MLB Player News

Nola (0-1) took the loss Saturday as the Phillies fell 12-4 to Atlanta, coughing up seven runs on 12 hits and a walk over 4.1 innings. He struck out three.

Five of the hits off Nola went for extra bases, including homers by Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson. The 30-year-old right-hander threw 83 pitches (54 strikes) before exiting, and while it was far from an ideal start to the campaign, Nola has still been one of the most reliable pitchers in the game since emerging as a regular part of the Philadelphia rotation, striking out more than 200 batters in each of his last five full seasons. Nola will look to bounce back against a much less dangerous opponent next weekend on the road against the Nationals.

Fried recorded only two outs Saturday against the Phillies before being lifted, giving up three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out one. He came away with a no-decision.

The southpaw had a disastrous start to his 2024, throwing 23 of 43 pitches for strikes before getting the hook, but he avoided a loss after Atlanta hung seven runs on Aaron Nola in an eventual 12-4 win. Fried struggled with injuries last year but was effective when he was on the mound, posting a 2.55 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 25.7 percent strikeout rate over 77.2 innings, so while this performance was a little shocking, it did come against a tough opponent. He'll try to shake it off in his next start, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Diamondbacks.

Lynn didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Dodgers, finishing with five strikeouts while allowing four hits and one walk over four scoreless frames.

Lynn looked like he could be in for a long night when Los Angeles began the game by lacing three straight singles off him, but the veteran hurler bounced back by striking out Will Smith, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez to escape the jam. The Dodgers put two more runners on base with one out in the second frame, but Lynn again got outs under pressure to emerge unscathed. The right-hander retired the final eight batters he faced but had his momentum stopped by a rain delay, and he didn't return to the mound after the interruption, having already thrown 70 pitches. Though Lynn certainly had some troubles Saturday, this was a positive season debut given the outcome, and it helps instill some hope that he can bounce back from last year's rough campaign during which he posted a career-worst 5.73 ERA.

Yamamoto pitched five scoreless frames in a no-decision in Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to St. Louis, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out five batters.

Yamamoto faltered in his MLB regular-season debut against the Padres in South Korea on March 21, allowing five earned runs and lasting just one inning. His second outing went in the complete opposite direction, as the Japanese hurler struck out the side in a perfect first frame and gave up just two baserunners over five standout innings. Yamamoto may have gone deeper if not for a rare Dodger Stadium rain delay, though he did return to the contest following the 35-minute interruption. Fantasy managers who invested in Yamamoto in fantasy drafts should feel much better after this performance, and given how good he looked Saturday, it's quite possible that the right-hander's worst start of the year is already behind him.

Henry (0-1) took the loss against Colorado on Saturday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over four-plus innings.

Henry got through four frames having allowed a manageable two runs, but he unraveled in the fifth. In that inning, the Rockies put their first three batters on base to chase Henry, and all three crossed the plate to mar the hurler's final stat line. Henry received a spot in the rotation as a result of Eduardo Rodriguez landing on the IL with a lat injury, but he'll likely need to pitch much better to remain a starter when Rodriguez returns or when Jordan Montgomery, whom the Diamondbacks signed March 26, is ramped up enough to join the big club.

Gomber allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three batters over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against Arizona on Saturday.

The Rockies scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning to give Gomber a 7-3 lead, but he couldn't get through the bottom of the frame, giving up a two-run homer to Lourdes Gurriel followed by a walk before he was pulled. The inability to remain in the game long enough to qualify for a victory compounded an overall poor start by the southpaw, as he walked as many batters as he struck out and tossed a laborious 91 pitches. Gomber posted a 5.53 ERA over his previous two campaigns and finished with a 5.6 K/9 last season, so he's not someone fantasy managers are likely to have on their radar.

Severino (0-1) took the loss Saturday against the Brewers, coughing up six runs on 12 hits over five innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The right-hander fired 67 of 88 pitches for strikes, but he wasn't exactly fooling anyone and generated only seven swinging strikes, leading to plenty of contact that found holes in the defense. Severino had similar issues in 2023, giving up 113 hits in 89.1 innings for the Yankees en route to a 6.65 ERA, so this was far from an encouraging first outing with the Mets. The team won't pull the plug on Severino yet, but he'll need to deliver better results to earn the trust of fantasy GMs. He's in line to take the mound next weekend in Cincinnati.

Cease (0-1) took the loss in his Padres debut Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks over 4.2 frames. He struck out six.

Cease struck out three of the first four batters he faced but ran into trouble in the second with a walk and a couple doubles. He settled in after that but couldn't quite get through five as the Giants plated an unearned run. Cease picked up 12 whiffs on 85 pitches, with eight of them coming on his slider. The right-hander's fantasy outlook received a nice boost with a trade to the Padres, but his name wound up in the loss column in his debut.

Jefferies will be called up to start for the Giants on Sunday in San Diego, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The Giants will need to make moves on their 26-man and 40-man rosters to clear a spot for Jefferies. The 28-year-old hasn't pitched in the majors in nearly two years after having a second Tommy John surgery, but he impressed this spring in allowing four earned runs with a 16:3 K:BB over 14 innings. Jefferies could earn additional starts, depending on when Blake Snell is ready.

Brown was touched up for six earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one over 1.2 innings while working in relief in Saturday's 11-2 loss to the Rangers.

After being promoted from Triple-A Iowa earlier in the day, Brown was called upon in relief during the seventh inning with the Cubs trailing by three. He got through that frame unscathed, but things got out of hand in the eighth, when the first five batters reached and two of them scored. Brown was finally knocked out of the game when Josh Jung slugged a home run to cap off a six-run inning. Before his implosion in relief, Brown appeared to have a shot to take Justin Steele's (hamstring) spot in the rotation. However, given that Brown needed 44 pitches to record just five outs Saturday, it's possible he'll be optioned to the minors in short order so that the Cubs can bring in a fresh arm.