MLB Player News

Keller will be called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to start in Monday's doubleheader against the Reds, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

General manager Neal Huntington indicated last week the organization still wanted to see Keller further develop his new slider/cutter, but apparently he's now ready for his major-league debut. The 23-year-old has a 3.45 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 56:20 K:BB through nine starts with Indianapolis this season.

Alcantara (2-5) took the loss Saturday as the Marlins were downed 5-0 by the Nationals. He gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out two over five innings.

One start after tossing a shutout against the Mets, Alcantara was on the receiving end of one thanks to Patrick Corbin. The Marlins right-hander has still only completed six innings once in his last six trips to the mound, and he'll carry a 4.50 ERA and 38:26 K:BB over 58 frames into his next outing at home against the Giants on Thursday.

Mahle allowed six runs on nine hits (including three homers) in five innings Saturday against the Cubs. He walked one and struck out five and did not factor into the decision.

The start was probably Mahle's worst of the season, as he'd yet to allow more than five runs in any previous outing. Most of the damage was done in the fourth inning, when Addison Russell hit a two-run homer and Anthony Rizzo followed with a two-run double. The game was a shootout throughout, so Mahle avoided the loss despite the Reds eventually losing, but his ERA rose by over half a run to 4.15. He'll get the chance to bring that number back down Friday against Washington.

Darvish allowed six runs on 12 hits (including three homers) over seven innings in a no-decision against the Reds on Saturday. He walked two and struck out five.

Darvish gave the Cubs plenty of innings, but they weren't particularly good ones. He gave up two runs in the second, two in the fifth, one in the sixth and one more in the eighth before eventually getting pulled. The Reds had at least one runner reach base in each of his innings. The Cubs' offense did its job, however, and Chicago was able to pull out with the win despite Darvish's ERA rising to 5.40. He'll look to bring that number down Friday in St. Louis.

Woodford is a candidate to start Wednesday's game in Philadelphia, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

With Michael Wacha getting demoted to the bullpen, the Cardinals will need to summon a starter from Triple-A. Per Langosch, it will either be Woodford or Daniel Ponce de Leon. Ponce de Leon is on the 40-man roster, while Woodford is not, but Woodford could make that start on normal rest while Ponce de Leon would be making the start on six days rest. Neither pitcher projects to be a major fantasy asset. Woodford has a 5.33 FIP, 1.25 WHIP and 50:33 K:BB in 56.2 innings at Triple-A. Alex Reyes (finger) still hasn't been cleared to hit at Triple-A and Austin Gomber (biceps) isn't expected to come off the minor-league injured list until next weekend. Both Reyes and Gomber are better long-term rotation options, so one could displace whoever makes the start Wednesday in short order.

Ray (4-1) earned the win Friday by limiting the Giants to two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out nine over 5.1 innings.

Ray started off shaky, allowing three hits -- including a home run -- and a walk in the first inning, followed by a leadoff double in the second. Fortunately, he retired the next 13 batters in dominant fashion. To top it off, the 27-year-old knocked in a pair of runs with a single off Drew Pomeranz in what turned out to be an absolute blowout. Ray has been struggling with walks this season, so it was nice to see him limit the Giants to two free passes while fanning nine. The left-hander will carry a 3.26 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 76:31 K:BB for a showdown at Coors Field on Wednesday.

Mikolas (4-5) took the loss Friday as the Cardinals fell 5-2 to Atlanta, allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings while striking out a season-high nine.

The right-hander came through with his sixth quality start of the season, but he also served up two more homers -- Mikolas has been taken deep 12 times in 62.1 innings so far this year (1.7 HR/9) after giving up only 16 in 200.2 innings in 2018 (0.7 HR/9). He'll take a 4.76 ERA and 46:10 K:BB into his next outing Thursday in Philadelphia.

Anderson didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Phillies, giving up three runs on six hits over four innings while striking out four.

The right-hander wasn't overly efficient, needing 83 pitches (54 strikes) to record 12 outs, but the Brewers were ahead 4-3 when Anderson hit the showers. He hasn't completed five innings in any of his last three starts, and with Jimmy Nelson (shoulder) closing in on a return, Anderson remains the most likely pitcher to lose his spot in the Milwaukee rotation when Nelson comes off the IL despite his 3.25 ERA and 29:13 K:BB through 27.2 innings on the year.

Eickhoff didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 6-4 win over the Brewers, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk over three innings while striking out one.

Christian Yelich and Orlando Arcia both took Eickhoff deep, but the Phillies rallied in the middle innings to take the right-hander off the hook for his third loss. He's now given up multiple homers in three straight starts, not lasting longer than five innings in any of them, and the rough stretch has inflated Eickhoff's ERA to 3.86. He'll try to turn things around in his next outing Thursday, at home against the Cardinals.

Buehler (5-1) allowed one run on five hits with six strikeouts and a walk across six innings to earn a victory against the Pirates on Friday.

The 24-year-old lost his last outing, but he's allowed just two earned runs in his last 19 frames, and that's lowered his ERA by nearly a run and a half. Buehler is behind the 9.9 K/9 he posted during his first full major-league season last year, but the rest of his numbers are very good. He has a 3.58 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, .228 batting average against and 52 strikeouts in 55.1 innings this season. Buehler is scheduled to pitch next against the Mets on Wednesday.