MLB Player News

Ray allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits (one home run) while walking four and striking out 10 over six innings for a no-decision in Monday's 4-2 win over the Dodgers.

The lone earned run he allowed was a solo homer by Enrique Hernandez in the fourth inning. Ray's 11.3 K/9 from last year has been backed up so far this season, as he's struck out 24 hitters in 18.1 innings in three starts. The talented left-hander has allowed just four runs in that time, although he's also issued a dozen walks. A high .353 BABIP in 2016 likely led to his inflated 4.90 ERA, and despite his unfavorable home park, there's a good chance he'll be better in 2017.

Anderson (2-0) allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk across five innings in Monday's win over the Cubs. He struck out five.

Anderson gave up all three runs in the first two innings as the Cubs manufactured offense, but he settled down and left with a one-run lead heading into the sixth. The right-hander allowed more baserunners in this one than he had in his previous two starts -- perhaps a product of the stiff opposition -- but his ability to battle with men on base allowed him to leave with a shiny 1.50 ERA to go along with a WHIP of exactly 1.00. The early returns have been stellar for Anderson, who will look to continue his strong start Saturday against the Cardinals.

Lynn (1-1) earned his first win of the season Monday with seven scoreless innings against the Pirates, allowing three hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

Lynn was unimpressive in his last start, but he turned in a gem this time, allowing just two men past first base. He threw 66 percent of his pitches for strikes and notched a season high in punchouts -- a nice departure from his most recent trip to the mound against the Nationals, in which he issued four free passes. This was an excellent result for Lynn in his third start since returning from Tommy John surgery, and he will look to produce a similar result Saturday against the Brewers.

Nicasio has allowed two runs and seven hits over 5.2 innings to start the season.

Nicasio has pitched only one clean inning this season, but he's limited the damage along the way. Still, the 30-year-old figures to be an important piece of Pittsburgh's bullpen in 2017. After moving into relief work last season, Nicasio went 5-2 with a 3.88 ERA while striking out 75 batters in 55.2 innings.

Maeda will start Saturday against the Diamondbacks instead of Friday, Eric Stephen of SB Nation reports.

With Rich Hill back on the disabled list due to blisters, the Dodgers needed to rearrange their rotation in order to fit Alex Wood. As such, Maeda will be pushed back a day. The fact that Maeda has struggled to start the season (7.07 ERA in 14 innings) only made that decision easier for the Dodgers.

Hill was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday due to blisters, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Hill has been dealing with constant blister issues since last season, and this already marks his second DL trip for this reason in 2017. Thanks to the new 10-day DL, Hill may miss just one start, but considering how much time he's missed recently to blisters, it's hard to be that optimistic about Hill going forward. To add another cause for concern, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said that the bullpen is an option for Hill, and Hill said he is open to the arrangement. Alex Wood will start in Hill's place Friday against Arizona.

Wood will start Friday in place of the injured Rich Hill, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports Monday.

Hill was placed on the disabled list Monday, officially opening up his starting slot for Wood. The lefty has been wild this season, issuing six walks in just nine innings, but he's held opponents to just one run on three hits thanks in large part to eight strikeouts. When Wood has had his chances to start, he's been successful -- he owns a 3.39 ERA over 78 career starts -- so he should be considered a cut above the typical spot starter.

Lugo (elbow) will begin a throwing program Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

After taking two weeks off to recover from the slight UCL tear in his throwing elbow, Lugo will take the first step in getting back on the mound. He's set to throw from approximately 60 feet Tuesday and will likely increase his distance gradually in the days to follow. Lugo still appears to be quite a ways off facing hitters, so it seems unlikely that he'll come off the disabled list until at least May.

Fried (back) allowed one run on two hits while striking out four and walking two through six innings Saturday.

Fried posted a strong second appearance after exiting his first minor-league start just 1.2 innings in with back tightness. This is encouraging, seeing as it's only his second start above Low-A, but it's still too small of a sample size to truly draw from. As one of the Braves' top pitching prospects, it will be interesting to monitor how he continues to handle his assignment at Double-A.

Urias is not being considered as a rotation fill-in for Rich Hill (finger), J.P. Hoornstra of The Orange County Register reports.

The club hasn't officially made any decisions regarding Hill's status for Saturday's start, but they were quick to dismiss their top prospect as a potential option. Urias has seen his pitch count sit in the mid-to-high 70s in his two last starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City, which keeps his workload in a range to be called up at any point. We know the Dodgers will have Urias join the rotation at some point this season; it's simply a waiting game to see when they decide to call him up. Even though his debut won't come this weekend, the 20-year-old phenom is definitely worth a pickup if he's still available on the waiver wire.