MLB Player News

Richards allowed one hit and five walks while striking out seven across six scoreless innings Wednesday against Cincinnati. He did not factor into the decision.

Richards was a bit wild but also generated an impressive 21 swinging strikes and surrendered only one hit, a single in the bottom of the first. The start was also notable as his first road outing of the season, and while the Reds' lineup has struggled to start the season, it was still encouraging to see him perform well in a more hitter-friendly environment. To date, Richards has recorded a quality start in each of his efforts this season and has struck out 18 batters in 18 innings of work.

Avila will be called up from Double-A Amarillo to start Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Avila spent time in major-league camp this spring but his promotion comes as a bit of a surprise considering he spent all of 2018 at High-A Lake Elsinore. The 22-year-old allowed one run on two hits over six innings during his lone start with Amarillo this season. It could be a brief stay in the majors for Avila, as the Padres simply want to provide Chris Paddack with an additional day of rest, according to Lin.

Yates got the save against the Giants on Wednesday, working around a hit and a walk to hurl a scoreless ninth inning and close out the Padres' 3-1 victory. He struck out one.

It wasn't smooth sailing for the right-hander, who allowed the tying runs to reach base, but he worked his way out of the jam to record a game-ending strikeout and bag his seventh save of the season. While this wasn't his sharpest outing, Yates is off to a great start, as he's given up just one run in his eight appearances and has been making the most of his opportunities with the Padres playing in a lot of close games at the outset of the season.

Neris earned a hold in a game the Phillies eventually lost Tuesday against the Nationals, throwing a scoreless eighth innings while walking two and striking out one.

With six outs remaining and a one-run lead, it was clear Neris would get called on at some point, as David Robertson was unavailable and Seranthony Dominguez had already been used. Manager Gabe Kapler elected to use his most trusted remaining reliever in the eighth inning with the second spot in the order due up. Neris got the job done despite walking Brian Dozier and Juan Soto, but Edubray Ramos went on to blow the save against the bottom of the order. Neris' usage confirms that he remains one of Kapler's favorite arms but also serves as a reminder that being a trusted reliever doesn't always lead to save chances with these Phillies. Expect a similar pattern of usage going forward.

Collins was called up by the Cubs on Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Collins joined the Cubs late in camp after spending most of the spring with the Twins. He had a 4.37 ERA in 22.2 innings of relief for the Nationals last season. The lefty specialist takes the roster spot vacated by Jon Lester, who hit the injured list with a hamstring injury in a corresponding move.

Brebbia (1-0) fired 1.1 scoreless innings in a win over the Dodgers on Tuesday, allowing no hits and a walk while recording three strikeouts.

Brebbia took over for starter Dakota Hudson with the young right-hander already at 100 pitches and just one out shy of qualifying for the win. Brebbia was able to finish that frame and notch another three outs in the sixth, all on a relatively efficient 24 pitches. The 28-year-old right-hander has yet to be scored upon through five appearances this season, allowing just two hits and three walks and generating a 10:3 K:BB across 7.2 innings.

Hoffman's scheduled start against the Braves on Wednesday has been postponed due to rain, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

The game has been rescheduled for Aug. 26. Hoffman was expected to be summoned from the minors to make a spot start in place of the injured Tyler Anderson (knee), but is no longer needed -- at least for the time being -- thanks to the postponement. According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, the Rockies will skip Hoffman's turn in the rotation and give Jon Gray the ball Thursday on regular rest. The young right-hander could be in line for a start early next week if Anderson isn't ready to return from the IL when first eligible.

Melancon struck out a batter without allowing a baserunner over a scoreless inning in Tuesday's 7-2 win over San Diego.

Melancon has gotten off to a strong start in 2019, posting a 0.00 ERA and 0.88 WHIP through his first six appearances. The 34-year-old only has two strikeouts over that span, but the slow start in punchouts can't be attributed to diminished stuff, as his cutter is averaging a healthy 92.1 mph. Melancon will look to continue re-establishing himself from the setup role after losing the majority of the last two seasons to injury.

Andriese (2-0) allowed one hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Rangers.

Andriese, who's pitched multiple innings in all three of his appearances, was the pitcher of record when the Diamondbacks put up a three-spot in the bottom of the ninth in a come-from-behind victory. It's the second time Andriese has picked up the "W" when Arizona rallied for a late-inning win. The Diamondbacks rank sixth in MLB with 1.91 runs scored per game over the final three innings.

Hudson allowed six hits and four walks while striking out four across 4.2 scoreless innings Tuesday against the Dodgers. He did not factor into the decision.

Hudson returned to the rotation after making one appearance out of the bullpen to record the first save of his career. While he held the Dodgers scoreless, he did struggle with inefficiency, walking four batters and requiring 100 pitches to record 14 outs. However, he showed improvement by keeping the ball in the yard -- he allowed three homers in his first start -- and has racked up 10 strikeouts across 9.2 innings on the season.