MLB Player News

Hendricks (4-3) allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out seven over seven innings in a win over the Giants on Friday.

He gave up a solo homer to Gorkys Hernandez in the fourth inning but was in cruise control for most of the afternoon, allowing a season low in hits while recording 21 outs on 88 pitches. The 28-year-old Hendricks continues to post stellar ratios on the strength of pinpoint control with help from an above-average groundball rate and strong defense behind him. While the K-rate remains modest, Kendricks has been missing more bats in his last three starts (19 strikeouts in 18 innings). He draws a road matchup with the Pirates next week.

Hill (finger) will pitch against live hitting Saturday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Hill will likely require around four more weeks until he can get back into a big-league game, but it's positive news that he's been able to continue pitching. He'll have successfully thrown in three out of the last five days -- all with his blister wrapped in medical tape -- following Saturday's session. For what it's worth, Hill said the blister has nearly healed, according to Gurnick, offering hope that he might be able to return sooner than the initial timetable outlined by manager Dave Roberts.

Houser was recalled from Double-A Biloxi on Friday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Houser will surface in the big leagues for the second time this season, after Jorge Lopez was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs. The 25-year-old right-hander appeared in eight games at Double-A, accruing a 4.73 ERA with 30 strikeouts and seven walks over 26.2 innings. Houser figures to fit into a long-relief role, though he could also be an option for a spot start if needed.

Matz (2-3) picked up the win against the Brewers on Thursday, scattering four hits over six scoreless innings with three strikeouts and three walks in the Mets' 5-0 victory.

Matz lasted just four innings and gave up four runs against the Diamondbacks in his last start, but he was able right the ship Thursday to earn his second win of the season, his first since April 13. It was the third time in his last four outings Matz has given up one or fewer earned runs, so he's been on a solid run lately and that last start against Arizona was actually the only time he's given up more than three earned runs in a game this season. However, he hasn't been working very deep into games, so his lack of efficiency, as well as his unremarkable strikeout rate, are both factors holding him back from posting higher marks than his 3.80 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.

Davies (2-4) took the loss against the Mets on Thursday, giving up four runs on six hits over four innings, striking out two and walking two in the Brewers' 5-0 loss.

Davies (shoulder) was shaky in his first start after getting activated off the disabled list, giving up a run in the third inning before getting tagged with three in fifth and exiting the contest after throwing 81 pitches. He now has a 4.74 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP through 38 innings and he'll look to bounce back in his next start, which will come at home against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Castillo (4-4) allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings in a win over the Pirates on Thursday.

He gave up a two-run homer to David Freese in his final frame but was strong otherwise, inducing 10 swinging strikes on 90 pitches. It's been a tale of two months so far for Castillo; after posting a 7.85 ERA and 1.67 WHIP over his first six starts, Castillo has turned in a 2.83 ERA and 31:9 K:BB in May. A mechanical tweak got Castillo back on track and looking once again like the burgeoning ace we saw last year. Up next: a road matchup in Arizona.

DeGrom didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Marlins, scattering four hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings while striking out eight.

He also hit a couple of batters, but otherwise deGrom was sharp all night, throwing 70 of 109 pitches for strikes only to see Jeurys Familia blow the save in the ninth inning to deny him his fifth win of the season. The right-hander will take an NL-leading 1.54 ERA into his next outing Monday as part of a doubleheader in Atlanta.

Freeland (4-5) allowed three runs on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 6.1 innings in a loss Wednesday to the Dodgers.

Freeland remains hot, as he has now tossed six consecutive quality starts. This time, though, he was undone by four free passes (a hit-by-pitch included) and two doubles, which was all the offense Los Angeles needed thanks to a shutout effort by Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda. Freeland has whittled a half point off his walk rate, a big reason why he has improved his ERA by nearly a full run thus far in 2018. He'll look to keep his quality start streak alive in another matchup against a division foe Tuesday against the Giants.

Maeda (4-3) fired 6.2 scoreless innings Wednesday, allowing two hits while walking four and striking out a season-high 12 while picking up the win over the Rockies.

Maeda was in fine form Wednesday, inducing 19 swinging strikes and not allowing a hit until the fifth inning. This comes on the heels of his dominant eight-inning shutout performance against the Marlins on May 17. The 30-year-old lowered his ERA to 3.38 through 10 starts, but more notably, the righty is striking out a career-best 11.7 batters per nine innings. Maeda will look to build on his current hot streak in his next turn against the Phillies on Monday.

Urias (shoulder) threw off a mound earlier this week for the first time since undergoing anterior capsule surgery on his throwing shoulder in 2017, Daniel Starkland of Dodger Blue reports.

The recovery process has been a long one for the talented prospect, but manager Dave Roberts still believes Urias can return in the second half of this season. There is no telling how the Dodgers' starting rotation will look at that point, so the 21-year-old could find himself getting back up to speed in the minors or coming out of the bullpen in the majors once he is cleared to return to game action. Urias still has plenty of steps to undergo in the recovery process, but dynasty owners have to be pleased that his shoulder is progressing as scheduled.