MLB Player News

Duran struck out two in a clean ninth inning for the save Wednesday against the Nationals.

Duran wasn't at his sharpest, landing just 13 of his 21 pitches for strikes, but Washington still was unable to muster a baserunner. The star closer hasn't blown a save since July 27 in Miami, tallying at least one strikeout in six consecutive outings and nine of his last 10. Duran has a 1.79 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and a sparkling 77:9 K:BB over 55.1 innings this season, collecting 31 saves (33 opportunities) still with a chance to eclipse his career high of 32.

Cornelio didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Phillies, striking out one while allowing no hits and two walks in 2.2 relief innings.

Opener Jared Simpson couldn't find the plate Wednesday, walking four in one-third of an inning, but Cornelio helped settle things down out of the bullpen before handing things over to Will Dion. The Nationals don't appear to be ready to expand his workload, however, as Cornelio has not yet reached the 50-pitch marker in any of his last four outings since being recalled from the minor leagues. He has a 4.45 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 32:24 K:BB in 30.1 major-league innings this year.

The Nationals optioned Pinckney to Triple-A Rochester after Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

Pinckney was recalled from Triple-A on Thursday and went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored during his brief stint in the majors. Unless the Nationals need to replace an injured player down the stretch, the 25-year-old will most likely play out the rest of the season at Rochester.

Jones didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Brewers, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out nine.

Jones has now recorded eight or more strikeouts in each of his last three outings. Prior to Wednesday, the right-hander had delivered 13 straight scoreless frames in his previous two starts, allowing just four hits in that span. Through 19 starts (90.2 innings) this season in his first year back from elbow surgery, Jones sports a 4.17 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP and 109:31 K:BB. He's tentatively lined up to face the Cardinals at home his next time out.

Wheeler (13-5) earned the win Wednesday against the Nationals, striking out five while allowing four hits and one walk in seven scoreless innings.

Staked to an early 2-0 lead, Wheeler found himself in cruise control throughout the course of Wednesday evening. The star right-hander pitched at least six innings while yielding one or no runs for a fourth consecutive start, and he's now just three career punchouts shy of joining the 2,000-strikeout club. He'll bring a stellar 2.99 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 177:46 K:BB over 150.1 innings into his next scheduled outing against the Brewers.

De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a second run scored in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Dodgers.

De La Cruz put the Reds ahead in the third inning with a two-run, two-out blast off Seth Halvorsen, his 28th homer of the season and seventh in his last 11 games. De La Cruz has been on a tear over the last month -- he's batting .424 (39-for-92) in his past 23 games with 18 extra-base hits and a 1.274 OPS in that span. The star shortstop is now slashing .286/.364/.521 with 74 RBI, 94 runs scored and 26 stolen bases across 593 plate appearances this year.

Abbott did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Dodgers, allowing one run on three hits and five walks across 4.2 innings. He struck out five.

Abbott did a good job limiting the damage, as he held Los Angeles to a lone run despite issuing five walks, matching a season high. The southpaw ultimately departed the game with two outs in the fifth inning after he threw 98 pitches (just 52 for strikes). Notably, Abbott did not give up a home run in the contest -- he had allowed seven long balls in his previous five outings. Overall, his ERA sits at 4.70 through 31 starts (159 innings) this year with a 1.47 WHIP and 125:75 K:BB. Abbott currently lines up for a road matchup in Atlanta his next time out.

Vargas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

After starting in five consecutive contests from Sept. 6 through last Friday, Vargas has now been excluded from the lineup for five straight games. Arizona will likely continue to prioritize Tim Tawa at first base ahead of Vargas, who is slashing a middling .242/.281/.354 since the All-Star break. Tawa is actually in center field Wednesday with Pavin Smith at first.

O'Brien (3-9) took the loss Wednesday as the Cardinals were downed 6-5 in 10 innings by the Giants, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk in an inning of work. He failed to strike out a batter.

With the game tied 4-4, O'Brien got the call in the top of the 10th inning but hung a first-pitch slider to Drew Gilbert, who launched it 415 feet to right-center field for a game-winning homer. It's only the fifth long ball of the season O'Brien has served up, but three of them have come since Aug. 23, a 10-inning stretch that's seen him blow three of seven save chances and get tagged for five losses while stumbling to a 10.80 ERA, 2.30 WHIP and 9:7 K:BB. The right-hander's late-season struggles could prompt St. Louis to look for another closing option to begin the 2027 campaign, despite his career-high 37 saves this season.

Liberatore didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Giants, allowing one run on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out two.

The left-hander tossed 51 of 81 pitches for strikes en route to his seventh quality start of the season, but he exited the mound in line for his 15th loss with the Cardinals down 1-0 before the two bullpens took turns making a mess. It's just the second time in his last eight outings that Liberatore has lasted six innings, a bumpy stretch that's seen him post a 6.42 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 41:14 K:BB through 40.2 innings. He'll look to wrap up his regular season on a high note on the road next week in Pittsburgh.