MLB Player News

Darvish (illness) won't be available to start Sunday's game against the Reds, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Darvish was moved off a scheduled start this past Tuesday in Pittsburgh while he battled an illness, but the Padres held out hope that he would show enough improvement to slot back into the rotation for the weekend series in Cincinnati. The right-hander evidently hasn't fully moved past the ailment, however, so he'll get at least one more day off to recover before the Padres revisit when he might return during the final week before the All-Star break. Adrian Morejon will draw the start Sunday, but he may be serving as more of an opener since he hasn't recorded more than seven outs in any of his appearances in the majors or minors this season.

Burnes (6-5) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on one hit and two walks over seven innings against the Pirates. He struck out seven.

The right-hander had a perfect game going through five innings but gave up two runs on a hit, two walks and a hit-by-pitch during the sixth. Burnes rebounded with a scoreless seventh before turning things over to Milwaukee's bullpen, which almost squandered a nine-run lead. The strong outing was a welcome sight for Burnes, who surrendered 11 runs and struck out just six batters over his previous two starts. It's been an up-and-down season through 17 starts for the 28-year-old, who has posted a 4.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 96:35 K:BB across 101.1 frames.

Oviedo (3-9) allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out one over five innings to take the loss Saturday against the Brewers.

Oviedo gave up six runs across his first two innings of work, with the big damage being a three-run homer by Christian Yelich. The outing adds to his inconsistent campaign, as he's allowed one or fewer earned runs in seven of his 17 starts. On the other hand, he's allowed more than five earned runs on three occasions. The end result has been a 4.61 ERA across 93.2 frames, though Oviedo hasn't significantly improved his strikeout rate (19.2 percent) or his other underlying skills.

Morton (8-6) picked up the win in Saturday's 7-0 shutout of the Marlins, allowing four hits and a walk over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Atlanta's offense once again ambushed the opposition, scoring six runs in the first inning, and Morton cruised from there. The veteran righty has won three straight starts despite some inefficiency on his part, as he's completed six innings just once in his last eight outings, posting a 4.36 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 56:22 K:BB through 43.1 innings over that stretch. He'll take the mound one more time before the All-Star break for what's likely to be a road start next weekend in Tampa Bay.

Perez (5-2) took the loss Saturday, coughing up six runs on seven hits in just one-third of an inning as the Marlins fell 7-0 to Atlanta.

MLB's hottest offense provided some harsh lessons for the 20-year-old righty, as Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies led off the game with back-to-back solo shots, and all told five of the seven hits off Perez went for extra bases. Over his prior six starts however, the young phenom had allowed just one run with a 38:9 K:BB in 33 innings. Another outing or two like this might make it easier for the Marlins to send Perez back down to the minors and manage his workload, but with the team currently sitting in the first wild-card spot in the NL, it could be faced with some tough decisions on how to handle him in the second half. For now, Perez lines up for one more start before the All-Star break, which is likely to come at home next week against the Cardinals.

Williamson (1-2) took the loss Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk over five innings against the Padres. He struck out five.

Williamson pitched fairly well against a surging Padres lineup, retiring eight of the first 10 batters he faced on the afternoon before surrendering an RBI double to Fernando Tatis in the top of the third. The right-hander was relieved by Buck Farmer in the sixth inning after giving up a leadoff single to Austin Nola, who would eventually come around to score on a three-run blast from Juan Soto. Williamson had allowed at least three runs in each of his last four starts coming in, so Saturday's effort, despite the loss, was still an encouraging sign for the 25-year-old.

Verlander (3-4) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one unearned run on five hits and a walk over seven innings in a 4-1 victory over the Giants. He struck out six.

The 40-year-old blanked San Francisco for six innings before a Pete Alonso error in the seventh cracked the door open a bit, but Verlander limited the damage and fanned Brandon Crawford to end the threat. The three-time AL Cy Young Award winner is rounding into form, compiling a 2.65 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 33:10 K:BB through 34 innings since the beginning of June, and Verlander is now three wins away from 250 for his career. He'll get one more turn through the rotation before the All-Star break, an outing which lines up for next weekend in San Diego.

Wacha (8-2) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over five innings against the Reds while striking out four.

Wacha (shoulder) returned Saturday after being forced to skip his last start and managed to pitch his way out of trouble for most of the afternoon, despite allowing the leadoff man to reach base in four of his five innings of work. The right-hander has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 consecutive starts dating back to April 26 against the Cubs while winning six of his last seven decisions (spanning nine starts). He'll look to keep that momentum going next weekend when the Padres take on the Mets in San Diego.

DeSclafani (4-8) took the loss Saturday as the Giants were downed 4-1 by the Mets, giving up three solo home runs in three innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The homers were the only hits the veteran right-hander allowed and they all came in the third inning, as Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor took DeSclafani deep to chase him from the game after only 55 pitches (34 strikes). After a strong start to the year, he has a 6.39 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB over his last eight outings and 38 innings, serving up eight homers along the way. DeSclafani will try to turn things around in his final start before the All-Star break, which is likely to come at home next weekend against the Rockies.

Wheeler (7-4) picked up the win Saturday in a 19-4 rout of the Nationals, giving up four runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The right-hander was far from sharp, tossing 55 of 85 pitches for strikes before exiting, but he got more than enough run support to allow him to win his fourth straight decision. Since his last loss May 22, Wheeler's posted a 3.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 48:8 K:BB through 41.1 innings, and he'll get one more turn through the rotation before the All-Star break, a start that lines up for next weekend in Miami.