Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi took the loss on Friday when he allowed seven earned runs on five hits to go along with five strikeouts and two walks over 3 1/3 innings in an 8-0 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Mariners. Eovaldi worked through the first two innings with ease before surrendering solo home runs to both Ty France and Josh Rojas in the third inning. He then coughed up an RBI double to Eugenio Suarez in that same frame before loading the bases and allowing another RBI single in the fourth inning. He was pulled at 3 1/3 innings and replaced by reliever Brock Burke, who allowed a grand slam to J.P. Crawford to break the game open. When it was all said and done, Eovaldi was tagged with seven earned runs. The veteran right-hander has been a disaster in September, sporting a 9.30 ERA and 1.92 WHIP while allowing 21 earned runs in 20 1/3 innings. The 33-year-old hasn't made it past the fifth inning in any of his six starts this month, either. He will finish the 2023 regular season with a 12-5 record, 3.63 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 132:47 K/BB ratio over 144 innings (25 starts).

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford went 1-for-4 with a grand slam, two runs scored, a walk, and two strikeouts in an 8-0 shutout win over the Texas Rangers on Friday night. Crawford played the hero on Thursday night, delivering a walk-off single to prevent the Rangers from clinching a playoff spot. He wasn't done yet, however, as he roped a grand slam into right field on Friday off of reliever Brock Burke to give Seattle an 8-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Neither team would score for the rest of the game and Texas pulled a handful of their star players as they'll try to regroup and clinch a postseason berth on Saturday. As for Crawford, he's put together the best season of his career so far, slashing .266/.381/.440 with 19 home runs, 65 RBI, and two stolen bases over 527 at-bats. The on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs, and RBI are all career-bests for the 28-year-old shortstop.

Colorado Rockies outfielder/designated hitter Charlie Blackmon has signed a one-year, $13 million contract extension with the team. The 37-year-old, who has spent his entire 13-year career with Colorado, was going to hit free agency this offseason but he'll stay on for another year with the Rockies. The veteran outfielder has put together an excellent season in Colorado, albeit one that has been limited by injuries. He's slashing .285/.370/.450 with eight home runs, 40 RBI, and four stolen bases over 351 at-bats in 92 games.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon was bombarded for eight runs before recording a single out in Friday's 12-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Talk about an ugly curtain call on a miserable Yankees debut season for the prized free-agent acquisition. Rodon's hideous evening saw him get shelled for four singles, one double, one home run, and two walks before Matt Bowman mercifully relieved him. The southpaw hopes to quickly forget 2023 after debuting about halfway through the campaign due to a forearm strain and scuffling to a ghastly 6.85 ERA and 1.45 WHIP with 15 homers (64 1/3 innings), which is three greater than he allowed a year ago in 17 fewer starts. Rodon will be searching for answers this offseason, considering his velocity was mostly on par with last season's figure despite far inferior results.

Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner (knee) exited Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers due to a left knee contusion. He went 0-for-3 before Miles Mastrobuoni took over for him at second base in the seventh inning. Hoerner fouled a ball off his knee during the sixth frame but stayed in for the bottom half defensively, insinuating that he's not dealing with a significant injury. The Cubs, losers of fourth straight after Friday's deflating extra-inning defeat, hope the speedy contact hitter can push through the bruise this weekend as they vie for an NL wild-card berth. On top of great defense at the keystone, Hoerner is batting .283 with 68 RBI, 98 runs scored, and 43 stolen bases in 619 at-bats during 2023.

Minnesota Twins infielder Jorge Polanco (ankle) departed Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies with right ankle soreness. He went 1-for-3 before Alex Kirilloff subbed in for him during the sixth inning. Polanco is being deemed day-to-day with his next chance to return arriving during Saturday's meeting at Coors Field. The Twins have dealt with enough injuries to key contributors this year, like Byron Buxton (knee) and Royce Lewis (hamstring), so it's fair to wonder if the AL Central champions elect to hold out Polanco until the playoffs. The former All-Star has been very productive when healthy, slashing .255/.335/.454 with 14 home runs, 48 RBI, and four stolen bases in 302 at-bats (80 games).

