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Kyle Hendricks SP | LAA
Cubs' Kyle Hendricks: Starting Thursday
Hendricks (shoulder) will start Thursday's game against the Mets, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Hendricks has been on the injured list all season due to a strained right shoulder he suffered in July 2022. He got roughed up quite a bit during his first two rehab starts, but he was able to regroup and surrender just three earned runs across 16 innings in his final three appearances. Hendricks' return will give Jameson Taillon a few extra days of rest, as Taillon's next start will now come on Saturday against the Reds.
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Dylan Dodd RP | ATL
Braves' Dylan Dodd: Promotion imminent
Dodd will be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday to start against the Phillies in Atlanta later that day, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Dodd holds a 6.46 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in the majors this season through 15.1 innings across three starts. His Triple-A numbers are similar, but he is coming off a four-inning shutout performance in his last minor-league start. Dodd is still in the process of proving he belongs in the big leagues.
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Ranger Suarez SP | BOS
Phillies' Ranger Suarez: Struggles again Wednesday
Suarez did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing five runs on five hits and a walk over five innings against the Diamondbacks. He struck out five.
Suarez did retire the final seven batters faced, providing some positive momentum heading into his next outing. Still, it's been a rough start to the year for the 27-year-old lefty, as he's pitched to a 9.82 ERA with a 2.00 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB through his first three games (11 innings) and is still looking for his first win of the season. Suarez will look to get on track in his next outing, currently lined for next week on the road against the Mets.
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Zac Gallen SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen: Decent in Philly
Gallen did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Phillies. He struck out three.
Gallen held the Phillies off the board for five innings before running into trouble in the sixth, allowing a pair of singles before he was relieved by Kevin Ginkel, who allowed both runners to score. While it wasn't a return to his early-season form, Wednesday's outing was certainly a step forward after Gallen allowed eight runs over 3.2 innings in his last start against Pittsburgh. The 27-year-old righty is 6-2 with a 2.97 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 75:14 K:BB through 11 starts (66.2 innings) this season.
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Anthony DeSclafani RP | ARI
Giants' Anthony DeSclafani: Struggles versus Minnesota
DeSclafani (3-4) took the loss Wednesday, allowing seven runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks over five innings during a 7-1 loss to the Twins. He struck out six.
DeSclafani surrendered a leadoff homer to Edouard Julien in the bottom of the first, and things didn't get much better for the right-hander as the game progressed. He allowed at least one run in each of the first four innings but was charged with only four earned runs thanks to a trio of errors in the third. Despite allowing a season-high seven runs, DeSclafani was able to finish at least five innings and record six-plus strikeouts for a second consecutive game and the fourth time this season. He'll look to get back on track next time out, which is tentatively scheduled for the opener of a three-game set versus Pittsburgh.
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Matthew Liberatore SP | STL
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Will get weekend start
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Wednesday that Liberatore will start one of the team's three games this weekend in Cleveland, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
There was talk of Liberatore being used out of the bullpen Tuesday night against the Reds, but that wasn't required as St. Louis rolled to an 8-5 victory. The 23-year-old left-hander tallied six strikeouts over five scoreless innings in his first major-league start of the season last Wednesday against the Brewers before struggling in a relief appearance Sunday versus the Dodgers. He should be an attractive fantasy option as he returns to the Cardinals' rotation against a light-hitting Guardians team.
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Adrian Houser SP | SF
Brewers' Adrian Houser: Blanks Houston in win
Houser (1-0) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two hits and one walk across 5.1 scoreless innings during a 4-0 win over the Astros. He struck out three.
Houser allowed back-to-back hitters to reach with two outs in the first, but he ended the inning by retiring Jose Abreu. Including Abreu, the right-hander retired 14 straight batters before Mauricio Dubon reached on an error in the sixth. Alex Bregman followed that up with a double, but Joel Payamps was able to keep Houser's ledger clean by getting back-to-back outs to end the threat. When Houser's inducing grounders like he was Wednesday, he's tough to crack, and after struggling in his first two starts of the season, he's tossed 11.1 scoreless innings over his last two outings. Houser holds a modest 14:4 K:BB across four appearances (20 innings).
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Vince Velasquez RP | KC
Pirates' Vince Velasquez: Confirmed for weekend return
Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed Wednesday that Velasquez (elbow) will return to the rotation this weekend in Seattle, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
The safest bet is that Velasquez will slide into Luis Ortiz's spot Sunday, as Mitch Keller and Roansy Contreras are secure in their roles and currently line up to handle the first two games of the three-game series versus the Mariners. Out since May 5 due to right elbow inflammation, Velasquez tallied four strikeouts over 4.2 scoreless innings in his lone rehab start this past Saturday at Triple-A Indianapolis. He threw 63 pitches in that outing and should be able to handle 80-plus pitches in his return start with Pittsburgh.
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Johan Oviedo SP | BOS
Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Falls to Texas
Oviedo (3-4) took the loss Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Rangers. He struck out five.
Three of Oviedo's five strikeouts came in an immaculate fourth inning. However, it wasn't enough to recover from a three-run opening frame as the Pirates fell 3-2. Oviedo had been solid in his previous two outings, allowing just two runs over 11 innings. His ERA now sits at 4.70 with a 1.53 WHIP and 48:25 K:BB through 10 starts (53.2 innings) this season.
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Julio Teheran SP | BAL
Brewers' Julio Teheran: Tentatively scheduled for Thursday
Teheran is expected to start for the Brewers on Thursday versus the Giants, barring any issues with his physical Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Teheran has agreed to terms on a major-league deal with the Brew Crew, but the contract won't be official until he goes through a medical review. Assuming no red flags arise, he'll make his Brewers debut Thursday as a rotation fill-in while the club battles multiple injuries. Teheran last pitched in the majors in 2021 and held a 5.62 ERA and 45:16 K:BB over 40 innings at the Triple-A level this season.