MLB Player News

Darvish (4-1) earned the win after allowing zero runs on six hits across seven innings during Thursday's 2-0 win over the Phillies. He struck out five and didn't record a walk.

Darvish bounced back from a rough outing in his last start to register his third appearance of the season with at least six shutout innings. The right-hander allowed back-to-back singles with one out in the sixth, but that was the most danger he faced all game. His next start is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday's contest against Milwaukee.

Liberatore will make his major-league debut as the starter in Saturday's game against the Pirates, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports

Liberatore made 22 appearances (18 starts) at Triple-A Memphis in 2021, and he began the 2022 campaign in Memphis. Over seven starts this season, he's posted a 3.83 ERA, 46:12 K:BB and 1.20 WHIP in 40 innings. The southpaw is one of the Cardinals' top pitching prospects and has an electric slider, so he'll likely have a chance to earn a long-term spot in the big-league rotation. However, the team will make a decision regarding whether to send him back down based on how he performs Saturday, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.

Stroman (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of his start against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The 31-year-old has been on the COVID-19 injured list since testing positive for the virus May 8, but he's cleared MLB's testing protocols and will rejoin the rotation Thursday. Stroman delivered his best start of the season his last time out May 1 with seven scoreless innings, and he could have some workload limitations in his first start back from the shelf.

Mahle did not factor into the decision in Thursday's win in Cleveland. He allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four over 6.1 innings.

While he didn't get a win for his efforts, Mahle pitched well, posting his second straight quality start. The right-hander didn't record a single quality start in any of his first seven turns this season. He's beginning to round into form, though his struggles at home in Great American Ball Park have persisted. Mahle lines up to face the Cubs in Cincinnati early next week.

The Dodgers optioned Pepiot to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Pepiot's demotion comes after he served as the 27th man in Tuesday's doubleheader with the Diamondbacks. He started the first game of the twin bill, taking a no-decision while striking out five over four frames and allowing three earned runs on two hits and three walks. The Dodgers are expected to require a new fifth starter for next week's series in Arizona, so Pepiot could be summoned from the minors at that time to fill the void in the rotation.

Strider struck out the side in a perfect seventh inning Wednesday to record his first hold of the season in an extra-innings loss to the Brewers.

The rookie looked comfortable in his new setup role, but the rest of the Atlanta bullpen wasn't able to get the job done. Strider has a dominant 40 percent strikeout rate through 20.2 innings this season with a 2.61 ERA and 1.02 WHIP, and while he's no threat to Kenley Jansen in the closer spot, he should be able to collect holds quickly with more high-leverage usage.

Meyer was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday with ulnar nerve irritation, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Meyer appears to be closing in on his major-league debut before two poor outings in the last week, but he won't get that opportunity in the immediate future. While any arm issue is potentially quite worrisome for a pitcher, the Marlins don't appear to be too concerned at this stage. The injury isn't thought to be particularly serious, as he'll skip just one start before being re-evaluated.

Wheeler (2-3) picked up the win in Wednesday's 3-0 victory over the Padres, scattering four hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out nine without walking a batter.

The right-hander set a season high for strikeouts in his best performance of the year, as no San Diego baserunner got past second base. Wheeler has blanked the opposition in three of his last four outings, and after some shoulder soreness in spring training led to a bumpy start to the campaign, he now carries a 3.49 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 41:10 K:BB through 38.2 innings.

Snell (0-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks over 3.2 innings as the Padres fell 3-0 to the Phillies. He struck out five.

The southpaw tossed 84 pitches in his first start of the season, but only 46 of them were strikes and he got no help from his offense. Snell's return from a groin injury has pushed MacKenzie Gore and Nick Martinez out of the rotation for now, but he'll need to stay healthy and effective to keep it that way.

Lopez didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Nationals, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks over three innings. He struck out two.

The right-hander needed 82 pitches (44 strikes) to record only nine outs in his shortest outing of the year, and the three walks and two strikeouts were both season-worst performances in those categories. Despite the stumble, Lopez still boasts a stellar 1.57 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 48:11 K:BB through 46 innings.