MLB Player News

Hill (9-6) took the loss after serving up six runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out four over 3.2 innings against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Hill came back down to earth after flirting with perfection in his last start. The 37-year-old only threw 99 pitches in his impressive start against the Pirates last Wednesday, so fatigue can be ruled out as a possible explanation for Tuesday's implosion. Hill hasn't been as dominant as he was during his 2016 renaissance, but he has provided enough fantasy value to be useful with a 3.74 ERA and 10.6 K/9 through 20 starts. The veteran southpaw will get a chance to redeem himself in a rematch with Arizona on Monday.

Flexen (3-3) was ripped for seven runs on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings in Tuesday's blowout loss to the Reds. He struck out four.

This one started out ugly -- five first-inning runs crossed the plate against the rookie, thanks in large part to a Scott Schebler grand slam. While Flexen has had some spots of success, he's also walked four batters in each of his last four starts; in fact, he has more walks (28) than strikeouts (27) through his first seven MLB appearances. The Mets, desperate for rotation help, skipped the 23-year-old past Triple-A and straight to the majors, and it's abundantly clear that he wasn't ready to make that leap.

Darvish will start Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader in San Diego, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Nothing changes regarding the day Darvish was set to pitch next, but this simply confirms that he will pitch the nightcap against the Padres. The Dodgers have not yet announced who will start Game 1.

Wood (chest) will come off the DL to start Sunday in San Diego, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

He said the cortisone shot he received helped relieve the sternum joint inflammation he was dealing with. Wood will throw bullpen sessions Wednesday and Friday in advance of taking the ball in the series finale against the Padres. It is unreasonable to expect him to be the dominant ace who notched a 1.56 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 101 strikeouts over his first 86.2 innings this season, but he should still be quite serviceable down the stretch, especially for owners chasing wins.

Nicasio was placed on irrevocable outright waivers Tuesday, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

This means any team can claim Nicasio and assume the roughly $600,000 remaining on his contract without giving the Pirates anything in return. Essentially, the Pirates wanted to clear a 40-man roster spot and see an opportunity to do so and clear Nicasio's contract in a season where they are no longer realistically in the playoff race. Look for Nicasio to get claimed and pitch for a new team in a mid-leverage role before hitting the open market this offseason. He has a 2.85 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 60 innings this season.

Nicolino came on in relief during Monday's 11-2 loss to the Nationals, tossing 2.1 innings and giving up three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out one batter.

The Marlins haven't officially named their starters for all seven of their games this week, but the fact that Nicolino was used out of the bullpen Monday suggests he won't be in line to make what would have been his next turn in the rotation Thursday against the Phillies. Entering play Monday, Nicolino had carried a middling 5.45 ERA and 5.2 K/9 rate over 33 innings on the season, and he did little in long relief in the series opener with Washington to justify another look in a starting role later in the week. Instead, it appears that Odrisamer Despagine, who tossed six innings of one-run ball when a spot starter was needed last Saturday against the Padres, is now the leading candidate to fill the opening in the rotation for Thursday.

Despaigne could be the leading candidate to start Thursday against the Phillies after fifth starter Justin Nicolino was used in relief in Monday's loss to the Nationals.

Despaigne has largely served as a long man out of the bullpen since being recalled from Triple-A New Orleans in late July, but due to the team's heavy schedule last week, the right-hander was needed as a temporary sixth starter. He took the hill Saturday against the Padres and spun a gem, tossing six innings of one-run ball in a no decision. With Nicolino having failed to escape the third inning in his previous start Aug. 23 and now sitting on a 5.86 ERA for the season, the suddenly playoff-contending Marlins may be eager to see if Despaigne can provide an upgrade at the back end of the rotation.

Senzatela (10-5) took the loss Monday against the Tigers, lasting just 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

So much for Senzatela's hot start. He hasn't completed the sixth inning since June 16 against the Giants, and at this point, it would be surprising if he manages it again this season. He has a 5.83 ERA with a 33:19 K:BB over 41.2 innings in his past 13 outings, so his presence in the Rockies' rotation is more about their lack of acceptable options than Senzatela's ability at this point.

Williams (5-7) took the loss Monday against the Cubs, giving up two runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts over five innings.

Williams was given a tough test with consecutive starts against the Dodgers and Cubs, and although he couldn't match his eight shutout innings against the Dodgers on Monday, Williams at least managed to hold Chicago's excellent lineup at bay for five innings. He's now given up just four home runs in nine outings since the All-Star break, with three coming in one start Aug. 18 against St. Louis. Williams owns a 4.37 ERA, and if he can keep that ball in the yard like he has been, sustaining or even improving on that statistic is entirely possible.

Urena (12-6) allowed four runs on five hits and three walks across four innings while taking the loss Monday against the Nationals. He struck out four.

Urena toiled throughout his abbreviated outing, putting multiple men on base and conceding at least one run in three of four innings. He struggled with his command at times and walked multiple batters for the second straight start. Urena has failed to complete more than 5.1 innings in four straight starts and has allowed at least three runs in three of those. He'll look to get back on track Saturday against the Phillies.