MLB Player News

Steele won't start during Saturday's doubleheader against the Dodgers and isn't listed as the probable pitcher for Sunday's series finale, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The 26-year-old was originally penciled in to start Saturday, but the Cubs have altered their pitching plans after the postponement of Friday's game, which is being made up via a twin bill Saturday. Drew Smyly and Daniel Norris will start in the doubleheader, while Marcus Stroman is scheduled to take the mound Sunday. Assuming Steele doesn't work out of the bullpen this weekend, he should pitch during the upcoming three-game series in San Diego, which begins Monday.

Anderson and the Dodgers won't play Friday against the Cubs due to inclement weather, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Anderson was named the starting pitcher for Friday's matchup, but he'll instead start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader while Clayton Kershaw takes the mound in the matinee, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Anderson's posted a 2.55 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 17.2 innings over four appearances (two starts) this year.

Smyly (personal) and the Cubs won't play Friday against the Dodgers after the game was postponed due to inclement weather, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Smyly was a potential starter for Friday's matchup after spending time on the bereavement list, but the game ultimately won't be played. The southpaw will take the mound in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, while Daniel Norris will start in the nightcap, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Mikolas (2-1) allowed one run on seven hits and three walks over 5.2 innings against San Francisco on Thursday to earn the win. He struck out three.

The right-hander allowed plenty of traffic on the basepaths, but only one of the hits against him went for extra bases, and he got help from his bullpen to escape a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning and remain in line for the win. Mikolas mostly pitched to contact -- he registered only five swinging strikes and three punchouts -- but was able to extend his streak of starts with two or fewer runs allowed to six games to begin the season. He has posted a 1.53 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 35.1 innings thus far, and he'll look to keep rolling in his next projected start, which lines up to come against Baltimore at home next week.

Luzardo (2-2) took the loss against San Diego on Thursday, pitching six innings and allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out seven.

If not for Manny Machado, the outcome could have been dramatically different for the left-handed hurler. Machado swatted a pair of solo homers for San Diego's only two runs of the game, and the Marlins offense was unable to muster much of a protest against a trio of Padres pitchers. Despite the disappointing outcome, this was another positive outing for Luzardo, as he racked up 13 swinging strikes and finished with his second consecutive quality start. He'll carry a 3.08 ERA into his next appearance, which is tentatively slated to come in Arizona on Tuesday.

Walker allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and two walks while striking out two across four innings Thursday against the Phillies. He did not factor into the decision.

Walker surrendered three hits and two walks in the first inning, which accounted for three of his earned runs. He also surrendered back-to-back homers to Nick Castellanos (wrist) and Bryce Harper in the fourth inning. Walker had yet to allow an earned run across his first two starts this season, but he wasn't sharp in Thursday's appearance.

Nola allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out seven across seven innings Thursday against the Mets. He did not factor into the decision.

Nola allowed just a solo home run to Starling Marte in the seventh inning in an otherwise dominant outing. He exited the game with a 7-1 lead, but the Philadelphia bullpen imploded to blow what appeared to be a certain win for Nola. After allowing seven earned runs across his first two starts of the season, Nola has allowed only six earned runs across his last four starts and 25.1 frames. Overall, he owns a 3.38 ERA with a 41:6 K:BB across 34.2 innings.

Senzatela allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out one across 4.1 innings Thursday against the Nationals. He did not factor into the decision.

Senzatela allowed a home run to Juan Soto in the first inning, but he scattered six additional hits and avoided further significant damage. Senzatela exited the game in the fifth frame with runners on first and third but was bailed out by Jhoulys Chacin who induced a double play from the first batter he faced. As is usually the case, Senzatela was reliant upon generating soft contact as he recorded only one strikeout and five swinging strikes on 86 total pitches. For the season, he has seven strikeouts across 24 innings, yet he's still maintained a solid 3.75 ERA.

Greene (1-4) took the loss after allowing eight runs on nine hits and one walk across 2.2 innings during Thursday's 10-5 loss to the Brewers. He struck out seven.

Greene allowed five home runs, including back-to-back to start the game, but he did strike out seven of the eight batters he faced. This is beginning to be a trend for the 22-year-old right-hander, who has allowed 10 home runs through his first five major league starts. Greene's upside is evident in his strikeout numbers (29 through 20.2 innings), but the youngster will have to find a way to keep the ball in the yard quickly if he's to bring down his 8.71 ERA.

Houser (3-2) earned the win Thursday, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and one walk across five innings in a 10-5 win over the Reds. He struck out six.

Houser struggled out of the gate, allowing four singles and three runs in the top of the first, but the 29-year-old was able to settle down and tossed back-to-back scoreless innings after the bumpy start. Tyler Stephenson tagged Houser for a solo shot in the fourth and another run came around to score in the fifth, but it wasn't charged to Hauser due to a throwing error from Omar Narvaez. Thanks to another dominant showing from the Brewers' offense, Houser didn't need his best stuff to earn a third straight win.