MLB Player News

Lorenzen allowed two hits and struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings, earning the save in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Twins.

The righty has now pitched 4.2 scoreless innings and hasn't walked a batter since returning from the injured list July 30. Cincinnati's bullpen has struggled to hold leads all season, but Lorenzen appears to be a prime candidate to close games for the remainder of the season. Further, having appeared in just five games this season, Lorenzen likely has the freshest arm on the Reds' staff, increasing the likelihood of frequent usage going forward.

Flaherty (oblique) will throw about 75 pitches in a rehab outing Friday and will be activated for his next start, barring any setbacks, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

After missing two months with a left oblique strain, Flaherty appears right on the verge of rejoining the Cardinals' rotation. The righty threw five innings combined in his first two rehab starts, allowing two earned runs and striking out eight batters.

Castillo (6-10) allowed one run on six hits and a walk in six innings, striking out seven and earning the win in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Twins.

The only damage Minnesota mustered against Castillo was a first-inning home run by Jorge Polanco. With Wednesday's performance, the righty has a 5-2 record, 1.94 ERA and 10 quality starts in 12 outings since the beginning of June. On May 29, Castillo had taken his seventh consecutive loss and had an ERA of 7.22. Though it took a couple months for him to get there, the 28-year-old has blossomed into the dominant ace he was expected to be this season. Castillo will bring a 4.09 ERA and 1.39 WHIP into his next start Monday in Cleveland.

Ynoa (hand) is scheduled to make the second start of his minor-league rehab assignment Friday at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Ynoa made his first appearance in affiliated ball in two and a half months last weekend, when he began his rehab assignment at High-A Rome. Despite getting blasted for six runs on eight hits and one walk over two innings, Ynoa came away from the outing feeling healthy and will get a tougher test for his second rehab start. After tossing 51 pitches in his start for Rome, Ynoa will likely push his pitch count to the 60-to-70 range Friday. If all goes well Friday, Ynoa could be reinstated from the 60-day injured list and make his next start in the big leagues, though Atlanta has yet to formally announce its plans for the 23-year-old.

Snell (5-4) earned the win Tuesday against the Athletics after tossing five innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and three walks while fanning six.

Snell has been very inconsistent this season and interspersed some particularly poor outings among his strong performances, but Tuesday's effort certainly qualified under the latter category. Snell has posted four starts with one or fewer runs allowed over his last seven appearances, but he has given up at least four runs in each of the remaining three in that span, including two starts in which he gave up seven runs. Despite the success against Oakland, it remains difficult to trust him due to those inconsistencies, which are reflected in the 5.24 ERA he'll carry into his next start.

Buehler (11-2) was tagged with the loss Tuesday against the Astros despite tossing six innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and three walks while fanning five.

Buehler posted a fifth straight quality start but was unable to record his 12th win of the season, as he was the victim of a lack of run support on a night when the Dodgers mustered just five hits. As such, it's hard to criticize Buehler's outing, especially since he's been one of the best pitchers in the National League throughout the season. He owns a 2.16 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP across 141.2 innings in 2021.

The Brewers placed Lauer on the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday after he was revealed to have tested positive for the virus.

Lauer is the seventh player in the organization to land on the COVID-19 IL as a result of the team's recent outbreak in positive test results. In a corresponding move, the Brewers activated waiver pickup Sal Romano, who will provide some length out of the bullpen in the short term.

Keller is listed as the Pirates' probable starter for Saturday's game in Cincinnati, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

At least for this week, the Pirates will be sticking with a six-man rotation, allowing Keller and Bryse Wilson to make their second starts with the club after both were recently activated. After a nearly two-month stint at Triple-A Indianapolis, Keller faltered in his return to the Pittsburgh rotation last weekend versus the Phillies. He gave the Pirates five innings but was touched up for four runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out two.

Cueto (7-6) took the loss Tuesday versus Arizona. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in five innings.

The right-hander allowed 10 or more baserunners for just the third time in his 18 starts this year. Arizona got all three of its runs in the second inning, and San Francisco's offense was unusually quiet while failing to cover the damage. Cueto hasn't gone more than six innings in any of his last six outings. He has a 3.83 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 89:23 K:BB through 98.2 innings. The veteran will attempt to get back on track in Milwaukee this weekend.

Lauer has tested positive for COVID-19, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Lauer is the seventh player for the Brewers to land on the COVID-19 IL during the team's recent outbreak. The southpaw was tentatively scheduled to make his next start Monday against the Cubs, but the team hasn't announced who will take his place in the rotation. The 26-year-old will be away from the team until he tests negative and clears the league's health and safety protocols.