MLB Player News

Ferguson is expected to serve as the Dodgers' opening pitcher in Thursday's later game against the Guardians, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

The Dodgers' plans could change depending on how the bullpen usage shakes out in the resumption of Wednesday's suspended game. Whatever the case, Ryan Pepiot will be called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to handle the bulk of the innings for Los Angeles in Thursday's regularly-scheduled tilt at Cleveland. If Ferguson does open the game, he'll likely cover only the first inning.

Avila is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Brewers at American Family Field, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The Padres will skip the struggling Rich Hill's turn through the rotation and will instead give Avila the chance to prove he's deserving of a longer look in a starting role. Avila has already previously made one spot start for the Padres on Aug. 1, when he struck out seven Rockies over four innings of a one-run ball at Coors Field. Since moving to the bullpen following that start, Avila has excelled as a multi-inning reliever, generating a 1.29 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB in 14 frames. The Padres will likely cap Avila at around 4-to-6 innings Saturday and could even deploy him in tandem with Hill. The coaching staff will likely wait and see how Avila performs against Milwaukee before determining whether he or Hill will draw the nod the next time a fifth starter is needed.

Ward (shoulder) will make his next rehab appearance Thursday at High-A Wilmington, and the Nationals intend to stretch him out for a possible role in the rotation in September, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Taken in this year's Rule 5 draft from the Red Sox system, Ward struggled to a 7.12 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 26:24 K:BB through his first 30.1 big-league innings, all in relief, before being sidelined in early July with shoulder inflammation. The 26-year-old right-hander is seen as a possible future rotation piece however, and with the club keeping an eye on the workloads of young starters MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin, there could be an opening for Ward over the final weeks. He's hoping to build up to four innings in Thursday's game after tossing five total innings across two appearances for the Nats' FCL affiliate last week.

Rainey (elbow) threw 19 pitches in a rehab appearance for Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday as he closes in on his return from Tommy John surgery, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The right-hander will pitch in another rehab game later this week, but Nationals manager Dave Martinez indicated Rainey will need to show he can work back-to-back games before he'll be activated from the 60-day IL, which could push his return to early September. He did record 12 saves in 2022 before undergoing surgery that August, but Rainey will likely slot into a lower-leverage role behind Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey once he's activated.

Kimbrel (7-4) took the loss Wednesday against the Giants. He allowed three runs (two earned) on a hit and a walk while striking out one over one inning.

After the Phillies scored three runs off Camilo Doval in the ninth inning to tie the game 5-5, Kimbrel surrendered three runs in the 10th in an eventual 8-6 loss. It was a rare hiccup for the veteran closer, who'd allowed just two earned runs in his previous 11 innings. Kimbrel now sports a 3.33 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 73:20 K:BB across 54 innings this season while going 19-for-21 in save chances.

Lawrence gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in the ninth inning Wednesday, blowing his sixth save chance of the season in an eventual 6-5 loss to the Rays. He struck out one.

The 28-year-old righty didn't get stuck with the losing decision -- that honor went to Brent Suter, who got tagged for an unearned run in the 10th -- but Lawrence was the architect of this defeat, loading the bases with one out before giving up a two-run single to Yandy Diaz. Lawrence has blown five of his last eight save opportunities, stumbling to a 10.80 ERA and 2.10 WHIP over his last 10 innings, and it's not clear how much longer manager Bud Black will stick with him as closer.

Romero picked up the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over Pittsburgh, allowing one run on two hits while striking out three over two innings.

Romero entered the contest with a two-run lead in the bottom of the eighth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning. He returned in the ninth and allowed one run on two hits, but he was still able to escape with his third save of the season. The left-handed reliever has now converted each of his last three save attempts and has still allowed only one home run in his 2023 campaign. He currently holds a 17:1 K:BB through nine Augusts appearances.

Junis (4-3) allowed one hit and struck out one without walking a batter over one scoreless inning to earn the extra-inning win over the Phillies on Wednesday.

Camilo Doval struggled in a blown save, failing to record an out while giving up a game-tying home run to Bryce Harper in the ninth inning. Junis kept the game tied, and the Giants took the lead for good in the 10th. Junis has endured mixed results since the start of July, allowing 10 runs (seven earned) over 26 innings across 13 appearances while serving as one of the Giants' many bulk relievers. Eight of his outings in that span have been longer than an inning. The right-hander had a middling 3.95 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 83:18 K:BB with a save and two holds over 70.2 innings this season.

Alzolay pitched around a hit and a walk to record a scoreless ninth inning and earn the save Wednesday against the Tigers. He struck out two.

Alzolay was a little shaky for the second straight appearance, though this time he kept the opponent off the board and preserved Chicago's 6-4 win. The righty now has 19 saves this season in 20 chances to go along with a 2.70 ERA. Alzolay has done more than enough to hold onto the closer job the rest of the way as the Cubs fight for a playoff spot.

Thompson (3-5) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk over five innings against the Pirates. He struck out five.

Thompson plunked Connor Joe in the third inning with the bases loaded to send home the Pirates' first run of the game and later surrendered a solo shot to Ke'Bryan Hayes. Outside of that the lefty was efficient in only his second start of the season and actually struck out four of the first eight batters he faced before going on to log his third win. Thompson has now allowed two earned runs over five innings in both of his first two starts, posting a 10:2 K:BB over that run.