MLB Player News

Contreras (3-1) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five across six innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Contreras was excellent throughout the appearance, as he allowed only two runners to reach scoring position across the six innings of work. He relied primarily on flyball outs, but he did get 26 combined called and swinging strikes across 87 total pitches. Setting aside a disastrous outing against Houston on April 10, Contreras has worked at least 5.2 innings while surrendering two or fewer earned runs in his other four starts. All told, he has a 3.58 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 24:12 K:BB across 27.2 frames.

Matz did not factor in the decision against the Giants on Wednesday, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three batters over four innings.

All things considered, Matz was fortunate to have just two runs charged to his line, as he allowed nine batters to reach base over just four frames. The southpaw escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third but yielded a pair of runs on four hits in the fourth and wasn't allowed to continue into the fifth. Matz needed 90 pitches -- only 51 of which were strikes -- to get through his four innings, continuing what has been a rough season thus far. He's 0-3 on the campaign with a 6.23 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB across 26 frames.

DeSclafani (2-1) earned the win over St. Louis on Wednesday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out six batters over six innings.

DeSclafani served up two solo homers -- both by Paul Goldschmidt -- in his first three innings of work, but those were the only runs the Cardinals managed against him. The right-hander induced 13 swinging strikes and punched out six batters en route to his fourth quality start over his first five outings this season. DeSclafani has been a pleasant surprise for the Giants and his fantasy managers thus far, posting a 2.70 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 27:3 K:BB across 30 innings.

Wacha allowed three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out five batters over five innings against the Cubs on Wednesday. He did not factor in the decision.

Wacha breezed through three scoreless frames before giving up a pair of runs on a Trey Mancini homer in the fourth. The right-handed hurler yielded another run in the fifth and didn't come out of the dugout for the sixth. Though he wasn't able to notch the win, this was a marked improvement for Wacha in comparison to his previous two starts, during which he gave up a combined 12 earned runs across 8.1 innings. His five punchouts Wednesday were the second-most he has tallied this season, trailing just his 10-strikeout gem against Atlanta on April 8.

Elder did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks over 5.1 innings against the Marlins. He struck out three.

Elder was plagued by the long ball Wednesday, giving up solo homers to Jesus Sanchez, Jazz Chisholm and Avisail Garcia in his time on the mound. Leading up to the outing, Elder hadn't allowed a home run through 23.2 innings and hadn't allowed a run in three of his four starts. The 24-year-old boasts a 2-0 record to pair with a 2.17 ERA.

Alcantara did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over 5.2 innings against Atlanta. He struck out six.

Alcantara was scratched from his last start with tendinitis in his bicep but managed to go 5.2 innings and throw 88 pitches. He kept a clean sheet through five innings, but Atlanta caught up to him in the sixth. Ronald Acuna hit a solo homer to start the inning and Vaughn Grissom ended the frame with an RBI single that resulted in Eddie Rosario being thrown out at home. Though Alcantara sports a 1-2 record and a 5.04 ERA, most of his earned runs came from a blowup start against the Phillies in which he allowed nine runs over four innings. Regardless, Alcantara has been off to a rocky start to the season and will look to turn things around and live up to the lofty expectations set for him leading up to the campaign.

Senga (3-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks over five innings against the Nationals. He struck out seven.

Both of Senga's allowed runs came in the second inning as Lane Thomas and CJ Abrams each hit singles that drove in a run. Though he only gave up two runs in the start, Senga's command issues persisted as he walked four batters for the third straight start. The 30-year-old has shown flashes, especially with his trademark ghost forkball, but his overall numbers through five starts leave something to be desired (4.15 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 32:18 K:BB).

Gore (3-1) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over six innings against the Mets. He struck out 10.

Gore earned his third win, accounting for one-third of the Nationals' nine wins on the season. He set a new season high with 10 strikeouts and allowed just one run to bring his ERA down to 3.00 on the season. After being held to just 70 innings last season with elbow inflammation, Gore has been off to a strong start to 2023, allowing just 19 hits and holding a 35:16 K:BB through 27.0 innings.

Smyly allowed two runs on four hits across five innings but did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Padres. He walked one and struck out four.

Smyly pitched well and was in line for the win when the Cubs made it 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the bullpen blew the lead in a 5-3 defeat. He tossed 89 pitches and failed to complete six innings for the fourth time this year in five starts, which makes sense given his age and injury history. Despite not going deep into games, the lefty has been solid with a 3.21 ERA and 0.93 WHIP to go along with 27 strikeouts across 28 innings this season. Smyly will look to keep rolling in his next start, which is likely to come early next week against Washington.

Walker was pulled from Wednesday's game against Seattle due to right forearm tightness, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

After surrendering five runs on five hits and two walks, Walker was pulled just four innings into the game. The severity of his injury is unclear at the moment, but a trip to the injured list would seem to be a possibility.