MLB Player News

Mikolas (1-1) took the loss Saturday against the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs on four hits in 7.1 innings of work, striking out seven while walking none.

In a matchup between two veteran righties who jump-started their careers overseas, Mikolas and Merrill Kelly pitched to a scoreless tie through seven innings. While that was the end of Kelly's day, Mikolas remained in the game for the eighth inning and probably shouldn't have, as he gave up solo shots to Ketel Marte and Nick Ahmed. Despite the poor finish, it was on the whole another strong outing for Mikolas, who owns a 1.52 ERA and 0.84 WHIP through five starts. He tentatively lines up to face the Giants in San Francisco next week.

Kelly (2-1) earned the win Saturday against St. Louis, striking out four while allowing just two hits and no walks across seven shutout innings.

It's been a remarkable start to the season for the 33-year-old righty, who now owns a 1.27 ERA and 1.02 WHIP through five starts. He's still not getting all that many strikeouts, as his strikeout rate dropped to 22.8 percent following Saturday's start, but he's been effective at keeping runners off the basepaths. The only times a Cardinal reached second base against him in this outing were on a pair of steals and an error. He'll look to keep the hot start going next week, when he lines up to face the Rockies at home.

Walker (shoulder) was activated off the injured list as expected ahead of his scheduled start Saturday against the Phillies, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Walker threw just two innings in his season debut before exiting with a shoulder injury that wound up costing him nearly three weeks. He's still not quite fully built up and is unlikely to get past 85 pitches in his return to action, though that could still give him a shot at a win if he pitches efficiently. Yoan Lopez was optioned to clear space on the roster.

Overton's contract was selected by the Reds on Saturday ahead of his scheduled start against the Rockies.

Overton's first major-league start of the year comes in the tough environment of Coors Field. Through 19 innings for Triple-A Louisville this season, the 28-year-old owns a 2.84 ERA, striking out 22 batters while walking just two. Aristides Aquino was designated for assignment to clear space on the roster.

Cobb (groin) will start Sunday against the Nationals, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Reports from Friday indicated that Cobb was likely to return Sunday, and that's now been confirmed by manager Gabe Kapler. He'll wind up missing just over the minimum 10 days with his strained right groin.

Pepiot is 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB across 21.2 innings over five starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.

Pepiot's first stint at the Triple-A level last season didn't go well, as he posted a 7.13 ERA and allowed a .305 average over 41.2 frames. However, the right-hander has turned things around considerably this season -- he has yet to allow more than two runs in a start and has posted a 12.3 K/9 along with a career-best 3.8 BB/9. The walk rate could still use improvement, but Pepiot has shown the ability to dominate at every minor-league level and could get his first call-up to the Dodgers at some point this season.

Wood (2-1) took the loss during Friday's 14-4 defeat at the hands of the Nationals, allowing five runs on eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts in five innings.

Wood never really got it going Friday as he surrendered runs in each of the game's first three innings and departed with the score at a competitive 5-3, but the bullpen imploded to keep him on the hook for the loss. This was the 31-year-old's first poor outing, as the five runs he permitted were more than he allowed in his first three starts combined. He'll look to get back on track during a projected start against St. Louis next week.

Heaney (shoulder) hasn't picked up a baseball since going on the injured list April 20, the Associated Press reports.

Heaney was shut down with shoulder inflammation following his last start and doesn't appear close to a return. This report coincides with manager Dave Roberts' comments earlier this week that the left-hander's recovery will be a "slow process" and that the club will be taking a "pretty conservative" approach to his injury, per Jake Rill of MLB.com. Tyler Anderson should continue to fill Heaney's spot in the rotation while the latter remains out.

Perez had his best start as a pro Friday for Double-A Pensacola, striking out a career-high 12 batters while allowing one hit and zero walks in five scoreless innings.

One of the most exciting and hyped pitching prospects in the minors, Perez turned 19 two weeks ago and just utterly dominated a Biloxi lineup populated by hitters who are mostly 2-to-4 years older than him. He hit two batters and had a wild pitch, but when he threw the ball near the plate there was nothing the opposition could do. Perez understandably got off to a slow (by his standards) start at Double-A, but he now has 30 strikeouts in 17 innings through four starts.

Wainwright (2-3) was charged with the loss to the Diamondbacks on Friday, allowing three runs on four hits and five walks over six innings. He struck out four.

The veteran did himself no favors by handing out five free passes, more than he had in any single start last season. Wainwright has now taken back-to-back losses against Cincinnati and Arizona, and his WHIP is all the way up at 1.56. At least he's striking batters out, and he's only allowed two long balls in 27 innings so far.