MLB Player News

Glasnow debuted a slider as part of his arsenal in his relief appearance Friday against the Cardinals after experimenting with the pitch in flat-ground sessions earlier in the week, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

During his three shutout innings Friday, Glasnow broke in the slider for six of the 33 pitches, including his final throw of the night that struck Kolten Wong out swinging. The new pitch was instrumental in Glasnow delivering his best showing of the season, as he allowed only three of the 12 batters he faced to reach base while finishing with four strikeouts. Since Glasnow hasn't had the opportunity to get a good feel for his curveball while working out of the bullpen this season, it appears the slider could become his new go-to breaking ball, which would likely aid his chances of finding success against opposite-handed hitters like Wong. Lefties have posted a .913 OPS against Glasnow this season, a 456-point increase from the mark he has allowed versus right-handed hitters.

Mahle (2-3) allowed one earned run on four hits while walking two and striking out seven across 6.1 innings to earn the win Sunday against the Twins.

Mahle relied on what has become a common formula for him -- strikeouts and flyball outs. That has resulted in his current 1.89 HR/9. However, he escaped Sunday's start without surrendering a home run for the second time in his six outings this season. Half of his home runs allowed have been solo shots, so his ERA hasn't been inflated as much as possible, but he will have to decrease the 39 percent hard-hit rate he has allowed to remain a viable starting option in shallower mixed-league formats.

Velasquez (1-4) allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings in Sunday's loss to the Braves.

Velasquez served up a leadoff homer to Ozzie Albies and allowed the Braves to tack on five more runs in third, punctuated by a three-run home run off the bat of Johan Camargo. The 25-year-old has posted quality starts in three of his six outings this year but has allowed a total of 14 earned runs in his three non-quality appearances. Velasquez has good stuff but is still too inconsistent to be relied upon as a weekly fantasy starter. He draws a difficult matchup against the Nationals in his upcoming start on Saturday.

Maeda (2-2) allowed four runs on five hits and four walks across six innings while taking the loss Sunday against the Giants. He struck out three.

Maeda had walked just six through his first five outings of the season, but he struggled to put hitters away in this one and uncharacteristically issued four free passes. One of those came back to bite him as Evan Longoria launched a three-run home run in the first inning, and another in the third on Brandon Belt's RBI double. This subpar outing raised Maeda's ERA to 3.76, but his 1.48 WHIP indicates things could get worse if he doesn't rein in the baserunners. He'll look to do just that in a favorable matchup with the Padres next weekend.

Stripling will start Monday's game against the Diamondbacks, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Rich Hill (finger) was expected to return from the disabled list and start Monday's game, but he recently suffered a setback that will ultimately delay his return to the active roster. Stripling, who has allowed just one run over 14.1 innings of relief this season, will face a tough test pitching in Chase Field against the Diamondbacks.

Matz (back) will make his next start Saturday against the Rockies, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Matz was originally scheduled to start Tuesday against the Braves, but the lefty will now have his upcoming start pushed back in order to buy him more time to rest his sore upper back. Manager Mickey Callaway did announce Matz would be available in relief Tuesday if need be, though Noah Syndergaard will draw the start in his place.

Davies (2-3) allowed two runs on five hits and two walks across 5.2 innings while taking the loss Sunday against the Cubs. He struck out three.

Davies cruised through the early part of the game, allowing just one man past first base through the first four innings. He surrendered an RBI single to opposing pitcher Tyler Chatwood in the fifth before loading the bases and allowing another run before his removal in the sixth. Davies nearly turned in a quality start, but Chatwood pitched a gem of his own and walked away with the victory. Davies has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his last five starts and will take a 4.24 ERA into his next scheduled outing against the Pirates.

Teheran (back) threw a bullpen session Sunday, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

With this latest news, Teheran remains on track to start Wednesday against the Mets. Teheran had started six games prior to landing on the disabled list, over which he'd posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 30 innings. He'd been lacking much control and walked 16 batters in that time.

Thompson was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Thompson had a poor showing during Sunday's game against the Braves. Over 3.2 innings, he gave up three runs on three hits and three walks. The righty has performed similarly at Lehigh Valley this season, where he owns a 10.80 ERA and 2.40 WHIP after three starts.

Eflin will start Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Eflin struggled with the Phillies last season. Over 11 starts (64.1 innings), he scraped together a 6.16 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. He's shown a bit of improvement at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season, although his performance hasn't been impressive. After four games (20 innings) with Philadelphia's Triple-A affiliate, Eflin owns a 4.05 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.