MLB Player News

Kershaw gave up just one run on four hits while striking out nine over eight innings Monday, but he did not factor in the decision after the bullpen faltered in a 5-2 loss to San Francisco.

Kershaw was absolutely dealing, recording 16 swinging strikes and throwing 18 first-pitch strikes to the 27 batters he faced. Unfortunately, a high pitch count (110 after eight frames) forced him out of the game, and a battered Dodgers bullpen blew the lead in the ninth. Despite the no-decision, Kershaw was able to post his eighth consecutive quality start, lowering his ERA to 2.47 through 109.1 innings. The dominant southpaw is slated to face the Mariners on the road Sunday.

Lorenzen played an inning in right field in Monday's blowout loss to the Indians.

Making matters even more surreal, the Reds used a position player, Brandon Dixon, to pitch that same inning. Interim manager Jim Riggleman wanted to save Lorenzen for the next game because it was a blowout, but would have used him had the Reds scored more in the bottom of the eighth.

DeGrom (7-7) allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out 12 over 6.2 innings as he picked up the win Monday against the Yankees.

DeGrom surrendered a pair of runs in the third inning which tied the game 2-2, but he'd finally get some run support, as he left the contest with a four-run lead. DeGrom continues to dominate in 2018, as he's allowed just four earned runs over his previous three outings (20.2 frames) while racking up 31 punchouts. The 30-year-old sports a 1.81 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with an eye-popping 195:36 K:BB through 159 innings this season.

Wainwright (elbow) fired a scoreless first inning in High-A Palm Beach's win over Tampa on Monday, allowing a hit and recording two strikeouts.

It was a strong start to Wainwright's rehab assignment, as he needed a quick nine pitches to get his three outs. The right-hander wasn't expected to struggle much with High-A bats, but it was nevertheless encouraging to see him record back-to-back strikeouts after allowing a leadoff single. Wainwright is slated for multiple minor-league appearances before activation.

Gonzalez (2-1) allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out three across 4.2 innings during Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader as he was hit with the loss against Atlanta.

Gonzalez was called up to make a spot start Monday due to the doubleheader, but he failed to make it out of the fifth inning, departing with a three-run deficit. The 22-year-old right-hander has accrued a 5.73 ERA and 1.77 WHIP with 19 strikeouts over 22 frames in the big leagues this season, and he figures to head back to Triple-A New Orleans after serving as the 26th man.

Martinez (shoulder) will likely remain in the bullpen for the rest of the season once he returns from the disabled list, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Martinez has been out with a strained right shoulder since the end of July. He's yet to throw a bullpen session, so his return date is unclear, but apparently the team feels that the timing of the injury won't leave him enough time to fully build back up to a starting workload. Bud Norris has a 2.85 ERA and 22 saves as the Cardinals' closer, so he doesn't appear to be in immediate danger of losing his job, but Martinez could certainly threaten him if he looks good in the pen and should have at the very least a high-leverage role.

Lopez fell to 2-3 on the season after giving up six runs (five earned) in 5.1 innings Monday against the Braves. He allowed six hits, including one home run, while walking a pair and striking out five.

Lopez allowed a leadoff homer to Ronald Acuna and didn't improve much from there. He allowed a run on back-to-back doubles to lead off the fourth, an unearned run in the fifth and was pulled with one out in the sixth after allowing three baserunners, each of whom would come around to score. The poor start comes on the back of two good ones for the rookie. He'll get the chance to rebound Sunday in Washington.

Toussaint (1-0) picked up the win in his first career major-league start Monday against the Marlins, lasting six innings and allowing just one run on a pair of hits and a pair of walks while striking out four.

Toussaint could certainly have been handed a tougher assignment for his debut outing, but you can only beat what's in front of you and Toussaint did just that. Outside of the second inning, in which he gave up a run after letting the first three batters reach base, the 22-year-old never allowed a Marlin to reach second. The rookie was only up as the Braves' 26th man for Monday's doubleheader, so his time in the majors this time around is likely to be short-lived, but he certainly did enough to merit another look sometime soon.

Martinez (shoulder) will work out of the bullpen initially after he returns from the disabled list, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Martinez was expected to miss three or four starts when he was placed on the disabled list back on July 31. It's possible that working as a reliever could allow him to beat that time, but he hasn't yet resumed throwing bullpen sessions, so his return date remains unclear.

The Marlins selected Gonzalez's contract from Double-A Jacksonville ahead of his scheduled start for the second game of Monday's doubleheader with the Braves.

Miami is expected to designate Gonzalez as their 26th man for the twin bill, likely meaning that the right-hander will be bound for Jacksonville immediately after making his first MLB start. Gonzalez owns an unremarkable 4.32 ERA and 1.38 WHIP over 73 innings at Jacksonville this season, but he has been sharp over his past three Southern League outings. The 22-year-old has covered exactly seven innings while allowing only one run in each of those starts.