MLB Player News

Matz surrendered eight runs on seven hits and a walk and struck out one over two innings Friday against Washington.

Matz was hit early and often, giving up five runs in the first and three more in the second inning on four homers by the Nationals. The 27-year-old has yet to find consistency this spring and sits with a 10.97 ERA and eight punchouts over 10.2 frames (four starts).

Kershaw (shoulder) isn't expected to be ready to start Opening Day, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Kershaw continues to progress through his throwing program, although this news isn't all that unexpected, seeing as he's yet to face live hitters halfway through March. With the Dodgers' ace likely on the shelf, look for either Walker Buehler or Hyun-Jin Ryu to get the nod to kick off the 2019 campaign. Manager Dave Roberts hasn't ruled out the possibility of Kershaw pitching in the first week of the regular season, however, and he even added that he would think about allowing Kershaw to make a "non-traditional start" followed by long relievers, per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.

Maeda allowed two hits over four scoreless innings, striking out six and walking none, in the Dodgers' 12-0 Cactus League victory over the Padres on Thursday.

Maeda is having a strong spring, as his latest effort brought his Cactus League ERA down to 2.70 and his K:BB to 15:1 over his 10 innings of work. The right-hander threw 125.1 innings splitting time between the Dodgers' rotation and the bullpen last season, and he could top that number this year if manager Dave Roberts decides to leave him as a fixture at the back end of the club's rotation, where he's slated to begin the season.

Senzatela has an infected blister on his right heel which will keep him out of action for "a while" according to manager Bud Black, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

It's been a rough spring for Senzatela, who's struggled to a 5.14 ERA, battled a stomach virus and is now dealing with a foot infection. It's unclear how long "a while" will be, but the news certainly hurts his chances of breaking camp as the Rockies' fifth starter, with Chad Bettis looking like the most likely candidate.

Williams hurled five shutout innings against the Phillies on Thursday, giving up three hits and one unearned run while striking out four batters.

The right-hander worked admirably through three errors, something which could plague Pittsburgh pitchers all season long. While it's unlikely Williams will duplicate his overall 3.11 ERA in 2018 or his 1.00 ERA stretch in 12 starts (71.2 innings), the nearly universal expectation of regression may help undervalue his ADP.

Wheeler allowed two hits and struck out four in 5.1 scoreless innings Thursday against St. Louis.

Wheeler has looked sharp over his last two starts, as he's failed to surrender a run in 9.1 frames. The 28-year-old right-hander will carry a 2.25 ERA with eight punchouts over 12 innings into his next spring outing.

Wacha allowed five hits and two walks and struck out two in five scoreless innings Thursday against the Mets.

Wacha allowed seven batters to reach base, but he managed to escape without surrendering a run in his fourth start of the spring. He's posted a 1.93 ERA with nine strikeouts over 14 innings in spring games.

Darvish pitched four innings of one-run ball in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rangers. He allowed three hits and two walks to go along with five strikeouts.

Darvish looked sharp against his former team and he now has his spring ERA down to a tidy 2.45 through three appearances. The righty's 2018 season was over almost as soon as it started due to a triceps injury, and he finished with a disappointing 4.95 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, but Darvish looks like a great rebound candidate in 2019 if he can stay healthy.

Wood (back) still doesn't have a projected date to resume throwing, though he is physically improving, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports. "He's out of the pain," manager David Bell said. "He was moving around well. I will update you when we have a day that he's going to be able to be on the mound. I think we're getting closer."

It's looking increasingly unlikely that Wood will be ready for the start of the season. Tyler Mahle is the best bet to sub in for him in the rotation in the meantime.

Gray threw three perfect innings in his second start of the spring against the Dodgers on Thursday. Things went so well that he needed to throw 18 more pitches in the bullpen after the start to get him up to the number of pitches the Reds wanted him to throw, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.

The Reds and Gray believe that he's on track to be ready by Opening Day. "I felt good, attacked the zone, threw strikes and forced contact," Gray said. "That's all I'm trying to do." Gray struck out one in his three innings. He was facing a Dodgers squad that had two-to-three starters at most - Justin Turner, Enrique Hernandez, and Alex Verdugo.