MLB Player News

Gallen (13-5) earned the win over San Diego on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 6.1 innings.

Gallen made his second start against the Padres in less than a week and took home his second win, limiting San Diego to just a fifth-inning run. The Arizona ace wasn't quite as dominant as in his previous outing -- he gave up multiple hard-hit balls that went for outs and notched just three swinging strikes -- but he nonetheless finished with his fourth straight quality start. Gallen lowered his ERA to 3.17 with the strong outing, moving him into eighth place among qualified MLB pitchers. He's added a 1.05 WHIP (sixth in the league) and 168 strikeouts (also sixth-best in baseball) over 162 innings.

Kennedy will start for the Reds on Friday versus the Blue Jays, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 29-year-old right-hander is likely getting a brief look in the Cincinnati rotation while the Reds wait for Nick Lodolo (lower leg) to complete his minor-league rehab assignment. Kennedy owns a career 6.42 ERA in 33.2 major-league innings and is not a recommended fantasy streamer.

The Mets will call Lucchesi (knee) up from Triple-A Syracuse to start Friday against the Cardinals, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Lucchesi has been on Syracuse's injured list since mid-July because of a knee issue, but he looked sharp in two recent rehab starts with High-A Brooklyn and will try to at least eat some innings for the Mets on Friday. The 30-year-old lefty carries a 4.43 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 17:8 K:BB in 22.1 innings (five starts) this season at the major-league level.

Matz (lat) said Thursday he will be shut down from throwing for at least the next two weeks, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Matz was diagnosed with a left lat strain earlier this week, which occurred in the midst of his best stretch since signing a four-year, $44 million contract with the Cardinals in November of 2021. He's scheduled to undergo a checkup MRI toward the end of August that will likely determine whether he can pitch again in 2023.

Adon (legs) is listed as the Nationals' starting pitcher for Friday's series opener against the Phillies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Adon made an early exit from his last outing due to cramping in both of his legs, but it looks like he'll be good to go Friday. The 25-year-old right-hander has posted a 5.00 ERA and 10:2 K:BB in nine innings (two starts) since officially stepping into the Nationals rotation earlier this month.

The Reds announced Wednesday that Gutierrez (elbow) has been pulled from his rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville.

Gutierrez had been tracking toward a return from the 60-day injured list next weekend, but the Reds' decision to bring him back from the rehab assignment a week and a half early seemingly indicates that he suffered a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. According to MLB.com, Gutierrez's fastball had hovered between 91 and 93 miles per hour in his first two rehab appearances with Louisville, but his average velocity dropped down to 90.3 mph during his most recent outing this past Saturday, when he was tagged for four earned runs on two hits and two walks over 1.1 innings. Gutierrez will presumably be evaluated by the Reds' team doctors before an update is provided on his next steps.

The Mets could recall Lucchesi (undisclosed) from Triple-A Syracuse to make a start Friday in St. Louis, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Lucchesi has resided on Triple-A Syracuse's 7-day injured list since July 20 due to an unspecified injury, but he's seemingly healthy after making a pair of rehab starts for High-A Brooklyn. In his latest outing with Brooklyn this past Sunday, Lucchesi looked sharp, striking out three over 4.2 innings (63 pitches) while giving up no runs on one hit and one walk. Lucchesi would line up to make his next start Friday, coinciding with the open spot the Mets have in their rotation after opting to give Kodai Senga an extra day of rest ahead of his upcoming start Saturday. Lucchesi previously made five starts with the Mets between April and May, compiling a respectable 4.43 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 17:8 K:BB in 22.1 innings.

Nola (10-8) picked up the win Wednesday, giving up four runs on four hits and four walks over five innings in a 9-4 victory over the Blue Jays. He struck out seven.

An anticipated pitchers' duel between Nola and Kevin Gausman never materialized, but the Phillies' right-hander came away with his first win since July 18 thanks to an offensive outburst highlighted by Bryce Harper's first multi-homer game of the year. The four free passes were a season worst for Nola, who has now failed to last six innings in four straight starts while stumbling to a 6.75 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 27:9 K:BB through 20 innings over that stretch. He'll look to get back on track in his next outing, likely to come at home early next week against the Giants.

Liberatore (2-5) took the loss Wednesday, surrendering six runs (five earned) on 10 hits and three walks over 4.1 innings as the Cardinals fell 8-0 to the A's. He struck out five.

The rookie southpaw got little help from his teammates, but Liberatore did himself no favors as he got only 55 of 92 pitches into the strike zone, and his lack of command or control led to a four-run first inning for Oakland. He's had one good start and two poor ones since rejoining the big-league rotation after the trade deadline, and he's likely to remain a volatile fantasy option the rest of the season. Liberatore will carry a 6.12 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 35:21 K:BB through 50 innings into his next outing, which is likely to come early next week in Pittsburgh.

Cecconi did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over four innings against Colorado. He struck out four.

Cecconi struggled in the opening frame, allowing a walk and three hits, including a solo home run to Ryan McMahon. The right-hander would throw three scoreless innings from that point on but was relieved by Tyler Gilbert in the bottom of the fifth after hitting Ezequiel Tovar with a pitch to begin the frame. The 24-year-old Cecconi has now allowed two runs in two of his three appearances this season, while his 76 pitches Wednesday marked a season high.