innings.

Nelson got off to a slow start by allowing four hits to the first six batters he faced, but he got out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning and kept the Twins off the board. He generated 11 whiffs on 90 pitches (56 strikes) and was in line for his eighth win of the season, but he had to settle for the no-decision after the Twins tied the game at 2-2 in the eighth. Nelson has logged a quality start in each of his last five outings (though he has just one win to show for it), and the 27-year-old right-hander has 2.92 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 64.2 innings in 11 starts since the All-Star break. His next start is tentatively slated for next weekend at home against the Phillies.

Alvarado (forearm), who was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday, won't pitch again in 2025, Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Manager Rob Thomson confirmed prior to Friday's game against the Royals that Alvarado won't have enough time to recover from his strained left forearm before the regular season concludes. The 30-year-old left-hander is ineligible for the playoffs due to his PED suspension, which cost him 80 games earlier this year, as well. Alvarado had once worked his way into Philadelphia's closing mix due to the struggles of Jordan Romano (finger), but the former reverted back to a setup role upon his return in August due to the addition of Jhoan Duran. Alvarado will close the campaign with a 3.81 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 32:7 K:BB and five holds while converting seven of his eight save chances. He has a $9 million club option for 2026.

Olson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during Atlanta's 6-2 loss to Houston on Saturday.

Olson put Atlanta on the board with a solo shot off Hunter Brown in the fourth inning before coming around to score in the seventh on a Ha-Seong Kim single. Olson leads Atlanta with 24 home runs this season, which is five short of his mark from the 2024 campaign. He has gone 11-for-36 (.306) with three home runs, five RBI and seven runs scored in 11 games since Sept. 1.

Elder (7-10) took the loss against the Astros on Saturday, allowing six runs on 10 hits and three walks while striking out seven across 4.1 innings.

Elder generated 17 whiffs on 89 pitches (58 strikes), but he gave up three runs in both the second and third innings, with the Astros' scoring barrage capped off by a two-run homer by Christian Walker in the third. Saturday ended Elder's streak of quality starts at four, and the 10 hits he yielded match a season high. He now sits at a 5.56 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 142.1 innings this season. Elder will look to bounce back in his next start, which is lined up for next weekend on the road against the Tigers.

Banks threw a clean sixth inning for a hold Saturday against the Royals.

The southpaw matched a career high with his eighth hold of the year Saturday. With Jose Alvarado's (forearm) season perhaps already over, the Phillies will likely lean on Banks and Matt Strahm as their top left-handed relievers to finish up the campaign. Through 64.1 innings, Banks has a strong 3.22 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 57:10 K:BB.