MLB Player News

Lauer (8-3) allowed a run on six hits and three walks while striking out four over seven innings, earning the win Friday over the Reds.

Lauer threw 68 of 100 pitches for strikes and limited the damage to a Kyle Farmer RBI single in the fifth inning. Lauer has allowed exactly one run in four of his last six starts, though he has only two wins to go with four no-decisions in that span. The southpaw continues to show improvement after a rough June, and his ERA is down to 3.59 with a 1.22 WHIP and 111:40 K:BB through 112.2 innings across 20 starts this year. He's lined up for an NL Central showdown against the Cardinals in St. Louis next week.

Anderson yielded four runs on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings in Friday's win over the Mets. He struck out three and did not factor in the decision.

Through four frames, Anderson allowed just one run on a Brandon Nimmo second-inning single. He ran into trouble in the fifth and was charged with three more runs, including a pair after Dylan Lee took over. Anderson's ERA climbed to 5.11 with a 93:53 K:BB through 105.2 frames this season. The 24-year-old righty has now allowed at least four runs in nine of his 21 starts. For now, Anderson is projected to start in Miami next week.

Walker (9-3) allowed eight runs on seven hits while taking the loss against Atlanta on Friday. He pitched one inning and failed to record a strikeout.

Walker yielded four runs in the first inning, including a three-run shot by Eddie Rosario. The 29-year-old righty then coughed up a solo homer to Michael Harris to begin the second and was later charged with three more runs, two of which scored with Trevor Williams on the mound. Walker's ERA jumped from 2.79 to 3.45 through 104.1 frames after Friday's ugly outing. He also broke his streak of nine starts allowing fewer than four runs. Walker is lined up to face the Reds at home next week.

Cabrera struck out eight batters while walking three in five hitless, scoreless innings Friday against the Cubs. He did not factor into the decision.

A lack of run support meant the Marlins couldn't turn Cabrera's dominance into a win, but the team could hardly have asked for more from the second-year righty. The first inning represented the only time the Cubs would get a runner in scoring position thanks to a pair of walks, and Cabrera ended that jam as quickly as possible with a double play. For the next four frames, all he would allow was a two-out walk. The fact that the outing came in his first start following a trip to the injured list due to elbow tendinitis makes it all the more impressive. The Marlins' plans for the young righty the rest of the way haven't been officially confirmed, but he'll presumably remain in the rotation as long as he pitches anything close to how he pitched Friday.

Contreras gave up one run on three hits and zero walks while striking out nine in four innings Friday for Triple-A Indianapolis.

It's pretty clear that Contreras belongs in the big leagues, especially considering the makeup of the Pirates rotation, and this may have been a dominant enough outing for it to be his last at Triple-A. The Pirates have been very careful with his innings so far this season, so he could pitch without restrictions the rest of the way.

Greene was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right shoulder strain, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

This is potentially pretty serious, especially considering Greene's youth and prior injury history. With just two months left in the regular season, it's possible this is even a season ender, although we don't have a timetable yet. Greene had been pretty dialed in of late, logging a 2.70 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 23.1 innings over his last four starts.

Steele struck out 10 batters in 4.2 scoreless innings Friday against the Marlins, walking one while allowing four hits. He did not factor into the decision.

Steele isn't known for his strikeout stuff, as he carried a forgettable 22.5 percent career strikeout rate heading into Friday's start, but he wound up matching his career high with his second double-digit strikeout game of the season. The Marlins didn't offer much resistance outside of the fourth inning, when a catcher's interference call and a pair of singles loaded the bases with one out, but Steele would escape that jam with a strikeout and a flyout. The only negative for the lefty was that all the long counts meant he was unable to finish five frames, but it was still quite a encouraging performance. Steele will look to provide an encore Wednesday against Washington.

Kershaw is getting an MRI on his lower back and will miss 2-to-4 weeks, according to manager Dave Roberts, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

That timeline is not rock solid, considering the Dodgers are still awaiting the results of the MRI. However, Kershaw was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday, so he will miss at least two weeks. Ryan Pepiot was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday for Triple-A Oklahoma City and is the presumptive rotation replacement for Kershaw.

Pepiot is no longer listed as Saturday's starting pitcher for Triple-A Oklahoma City, and it's possible he will make his next start for the big club with Clayton Kershaw (back) heading to the injured list, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

The Dodgers have the option of going with a four-man rotation until Aug. 16 in Milwaukee, but they could also give everyone some extra rest next week and add Pepiot to the rotation for a two-game series at home against the Twins on Tuesday and Wednesday. The 24-year-old righty has a 3.20 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 17 strikeouts and seven walks in 19.2 innings over his last three starts at Triple-A. He has electric stuff, but sometimes his control can abandon him, so Pepiot is a high-risk/high-reward option whenever he makes MLB spot starts.

Feltner was recalled by the Rockies on Friday.

Felner was sent down after serving as the extra man in Tuesday's doubleheader against the Padres. He failed to impress in that start, allowing three runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings, but he could get at least a couple more turns in the rotation after Chad Kuhl (hip) hit the injured list.