MLB Player News

The date of Flaherty's start remains unclear, as there appears to be a significant chance the Cardinals' upcoming series against the Pirates will be canceled, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.

When the Marlins had the first COVID-19 outbreak of the year, they wound up shut down for eight days. If the Cardinals followed a similar schedule, they would have already returned to play Friday, but players have continued to test positive, so their season continues to hang in the balance. The team isn't expected to practice together for at least three days, and they may not get the chance to play again until Thursday in Detroit, giving them perhaps more than two full weeks without any game action.

Kim threw two simulated innings Thursday in preparation for a scheduled Monday start against the Pirates, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Whether that start actually happens remains firmly up in the air at this point, as the Cardinals won't know until Sunday whether they'll be cleared to take the field Monday as a result of additional COVID-19 infections to players and staff. Kim will be making his rotation debut the next time he does take the mound after opening the season as the closer, but he's well acclimated to a starter's role after being deployed in that capacity in 76 of 83 career appearances in the KBO over the last three seasons.

Wacha (1-2) took the loss Friday as the Mets fell 4-3 to the Marlins, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out nine.

All the runs scored in the second inning, with the big blow being a three-run homer by Francisco Cervelli, but otherwise Wacha was fairly sharp. The right-hander threw 64 of 98 pitches for strikes before exiting, and while his 6.43 ERA and 1.64 WHIP aren't pretty, Wacha's 18:5 K:BB through 14 innings suggests better days are ahead. He's next scheduled to take the mound Wednesday, at home against the Nationals.

Mejia didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 4-3 win over the Mets, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over 2.1 innings. He struck out six.

Making his major-league debut, Mejia got an early hook after 67 pitches (43 strikes) but looked very good while he was on the mound, striking out Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto in the first inning before serving up a solo shot to Dominic Smith in the second. The 23-year-old right-hander mainly relied on his 92-94 mph fastball but effectively mixed in a curveball, slider and changeup, and this performance could have been good enough to earn him another start. The Marlins currently have two off-days set for Monday and Thursday next week, however, and their rotation plans are thus very flexible as they continue to patch together a roster in the wake of their COVID-19 outbreak.

Urias did not factor into the decision during Friday's win over the Giants, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out two across four innings.

The 23-year-old had some early command issues, walking his lead-off batter and throwing his first six pitches for balls. Luckily, he straightened things out and was able to hold the Giants to just one run on an RBI single to Donovan Solano in the third inning. The southpaw needed 78 pitches to get through four frames, which halted his outing early. He'll look to defend a solid 2.40 ERA on Wednesday against the Padres.

Senzatela (3-0) picked up the win against the Mariners on Friday, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out five across six innings.

Senzatela remained undefeated on the season with a strong outing against the Mariners. The right-hander allowed an RBI single to Mallex Smith in the second inning that registered as an unearned run due to a throwing error by Trevor Story. He then gave up his first home run of the season via a two-run shot to Austin Nola in the sixth. The 25-year-old now holds a sturdy 2.65 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 17 innings of work. He'll look for his fourth win Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

Lauer (0-1) allowed six runs on five hits and three walks over three innings in a loss to the Reds on Friday. He struck out two batters.

The Reds entered the night with zero runs scored in their last 22.1 innings, but the offense found reprieve against Lauer, who was making his first start in a Brewers uniform. All of the damage was done in the second inning; Cincinnati went walk, single, flyout, double, sac fly, double, walk, homer against Lauer. Part of the Trent Grisham-Luis Urias trade, Lauer made his team debut July 26 and fanned six while allowing just one hit over 2.2 scoreless innings against the Cubs. The lefty will likely transition back to the bullpen for the time being with the Brewers ostensibly healthy in the rotation.

Davies (2-1) earned the win Friday against Arizona after tossing 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and fanning six.

Davies was absolutely dominant in this game, allowing only three singles throughout the course of his 84-pitch outing -- he threw 53 of those for strikes. Davies now has a 2.87 ERA on the season and will try to repeat this performance in his upcoming start, scheduled for Aug. 12 at the Dodgers.

Velasquez will start one of the two games during Sunday's doubleheader after Friday's game was rained out, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

With Jake Arrieta lined up to start Saturday, Velasquez's start will be pushed back two days as a result of Friday's postponement. It's unclear whether he'll start the first or second game Sunday. The starter for the other game in the doubleheader hasn't officially been named, but top pitching prospect Spencer Howard could line up to make his major-league debut.

Wright will start Saturday's game against the Phillies after Friday's game was rained out.

Friday's game was postponed with approximately an hour remaining until the first pitch, so Wright will still be able to start in Saturday's contest. The team had yet to announce a starter for Saturday prior to the postponement. Max Fried will start the first game of a doubleheader Sunday, while Bryse Wilson is a top candidate to start Game 2.