MLB Player News

Manager Pete Mackanin said Tuesday that Nola may miss another start because of his lower-back strain, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Nola showed improvement after his bullpen session Monday, but the Phillies want to be cautious with their young starter. Mackanin said he would talk with GM Matt Klentak on Wednesday to make a decision regarding Nola's status for his scheduled start Friday. Nick Pivetta would get another start if Nola can't go this week.

Walker allowed three runs on five hits and five walks across 4.2 ennings en route to a no-decision Tuesday against the Nationals. He struck out six.

Walker built up his pitch count while working through rallies in the first and third inning before his removal after throwing 117 pitches with two outs in the fifth. His five walks were a season high, but he induced six groundouts to help mitigate the damage. Thanks to ample run support, he narrowly missed improving his record to 4-1 and will take a 4.19 ERA into Sunday's difficult road matchup with the Rockies.

Solis (elbow) said he still hasn't been able to play catch, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.

Although MRI results revealed Solis wasn't dealing with any ligament damage, the 28-year-old remains shut down from throwing with the nerve inflammation. He remains without a timetable for return, though one should become clearer once he is able to resume a throwing program.

Buehler was promoted to Double-A Tulsa on Tuesday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The 2015 first-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt has been outstanding in his first few starts with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, posting a 1.10 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 16.1 innings of work. Buehler will look to carry this success into his time with the Drillers, where he'll slot into their rotation immediately. His innings will likely continue to be monitored given how recently he underwent Tommy John surgery, but he appears to be on a relatively fast track to The Show.

Lorenzen (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings without allowing a baserunner and struck out three batters to collect his second win of the season during Monday's win over Pittsburgh.

Already up to 15.1 innings out of the bullpen, Lorenzen is being leaned on and has pitched reasonably well most nights. Two rough outings against Milwaukee on April 14 and the Cubs on April 21 have accounted for seven of his eight earned runs allowed, so outside of those appearances, Lorenzen has been solid. He's also pitching in enough high-leverage situations to have collected two wins, a save and two holds, and his 9.4 K/9 and 1.17 WHIP are serviceable marks. Lorenzen will probably continue to chip away at his 4.70 ERA over the coming weeks.

Cole allowed three runs -- two earned -- on five hits and a walk while striking out seven hitters over six innings during Monday's loss to Cincinnati.

Cole has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his past four outings for a 2.16 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 10.1 K/9. Unfortunately, it's translated into just a single win. However, if the righty continues to pitch this well, the victories will follow. Cole sets up for his second start of the week against Milwaukee this weekend.

Cueto (4-1) turned in a solid outing Monday, holding the Dodgers to three runs on six hits while striking out six in a 4-3 win.

The 31-year-old outdueled Clayton Kershaw in this one, a tough task for any pitcher in the league. Despite surrendering three runs, Cueto did a good job of mixing locations to induce weak contact throughout the night, limiting the Dodgers to one extra-base hit, a double off the bat of Cody Bellinger. The veteran has bounced back with two consecutive quality starts after getting hit hard by the Rockies on April 21. Cueto will wrap up his two-start week with a matchup against his former club, the Reds, on Sunday. Pitching against Cincinnati in hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark is a tough assignment for most starters, but season-long owners rightfully shouldn't consider benching him. That said, those participating in daily leagues should consider fading Cueto until a better matchup presents itself.

Kershaw (4-2) gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits while striking out five Monday. He was the losing pitcher of record in a 4-3 loss to San Francisco.

The Dodgers' ace didn't have his best stuff Monday, failing to take advantage of a very favorable matchup against the light-hitting Giants. Kershaw was dealing with a minor calf injury heading into this start, but he didn't mention the injury after taking the loss, giving credit to San Francisco's batters for grinding out at-bats against him. Fantasy owners would normally take a quality start as a successful outing from their starting pitcher, but considering the matchup, it is hard to not consider this a poor showing from the dominant southpaw. Kershaw will look to bounce back in his next scheduled start, which was moved up to this Sunday against the Padres.

Velasquez (2-2) allowed one run on two hits while walking three and striking out four over five innings for his second win of the year Monday against the Cubs.

The only run he allowed came on a solo shot by Javier Baez in the fifth inning. After two rough starts to begin the year, Velasquez is slowly rounding into form, and Monday's outing may have been his best yet against a dangerous Cubs lineup. It should give his owners more reason to deploy him confidently in his next start. The young right-hander has fanned 26 and walked 15 in 26.1 frames, so control remains an issue, but his strikeout upside is undeniable.

Wacha allowed four runs on seven hits (one home run) while walking one and striking out five over six innings for a no-decision in Monday's 7-5 loss to the Brewers.

This was Wacha's first start of his five this season with more than three runs, and it raised his ERA to a respectable 3.23. Despite the subpar effort, the right-hander has a 28:7 K:BB in 30.2 innings and remains an attractive fantasy starter. Don't let this hiccup deter you from using him in his next outing, slated for Saturday in Atlanta.