MLB Player News

Darvish (3-4) took the loss Sunday, allowing seven runs on seven hits over 2.2 innings against the Yankees. He struck out two.

Darvish allowed five consecutive hits without recording an out in the third inning, eventually surrendering six runs in the frame. It's been an up-and-down year for Darvish -- his ERA is up to 5.74 through five starts in May after he posted a 3.60 mark in April. Overall, the 36-year-old Darvish sports a 4.61 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and 59:17 K:BB through 10 starts (56.2 innings) this season. He'll look to right the ship in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week against the Cubs.

The Pirates placed Velasquez on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right elbow discomfort, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

After returning Saturday from a stint on the 15-day IL due to elbow inflammation, Velasquez lasted just two innings into his start against the Mariners before succumbing to a related injury. The Pirates haven't provided a firm diagnosis or timeline for Velasquez's return, but in light of his latest elbow-related setback, the right-hander acknowledged that he'll likely be in store for a longer period of time off than he had during his first stint on the IL, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Velasquez added that he's confident he'll be able to pitch again this season, but his absence for at least the next few weeks should reopen the door for the struggling Roansy Contreras to re-enter the rotation.

Stone didn't factor into the decision in Sunday's 11-10 loss to the Rays after striking out three and allowing seven runs on 10 hits over two innings.

After another nightmarish outing for the rookie, Stone is now sitting on a 14.40 ERA, 3.00 WHIP and 5:7 K:BB through his first 10 innings in the big leagues. Even though injuries have tested the Dodgers' rotation depth early on this season, Stone may not be in store for a long-term stay with the big club in light of the poor command and control he's shown over his three starts. According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, manager Dave Roberts was non-committal about Stone making his next turn through the rotation next weekend versus the Yankees. If Stone is sent back to Triple-A Oklahoma City, rehabbing right-hander Michael Grove (groin) would likely be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to replace the rookie in the rotation.

Atlanta plans to call up Soroka from Triple-A Gwinnett to have him start Monday in Oakland, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.

Soroka will be making his first MLB start since 2020, as the right-hander missed much of the the last two seasons while recovering from multiple Achilles injuries. He came away healthy coming out of spring training and was optioned to Gwinnett, where he's posted mediocre numbers with a 4.33 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 35:11 K:BB over 35.1 innings. However, he appears to have turned a corner over his last two starts, allowing just one run over those two outings, which included a six-inning, eight-strikeout effort versus Durham on Tuesday. In his return to the big leagues, the 25-year-old will get a soft landing spot with a start against the woeful Athletics. He'll also tentatively line up for a two-start week, with his second turn expected to come next Sunday in Arizona.

Morton (5-5) took the loss Saturday as Atlanta fell 2-1 to the Phillies, allowing two runs on seven hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out nine.

The veteran right-hander generated 22 swinging strikes over 95 pitches, but it wasn't quite good enough as he lost a pitchers' duel with Zack Wheeler. Morton has worked past the sixth inning only twice in 10 starts this season and has issued multiple walks in all but one start as the 39-year-old begins to show his age, but he still sports a 3.59 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 63:24 K:BB through 57.2 frames. He'll look to get back in the win column in his next outing, which could come next weekend in Arizona.

Wheeler (4-4) picked up the win in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Atlanta, scattering three hits and a walk over eight scoreless innings. He struck out 12.

It was the most dominant performance of 2023 for the veteran right-hander; the innings and strikeouts were both season highs, and Wheeler generated 22 swinging strikes among his 106 pitches. It was his sixth quality start of the year, including three in his last four outings -- a stretch in which he's posted a 2.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 30:4 K:BB through 27 innings. Wheeler will look to stay locked in for his next start, which is likely to come on the road next weekend against the Nationals.

Gray did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over four innings during a 4-2 win over the Royals. He struck out four.

Gray needed 91 pitches (57 strikes) to make it through a season-low four innings Saturday. He continues to struggle with walks, allowing multiple free passes in six straight games, but despite a less-than-ideal 26:21 K:BB during that stretch (34 innings), he has served up only 10 earned runs. Since giving up five runs in his first appearance of the year, Gray has surrendered two or fewer runs in nine of his last 10 outings and sports a 2.77 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 51:31 K:BB on the season.

Burnes did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over seven innings during a 3-1 loss to the Giants. He struck out eight.

Despite allowing a first-inning run, Burnes still completed seven frames, his most since pitching an eight-inning shutout against Arizona on April 11. The 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner allowed 10 earned runs over his first two starts of 2023, but he's been better since then, posting a 2.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 53:19 K:BB over his last nine appearances (54.1 innings). The right-hander will look to maintain his strong play next time out, which is tentatively scheduled for the opener of a four-game set in Cincinnati.

Webb (4-5) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk over seven innings during a 3-1 victory over Milwaukee. He struck out 11.

Webb's start was pushed back from Thursday to Saturday to give him extra time to recover from lower-back soreness, and it appears to have paid off, as he dominated the Brewers across seven innings. The right-hander's 11 strikeouts were his most since recording a season-high 12 during his first start of the year, and he's now allowed one or fewer earned runs in four straight appearances. During that stretch, Webb holds a 1.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 28:7 K:BB across 27 innings. He'll look to make it eight straight quality starts his next time out, which is tentatively scheduled for the opener of a three-game weekend set versus Baltimore.

The Diamondbacks will work with Pfaadt in the minors to correct the issues they spotted during the pitcher's five-start run in the majors, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.

Pfaadt was sent back to the minors Saturday after posting an 8.37 ERA over 23.2 innings. Command was the number one issue that haunted Pfaadt in the majors. He didn't miss many bats, gave up too much loud contact and was in the 15th percentile in strikeout percentage (16.8). The club identified a mechanical issue that consisted of Pfaadt transferring his weight too early, causing his arm slot to drop, which led to wavering command. Additionally, the right-hander had heavy usage of his fastball. "I don't know of anybody that lives at 65% fastball rate and is a starting pitcher and gets away with it for six or seven innings," manager Torey Lovullo said. The Diamondbacks viewed that fastball usage as a red flag, but he could get away with it in the minors. Not in the majors, however, where patient hitters waited for fastballs over the middle of the plate. Pfaadt will likely need to correct the mechanical issue and introduce all his pitches if he's going to reach his potential.