MLB Player News

Darvish (2-1) allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out four over seven innings in a win over the Royals on Wednesday.

Darvish made his layup in Kansas City, as he did last week at home against Pittsburgh. He does not have a big strikeout game yet this season, but Darvish has issued only two walks in 17 innings which is a very encouraging sign. The right-hander tightened up his control down the stretch last year and was one of the best pitchers in the game after an ugly first half of 2019. Darvish lines up for a road start in Cleveland in the first of two starts next week.

Lugo retired all six batters he faced and recorded two strikeouts to earn the save during Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Nationals.

The right-hander was pounding the strikezone Wednesday, as he delivered 15 of his 19 pitches for strikes and made quick work of Washington. The closer's role remains in flux following Edwin Diaz's rough start to the season, but Lugo is in prime position to potentially secure the job with his 2.57 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB through seven innings.

Ray (1-2) allowed six runs on six hits and two walks and struck out six over five innings in a win over the Astros on Wednesday.

Ray gave up his fair share of runs in the slugfest -- five of the six runs he allowed came on homers. He fared better than Astros starter Lance McCullers, and Ray had enough run support to get his first win of the year. The 28-year-old has a 9.45 ERA and 1.95 WHIP through 13.1 innings this season. The struggling southpaw will look to get on track Monday in Colorado.

Houser (1-0) earned the win Wednesday after holding the White Sox scoreless with five strikeouts across seven innings. He allowed five hits and a pair of walks.

In what turned into a pitcher's duel, Houser eclipsed his opponent Dallas Keuchel, spinning seven scoreless innings to snap Chicago's six-game winning streak. While the right-hander has yet to display consistency, the potential is certainly there. He's only allowed one run across two appearances this year, and closed out 2019 with a solid second half. His brilliance will be put to the test when the 27-year-old takes on a tough Tuesday matchup against the Twins.

Anderson will start Thursday's game against the Rockies, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

The injury to Drew Smyly (finger) opens up a spot in the starting rotation, and Anderson will receive the first crack at filling the hole against his former team. The 30-year-old has served as an opener and long reliever early in the season for the Giants, and he has a 3.68 ERA, 1.91 WHIP and 4:6 K:BB through 7.1 innings.

Nola allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks while striking out 12 across six innings in the second game of a doubleheader Wednesday against the Yankees. He did not factor into the decision.

Nola dominated the Yankees in his first start in 12 days, with the lone run he surrendered coming on a solo shot by Luke Voit. He generated 19 swinging strikes and 18 called strikes on 88 total pitches to match a career-high in strikeouts. This was only Nola's second start of the season due to a realigned schedule, though he has struck out 19 and walked only one in 11.1 innings of work. He's scheduled to take the mound again Monday against Atlanta.

Peralta seems set to move to the bullpen with Eric Lauer starting Friday's game against the Reds, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Peralta started July 26 against the Cubs and was pulled after allowing four runs over three innings, and he already appeared to be the top candidate to exit the rotation with Brett Anderson returning from the injured list earlier this week. The Brewers didn't play any games last weekend due to the Cardinals' COVID-19 outbreak, so the team positioning Lauer in the rotation Friday is a solid indication of where Peralta currently stands in the pecking order.

Lauer will start Friday's game against the Reds, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old entered summer camp in competition for a spot in the starting rotation, but a trip the injured list interrupted that opportunity and put him in the bullpen once he was activated. Lauer excelled in his lone relief appearance, delivering 2.2 scoreless frames while allowing only one hit and walk and recording six strikeouts. The left-hander threw 46 pitches in that outing and is unlikely to be fully stretched out, but he could still cover about four innings if he builds on that workload. Lauer's status in the rotation beyond Friday remains to be seen, as Brett Anderson's return from the injured list earlier this week brought the group back to full health.

Williams (0-3) allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out five across seven innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Twins.

Williams held one of the better lineups around the league in check, with the only extra-base hit he allowed coming off the bat of Luis Arraez in the seventh inning. Prior to that, he had allowed just one Twin into scoring position and had retired 11 straight batters. Williams now has a 3.52 ERA across 15.1 innings this season, racking up a 14:5 K:BB. He'll look to duplicate this effectiveness in his next start, currently scheduled early next week at St. Louis.

Strasburg (hand) completed a 32-pitch simulated game Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The 32-year-old threw a 31-pitch bullpen session Sunday and was slated to throw 45-to-50 pitches during the simulated game, but he didn't ramp up his pitch count as expected. It's unclear how that impacts his potential return, and the team will wait to see how Strasburg feels Thursday before determining the next step.