The Texas Rangers put starting pitcherJon Gray(forearm) on the 15-day injured list due to right lower-forearm tightness on Friday. The veteran right-hander is the latest name to hit the shelf in an injury-plagued Rangers rotation throughout the course of this year. Gray could return at some stage of the postseason, but he's set to miss at least a few weeks after leaving his Sept. 25 start with the forearm injury. The 31-year-old got off to a fabulous start (2.32 ERA through first 12 starts) before faltering for a 5.70 ERA across his most recent 17 starts to end the year. Overall, Gray punched out 142 and walked 54 in 157 1/3 innings before his regular season finished.

The San Francisco Giants put outfielder/designated hitter Mitch Haniger on the 10-day injured list due to a lower-back strain on Friday. It faintly wraps up another injury-riddled campaign for the oft-injured slugger, whose Giants debut season closes with a career-worst .209/.266/.365 slash line in only 211 at-bats over 61 games. Haniger has another year on his contract ahead of a 2025 player option, and he'll aim to start next season off on the right foot after spending most of 2023 on the sidelines with various ailments. The 32-year-old should be a decent bounce-back fantasy flier at the end of drafts this winter after providing only six home runs, 13 doubles, and 28 RBI this year.

Baltimore Orioles infielder Ramon Urias (illness) has been scratched from Friday's starting lineup versus the Boston Red Sox. Both Urias and catcher Adley Rutschman will hit the bench with an illness on Friday. Possibly, the two of them partied too hard after clinching the AL East division on Thursday. Regardless, it sounds like a minor issue, so both players should return within the next few days. In his absence, Jordan Westburg will cover third base and bat sixth versus right-hander Nick Pivetta on Friday.

New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals. This appears to be a routine rest day for the veteran slugger. Stanton has struggled this season, he's slashing .191/.275/.420 with 24 home runs and 60 RBI in 101 games. The expectation is that Stanton will play in the final two games of the regular season. In the meantime, Oswaldo Cabrera will cover right field and bat eighth versus right-hander Jordan Lyles on Friday.

San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano will start Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox on the bench for the fourth straight game. In his absence, Brett Sullivan will do the catching and hit seventh against White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease. Campusano isn't believed to be dealing with an injury, and it's a bit odd since he's currently riding a six-game hitting streak in which he's gone 11-for-23 (.478) with a homer, double, five RBI and four runs scored. The Friars technically have not been eliminated from wild-card contention in the National League, either. Campusano is turning 25 years old on Friday and has hit a strong .319 (52-for-163) this year with a career-high seven home runs, 30 RBI and 27 runs scored in 49 games in his fourth MLB season.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant (illness) remains out of action on Friday with the team taking on the visiting Minnesota Twins. Bryant has been under the weather of late and will now miss his fourth straight game. With just two more regular season games this weekend, we may not see Bryant again in 2023. Elehuris Montero is playing first base and batting cleanup, while Sean Bouchard is making a start in right field and hitting seventh for the Rockies against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan. The 31-year-old Bryant has had yet another disappointing season in his second year in Colorado, hitting .239 (70-for-293) with only 10 home runs, 10 doubles, 31 RBI and 36 runs scored in 327 plate appearances and 78 games in 2023.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz (hamstring) is back in action on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, serving as the designated hitter and batting leadoff. The Rays held Diaz out as a precaution for the last two games, but he'll be available to start the final series of the regular season on Friday. Fantasy managers still competing for hardware this year need to get the 32-year-old back in their starting lineups. Isaac Paredes is playing first base and batting fifth, while rookie Osleivis Basabe is at the hot corner and hitting in the eight-hole. Diaz is having the best season of his career in his seventh big-league season, slashing .328/.408/.515 with a .923 OPS, 21 home runs, 35 doubles, 76 RBI and 94 runs scored in 135 games.

