MLB Player News

Ray (0-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing two runs on two hits and five walks over 5.1 innings while striking out three as the Diamondbacks fell 4-1 to the Padres.

The southpaw was able to minimize the damage, but Ray threw only 50 of 89 pitches for strikes as he once again struggled to command the strike zone. He'll take a rough 12:10 K:BB through 10.1 innings into his next outing, set for next Wednesday at home against the Rangers.

Nola gave up six runs on five hits and two walks across only three innings during Wednesday's 9-8 loss against the Nationals. He struck out two and did not factor in the decision.

Nola's troubles began early on as he allowed a double and two home runs during the first inning and saw little improvement over his following two frames, leading to the early exit. The 25-year-old currently lines up to have a second chance to face the Nationals next Tuesday.

Kershaw (shoulder) could make an additional rehab start following his outing with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

With Kershaw slated to make his first rehab appearance Thursday, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Wednesday he's leaning toward having his ace make another minor-league appearance after that as he works his way back to action. Kershaw is supposed to throw four innings or 60 pitches Thursday.

Lucchesi (2-0) got the win against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, scattering four hits over five scoreless innings, striking out six and walking one in the Padres' 4-1 victory.

It was a second straight strong start for the left-hander, as Lucchesi has yet to give up a run in either of his outings to start the season, both of which have ended in victories. Lucchesi had a pedestrian 4.08 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 130 innings last year, but he was a great source of strikeouts with 145 over that time. If this strong start is a sign he's primed to take a step forward and improve on those ratios, his value would increase markedly.

Marquez didn't factor into the decision against the Rays on Wednesday, despite a strong outing that saw him scatter three hits over seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven and walked three in Colorado's 1-0 victory in extra innings.

Fresh off his lucrative new contract extension, Marquez had to work out of a couple of jams, but wound up logging his second straight solid outing to start the season. The right-hander found himself unlucky not to get the win on a day where Tampa Bay starter Charlie Morton also put in a stellar effort. Marquez now has a 0.69 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB through his first 13 innings of the season.

Castillo (0-1) was handed the loss Wednesday despite allowing one run on one hit across seven innings to the Brewers. He recorded nine strikeouts and walked four.

The Brewers scratched across a run during the second inning with only a walk and a single, as the 26-year-old put a runner in scoring position with a balk. Both offenses were locked down the rest of the afternoon, as Castillo and Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta combined to allow only three hits while recording 20 strikeouts. Castillo lines up for a favorable matchup next Tuesday against the Marlins.

Peralta (1-0) earned the win against the Reds on Wednesday by allowing only two hits over eight shutout innings. He struck out 11 and did not issue a walk.

Peralta allowed four runs and was unable to finish four innings during his season debut against the Cardinals, but rebounded in a major way Wednesday. The Reds never managed to reach second base against the 22-year-old. The young right-hander appeared close to returning for the ninth inning, but a lengthy eight-pitch strikeout of Yasiel Puig ended up spelling an end to his afternoon. Peralta lines up to face the Angels on the road next Tuesday.

Flaherty will not start Thursday as the game has been postponed due to inclement weather, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Both teams had a scheduled off day Friday, so Thursday's series opener will simply be pushed back by 24 hours. While nothing is confirmed, the Cardinals figure to push their rotation back by a day, leaving Flaherty to take the ball for Friday's series opener. In his only start so far this season, the 23-year-old allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out four in 4.1 innings against the Brewers.

Lorenzen gave up the go-ahead homer to the Brewers' Orlando Arcia in Tuesday's loss. He also allowed two walks after that, but those didn't come around to score.

Lorenzen came in with the game tied 1-1, two men on and two outs. Arcia had been 0-for-16 on the season before his opposite field shot. Lorenzen had been dominant in his previous outing against the Pirates, so don't read too much into this bad outing.

Lauer suffered his first loss of 2019, allowing four runs on nine hits, striking out two and walking one across five innings against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

The Diamondbacks had baserunners in every inning against Lauer, but it was actually the long ball that did him in Tuesday. It was home-run derby at Petco Park, as the Diamondbacks and Padres combined for eight homers. The Diamondbacks smashed five of them, including two against Lauer. The left-hander has given up 13 hits in 11 innings to begin this season, but when he hasn't given up the long ball, he's worked around those hits, posting a 3.27 ERA during his first two outings. One has to figure, though, that if Lauer continues to give up this many hits, the opposition is going to score more runs.