MLB Player News

Lodolo (finger) threw a bullpen session Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Lodolo, who is on the mend from a blister on his left index finger, has now completed two side sessions since landing on the injured list July 12. In an effort to combat further recurrences of blisters, Lodolo has been testing out a new grip for his breaking pitches, and he's thus far experienced no issues since he resumed throwing. Lodolo will likely need to face hitters and potentially make a rehab start before returning from the IL.

Soroka (glute) threw a bullpen session Monday, MLB.com reports.

Soroka followed up a two-inning simulated game Saturday (35 pitches) with Monday's bullpen. The right-hander is next scheduled to pitch in a game at the team's training facility in Arizona on Thursday.

Sproat (3-6) took the loss Monday, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over six innings against the Giants. He struck out five.

The right-hander allowed a fair number of Giants hitters to reach and served up a two-run homer to Grant McCray in the fourth inning, but Sproat still managed to record a quality start despite taking the loss. The 25-year-old has delivered improved results of late, posting a 3.10 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB across 29 innings in his past six outings. He'll take a 5.05 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 96:49 K:BB across 92.2 innings (20 appearances) into his next start, tentatively scheduled for Sunday against the Angels.

Mahle (3-9) earned the win Monday, allowing three hits and two walks over six-plus scoreless innings against Milwaukee. He struck out three.

Mahle silenced the Milwaukee offense, spinning six shutout frames to pick up his third win. Overall, the 31-year-old has struggled to a 4.96 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 89 innings (17 starts). However, he's pitched much better of late, posting a 2.00 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 18 innings in his past three starts. Mahle will look to stay hot in his next outing, tentatively scheduled for Saturday at San Diego.

Dobbins allowed four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four batters over 5.1 innings in a no-decision against the Cubs on Monday.

As expected, Dobbins piggybacked starter Matthew Liberatore, who lasted only 3.2 innings while giving up three runs. Dobbins was the slightly more efficient and effective hurler, and he gave St. Louis more depth with 85 pitches to Liberatore's 67, though neither pitcher was particularly impressive. It remains to be seen how Dobbins will be deployed moving forward -- he could continue to piggyback Liberatore, but there's also a possibility he moves into the rotation if Liberatore continues to struggle or if another starter is traded before the deadline.

Liberatore (5-8) took the loss against the Cubs on Monday, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out five batters over 3.2 innings.

Liberatore never seemed to settle in, giving up a run in each of the first, second and third frames. He was pulled with two outs in the fourth and replaced by Hunter Dobbins, who finished off the final 5.1 innings for St. Louis. Dobbins was only slightly more effective in yielding four runs, though his season ERA of 3.74 is vastly superior to Liberatore's 5.26 mark. It remains to be seen if the two will continue to work in a piggyback situation, but Liberatore is at least tentatively lined up to make his next start in Toronto this weekend.

Peterson (6-7) earned the win over St. Louis on Monday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 5.2 innings.

Peterson was far from dominant, but he finished one out shy of a quality start and picked up his second straight win. The lefty gave up just one extra-base hit -- a Jose Fermin solo homer -- and got nine of his 17 outs on grounders. Peterson was mauled by the Cardinals for 10 runs over 3.2 innings the last time he faced them July 3, so his outing Monday was a promising indication that he's figured some things out. While he still carries a poor 5.80 ERA on the campaign, Peterson has allowed just three earned runs over 17.1 frames across his past three starts to build some security around his rotation spot, at least in the short term. He's lined up to make his next start at home against the Yankees.

Perez allowed three runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out four batters over five innings in a no-decision against the Mets on Monday.

Perez was tormented by Francisco Lindor, who accounted for all of the scoring against him with an RBI triple and a two-run homer. The veteran lefty gave up plenty of traffic beyond those two hits but otherwise kept Atlanta in the hunt until the Mets exploded for 11 runs after his departure. Perez worked up to 87 pitches in his five frames, up from the 75 pitches and four innings he logged last Wednesday in his first start back from a stint on the 15-day IL due to a forearm injury. He seems to be fully recovered from that issue and is scheduled to make his next start at home versus Washington.

Thornton (2-1) earned the win over Atlanta on Monday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five batters over 6.1 innings.

Thornton struggled a bit out of the gate, allowing three first-inning singles, but a double play helped him escape with just one run on his ledger. The Mets' offense responded with a run in the bottom of that frame and went on to score 14 times, aiding the rookie righty in his second straight victory. Thornton continues to thrive despite not missing a ton of bats -- he had a modest nine whiffs and five punchouts, and he's compiled just 22 strikeouts across 29.2 innings on the campaign. That dents his fantasy appeal a bit, but Thornton has still been a really nice find so far, as he's recorded a 2.43 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through five MLB starts.

Wheeler took a no-decision Monday against the Marlins, allowing five runs on six hits and one walk in three innings. He struck out six.

It was easily the shortest outing of the year for Wheeler, who also turned in his shortest start since 2022. Not only was it also the first time he gave up at least five runs since May of last season, it was somewhat concerning to see the star right-hander's four-seam fastball average only 93.5 mph after it averaged 95.1 mph for the campaign entering Monday. Wheeler still has a fine 2.53 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 123:23 K:BB over 103 innings, and he'll be looking to flush Monday's dud his next time out in Baltimore.