MLB Player News

Nola (6-1) took the loss against the Padres on Monday, giving up six earned runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings, striking out five and walking three as the Phillies lost 8-2.

The right-hander was cruising, but things fell apart on him in the sixth inning, as he yielded a pair of runs before exiting with the bases loaded. Manny Machado then cranked a grand slam off reliever JD Hammer, ruining Nola's final stat line. He'd been pitching much better lately after a rough start to the season, but this setback leaves Nola with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP over 70 innings, although he does have six wins in seven decisions and a 79:31 K:BB despite the disappointing ratios.

Irvin was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

Irvin was called up to pitch in long relief behind an opener Saturday against the Dodgers and didn't particularly impress, allowing a pair of runs in 3.2 innings. His ERA sits at 5.48 through 21.1 frames in his rookie campaign. His demotion likely indicates that Zach Eflin (back) will be ready to return from the injured list Friday against the Reds. Reliever Austin Davis was recalled to take his place on the roster.

Taillon (elbow) said Monday that he won't begin a throwing program for at least two more weeks, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Taillon recently received a platelet-rich plasma injection to address his strained right elbow, so he'll continue to rest until mid-June while waiting for the shot to take effect. Assuming the injection yields the desired results, Taillon will presumably be eased slowly into a throwing program, which would initially consist of long-toss sessions from flat ground. The Pirates likely won't have a clear target date for when Taillon might return from the 60-day injured list until he completes a simulated game without discomfort.

Nolasco (undisclosed) was activated from Double-A Jackson's 7-day injured list Sunday and debuted for the affiliate in its 14-12 win over Birmingham. He covered four innings and gave up two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four.

After signing a minor-league deal with the Diamondbacks in February, Nolasco stuck around at extended spring training for a few months due to the unspecified injury before he was finally cleared to report to the Double-A club. Though he's made 312 starts at the big-league level, Nolasco was hit hard during his last stint in the majors in 2017 with the Angels and probably won't be viewed as much more than an emergency rotation option for Arizona.

Burnes notched his first save of the season in Sunday's victory over the Pirates.

Manager Craig Counsell wanted to avoid using his three top relief options -- Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress and Junior Guerra -- in Sunday's game, so he turned to Burnes to close out the contest, and Burnes got the job done. Despite Sunday's result, Burnes figures to continue working mainly in middle relief while the other three aforementioned pitchers see the bulk of the late-inning opportunities.

Lyles (5-3) allowed four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and one walk across six innings while taking the loss against the Brewers on Sunday.

The 28-year-old lost his second straight start, and again a homer largely contributed to the defeat. Lyles has done a great job overall keeping the ball in the park this year, but he's allowed two homers in his last 10 innings. He is 5-3 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 61 strikeouts in 61.1 innings this season. Lyles will receive another crack at the Brewers in his next start Saturday -- this time, unfortunately, at hitter-friendly Miller Park.

Davies (6-0) allowed two runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and a walk across eight innings to earn the victory against the Pirates on Sunday.

The Brewers moved Davies up in the rotation Sunday after sending Gio Gonzalez to the injured list with arm fatigue. Milwaukee really needed a long start from Davies after the 13-inning affair Saturday. Davies obviously delivered, pitching into the ninth inning. He worked around eight hits mostly by holding the Pirates to 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. With the win, Davies improved to 6-0 with a 2.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 69.2 innings. He's set to face the Pirates again, this time at home, in his next start Saturday.

Gray (2-5) allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk across five innings while taking the loss against the Nationals on Sunday.

Once again, Gray ran into some bad luck, facing Max Scherzer on a day where he was virtually unhittable. Gray has posted a .228 batting average against, 1.21 WHIP and 2.95 FIP this season, yet he is 2-5 with a 3.54 ERA. He hasn't received the run support and hasn't gone deep enough in games to win more contests, but Gray is 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA in his last three appearances and has 68 strikeouts in 61 innings this year. Gray will make his next start at the Phillies on Saturday.

Hill (2-1) held Philadelphia scoreless over seven innings Sunday, taking the win and allowing only three hits and three walks while striking out nine.

The quality start was Hill's fourth in a row and fifth this season. Though he issued a season-high three walks, two of those were intentional. In fact, Hill demonstrated pinpoint control and a swing-and-miss arsenal all afternoon, throwing 75 of his 103 pitches for strikes and inducing 18 swinging strikes. The 39-year-old has now given up three runs in his last 25 innings and has posted 32 strikeouts over that span. He'll carry a 2.25 ERA and 1.05 WHIP into his next start Saturday in San Francisco.

Wainwright (5-5) gave up no runs on two hits and seven walks while striking out eight through eight innings to take the win over the Cubs on Sunday.

Wainwright was electric at times, gathering 14 swinging strikes in his 126 pitches. The walks continue to be an issue for the 37-year-old as he allowed his highest walk total of the season and has a 4.1 BB/9 this season. He has a 5-5 record with a 4.34 ERA and a 8.0 K/9 through 12 starts. Wainwright will face the Cubs again Saturday in his next start, this time at Wrigley Field.