MLB Player News

Mikolas (11-3) gave up two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out two in six innings in a win over the Cubs on Saturday.

Mikolas only threw 90 pitches (65 strikes), but with the Cardinals up by six runs, they opted to use the opportunity to allow rookie reliever Dakota Hudson to make his big-league debut. Mikolas has now allowed three or fewer runs in seven straight starts, although he has failed to strike out more than six batters in any of those outings. His next start will come Thursday at home against the Rockies.

Quintana (9-7) gave up six runs on six hits and three walks while striking out two in three innings in a loss to the Cardinals on Saturday.

The bulk of the damage came on a grand slam by Marcell Ozuna in the first inning. Quintana allowed four runs in 19 innings (1.89 ERA) across three quality starts in his other three outings this month, getting his ERA under 4.00, but it is back up to 4.26 after this blowup. His next start will be a favorable home matchup against the Padres on Friday.

Syndergaard (illness) will start Wednesday against the Nationals, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

We knew Syndergaard would be returning from a bout with hand, foot and mouth disease in that series in Washington, and now we know the exact date. This eliminates the possibility of a two-start week for Syndergaard. He last pitched July 20 against the Yankees, giving up one run on eight hits while striking out four over five innings.

Fried (finger) was activated from the 10-day disabled list prior to Saturday's start against the Dodgers.

As expected, Fried will be back in action after missing the past three weeks due to a blister on his left middle finger. In a corresponding move, the club optioned Preston Tucker down to the minors. Through seven appearances (three starts) with Atlanta this year, Fried has logged a 3.92 ERA and 1.45 WHIP.

Hamels is expected to take the mound for his Cubs debut against the Pirates on Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Hamels will be pitching on eight days of rest after facing Oakland on Monday during his final start with Texas. In order to make room for Hamels in the rotation, Tyler Chatwood was moved to the bullpen. Across 20 starts this year, Hamels has posted a 4.72 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with a 9.0 K/9.

Strasburg received a shot in his neck Thursday to help his nerve impingement and could resume throwing a baseball as soon as Sunday, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

The right-hander will be reevaluated 72 hours after getting the shot, and if he gets a clean bill of health, he'll likely begin throwing again immediately. A timetable for Strasburg's return to the rotation could become clearer by the end of the weekend.

Anderson (7-7) picked up the win against the Giants on Friday, scattering four hits and one earned run over six solid innings. He struck out three and walked none as the Brewers prevailed 3-1.

Anderson got the best of Giants ace Madison Bumgarner with a solid effort that ended in his seventh victory. He's been volatile at times, but overall Anderson is having a good season with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, although those stats aren't quite up to par with the fantastic numbers he put up last year, when he had a 2.74 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 141.1 innings.

Greinke (12-5) cruised to the win against the Padres on Friday, giving up just one earned run on six hits over seven innings and striking out six without walking a batter in Arizona's 6-2 victory.

Greinke is on a torrid pace at the moment, as he's 9-1 over his last 11 starts, a span that has lowered his ERA from 3.44 to 2.96. Perhaps the most impressive stat of Greinke's 2018 campaign so far is his 143:24 K:BB, and as long as he demonstrates that type of command and strikeout rate, he'll continue to provide terrific fantasy value pitching on an Arizona team that is looking to make a second-half playoff push.

DeSclafani tossed 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out seven as he didn't factor into the decision Friday against Philadelphia.

DeSclafani surrendered a two-run homer to Odubel Herrera in the third, followed by another run in the fifth, but he exited the game with his team ahead, 5-3. DeSclafani has struggled over his last three starts, allowing 12 runs across 12 innings, and he sits with an uninspiring 5.47 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with a 48:17 K:BB through 52.2 innings this season. He'll look to turn things around in his next outing, which is slated for Thursday against a tough Nationals lineup.

Lopez (2-2) surrendered four runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out three over 5.2 innings Friday as he was tagged with the loss against the Nationals.

Lopez gave up four runs in the first three innings of his outing, as he departed with a 4-0 deficit. He looked nothing like he did in his previous outing against Tampa Bay, when he delivered six quality innings on the way to his second victory of the 2018 campaign. Lopez sits with a 5.34 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 23 strikeouts across 28.2 innings, so he'll look to improve those numbers in his next outing, which figures to come Wednesday versus Atlanta.