Miami Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez (ankle) remains out of the starting lineup on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to a left-ankle sprain that he aggravated over the weekend. Arraez suffered an ankle injury at the worst possible time down the stretch with the Marlins trying to secure the final wild-card spot in the National League, and this will be his fourth straight missed game. Jon Berti will man the keystone on Friday and will hit sixth in the batting order. The Marlins and fantasy managers can only hope that Arraez will be able to return on Saturday. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter still leads the league with a .353 batting average (202-for-573) in 146 games in 2023, adding a career-high 10 home runs, 30 doubles, three triples, 69 RBI, three steals and 71 runs scored.

Following Sunday's regular season finale, Detroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera will become the team's special assistant to the president of baseball operations. Cabrera will officially hang up his cleats and retire after a storied career that will surely lead him to being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But when he's done putting on a uniform, he'll remain with Detroit and work in their front office. The 40-year-old Venezuelan only has four home runs in his final big-league season, and he's also hitting .254 (82-for-323) with just 33 RBI and 20 runs scored. Miggy is finishing his career off strong, though, going 18-for-60 (.300) with a homer, two doubles, nine RBI and four runs scored in his 16 starts in September.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (back) is back at first base and is hitting second on Friday against the visiting Cincinnati Reds and left-hander Brandon Williamson. Goldschmidt didn't play the last two games due to back tightness, but he'll return for the final series of the regular season this weekend. It was a good time for him to take a rest on Thursday, though, as the 36-year-old former MVP has gone hitless in his last three games played. Fantasy managers still playing for a title this weekend will want to get Goldy back in their lineups, though. He's hitting .267/.362/.444 with an .806 OPS, 25 home runs, 79 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 87 runs scored in 588 total at-bats in 2023.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling was productive in the 7-3 win over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Thursday, going 2-for-5 with a triple, two RBI, a run scored and two strikeouts out of the leadoff spot for the Tigers. Vierling has had a penchant for multi-hit games in the month of September, but he's still hitting a mediocre .247 (20-for-81) with two homers, six doubles, a triple, 11 RBI, a stolen base and 18 runs scored in 22 games (21 starts) this month. In his first year in Detroit and third in the big leagues, the 27-year-old is slashing .257/.326/.373 with a career-high nine home runs, 19 doubles, four triples, six stolen bases and 59 runs scored in 517 plate appearances and 131 games.

The San Francisco Giants reinstated relief pitcher Luke Jackson from the paternity list on Thursday. Jackson wasn't available for the series this week against the San Diego Padres, but he'll be in the team's bullpen for the final series of the regular season against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers with nothing on the line for either club. In his first year in the Bay Area, the 32-year-old veteran right-hander has been solid for the Gigantes, going 2-2 with a 2.97 ERA (3.28 FIP), 1.23 WHIP, 15 walks and 43 strikeouts in 33 1/3 relief innings.

Miami Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera will make the start for the team on Friday in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cabrera will get the nod to kick off a huge three-game series against the Bucs to close out the 2023 regular season as the Fish look to secure the final wild-card spot in the National League over the Chicago Cubs. The 25-year-old Dominican comes into Friday's game with a 7-7 record, 4.22 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 115 strikeouts in 96 innings over 21 outings (19 starts) this year. He hasn't gone more than 5 1/3 innings in four outings in September, but Cabrera has been pretty great with a 1.89 ERA, .167 opponent's average, 11 walks and 22 strikeouts in four appearances (two starts) covering 19 innings in September.

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (shoulder) has an AC joint issue in his right shoulder and will have an MRI exam on Friday to determine if there is "any rotator damage," according to manager Buck Showalter. It sounds like Nimmo will not play in the final series of the 2023 season this weekend. If Nimmo has damage to his rotator cuff and requires surgery, he may not be ready for the start of next season. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter will finish his eighth season in New York with a .274/.363/.466 slash line, an .829 OPS, a career-high 24 home runs, 30 doubles, six triples, career-high 68 RBI, three stolen bases and 89 runs scored in 682 trips to the plate and 152 games.