MLB Player News

Lauer (forearm) played catch Tuesday and said he felt good afterward, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Lauer has been on the 10-day disabled list since July 31 with a left forearm strain, but doesn't look on track to miss much more than the minimum amount of time. He's expected to resume facing hitters within a couple of days and could return from the DL without requiring a minor-league rehab assignment beforehand. Acee relays that Lauer could be activated at some point during the Padres' weekend series with the Phillies, though the reports that pitching prospect Jacob Nix is slated to join the big club suggest San Diego may be inclined to wait until next week to usher the lefty back into the rotation.

Gomber is listed as the Cardinals' probable starter for Friday's game against the Royals.

The Cardinals' decision to deploy waiver pickup Tyson Ross out of the bullpen after adding him to the active roster Tuesday will pave the way for Gomber to pick up his third start of the season with the big club. After shining in the first of those outings July 24 against the Reds, Gomber took a step back his last time out Aug. 4 in Pittsburgh, lasting just four innings while serving up four runs on seven hits and three walks. The Cardinals will have an opening in the rotation for at least one more turn beyond Friday while Carlos Martinez works back from a shoulder injury, but Gomber may need to perform well in his return to the mound in order to stave off Ross or Daniel Poncedeleon for a starting role.

Reyes was sent back down to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Reyes will shuttle back to the minors in order to make room for Robert Stephenson on the active roster. During his lone appearance with the Reds, Reyes logged two spotless innings of relief. He will likely return to the big-league level when the club is in need of bullpen reinforcements.

The Padres plan to promote Nix from Triple-A El Paso and have him start one of the team's three games against the Phillies this weekend, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nix seems likely to assume the rotation spot of Walker Lockett, who started Aug. 4 against the Cubs in place of the injured Eric Lauer (forearm). The Padres aren't exactly teeming with strong alternatives in the rotation, so Nix could stick around in the big leagues if he acquits himself reasonably well in his MLB debut. The 22-year-old has accrued a 1.84 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 44:9 K:BB across 58.2 innings between Triple-A and Double-A San Antonio.

Lopez allowed two runs on four hits and one walk across seven innings Tuesday in a no-decision against the Cardinals. He struck out five.

Lopez silenced the visitor's bats through the first six innings but saw his shutout and the lead lost on a two-run home run from Paul DeJong in the seventh. While he was unable to notch his third win of the season, he delivered his longest career outing and his third quality start in the last four. Lopez has posted a 2.92 ERA to go along with a 19:4 K:BB over that stretch and will look to continue his recent success in his next scheduled start against the Braves.

Mikolas (12-3) tossed seven innings of two-run ball Tuesday to earn the win over the Marlins, allowing five hits with no walks and one strikeout.

Mikolas limited baserunners to great effect, but singular runs against him in the first and fifth innings had him on the hook for a loss entering the latter stages. Luckily, Cardinals home runs in the seventh and eighth innings put him in position to pick up a win as the bullpen closed things out. He needed just 81 pitches to work through seven frames, throwing 73 percent for strikes, though the did tie his season low in punchouts. Nevertheless, Mikolas owns an excellent 2.74 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP heading into his next scheduled start against the Nationals.

Hill (5-4) got the win Tuesday, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out five over 5.1 innings against the Athletics.

Hill cruised through the opening five frames with just one hit allowed, as the only damage against him came on a double and subsequent home run in the sixth. The lefty didn't go deep into the game as he racked up a high pitch count thanks in part to a season-high four walks, so he fell short of a quality start, but it was still his third win in four outings. Hill has worked to a 1.48 ERA in 24.1 innings in that span, and now sports a 3.62 mark on the year to go along with 86:30 K:BB over 79.2 innings. He'll take on the Rockies at Coors Field on Sunday.

Greinke (12-7) was saddled with the loss Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and four walks while striking out four over seven innings against the Phillies.

Greinke didn't have pinpoint command in this one -- he tied a season high in walks and matched his lowest strikeout total since April -- but he deserved a better fate than the final outcome. The lone blemish on his ledger was a solo home run by Nick Williams in the third inning, but the Arizona bats weren't able to provide much in the way of run support. The 34-year-old has been on a roll lately, working to a minuscule 1.26 ERA in 35.2 innings over his last five starts. He'll take a 2.89 ERA and 152:29 K:BB into Monday's start at Texas.

Anderson allowed four runs on five hits in 4.2 innings Tuesday against the Padres, striking out four and walking four in a no-decision.

Anderson struggled with his control Tuesday, throwing just 54 of 96 pitches for strikes. The outing comes on the heels of back-to-back quality starts, and Anderson is still holding opponents to a .221 batting average on the year. The right-hander sports a 100:48 K:BB in 125.1 innings and will next take on the Braves in a start in Atlanta.

Taillon (9-8) got the win in a complete game against the Rockies, allowing two runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out three in Tuesday's 10-2 victory.

The double-digit hit total was inflated by five late Colorado hits from the seventh inning on and with the game already comfortably in hand, but it was otherwise a terrific performance for the 26-year-old. The righty was effective, but he wasn't especially overpowering. Taillon induced just nine swinging strikes while throwing first-pitch strikes to 21 of 36 batters, but he needed just 107 pitches to complete all 27 outs for his second complete game of the year. He'll take a 3.63 ERA into Sunday's start in San Francisco.