MLB Player News

Taillon didn't factor into the decision Saturday versus the Brewers, giving up five earned runs on seven hits and two walks over three innings. He struck out three.

After an impressively consistent stretch of performances to start his major league career, Taillon ran into a major bump in the road Saturday. He got into trouble early, surrendering a 398-foot three-run homer to Hernan Perez and RBI single to Orlando Arcia in the first. Perez then came back to connect on a 414-foot solo blast to center in the third, helping to cut Taillon's night short after 57 pitches. The three innings represented the rookie's shortest stint on the mound this season, while the five earned runs were the most scored on him throughout his 13 starts. Taillon will try to redeem himself when he faces the Brewers in a rematch next Friday.

Urias (5-2) gave up an earned run on six hits and two walks over six innings in Saturday's 3-2 victory over the Cubs. He struck out eight.

The rookie was borderline dominant against a potent Cubs lineup, recording 15 swinging strikes overall and equaling his season best with eight strikeouts. The 20-year-old southpaw has now given up just an earned run over the12 innings encompassing his last two starts and has won three straight decisions. Urias may continue to receive starts over the last few weeks of the season, but that is yet to be determined.

Hammel (13-7) gave up three earned runs on five hits over 2.1 innings in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers. He also recorded a strikeout.

The veteran righty was pulled after only 39 pitches, a move that was steeped in some controversy. Hammel wasn't necessarily bad during his time on the mound, firing 28 of 39 pitches for strikes and notching first-pitch strikes on 10 of the 12 batters he faced. The appearance was the second consecutive forgettable one for the 33-year-old, who'd given up 10 runs (six earned) on 10 hits over 3.1 innings at Coors Field in his last outing on Aug. 21. Hammel will try to put Saturday's debacle behind him when he takes on the Giants next Thursday.

DeSclafani was masterful in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks, tossing a four-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and one walk.

The right-hander's first career shutout also happened to be his first career complete game, and he set a season-high in punchouts as well. He efficiently needed just 108 pitches to go the distance, and lowered his ERA to a shiny 2.98 with this dominant performance. DeSclafani will next face the Cardinals at home on Saturday.

Nicolino has been called up from Triple-A New Orleans to start for the Marlins in their series finale against the Padres, Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post reports.

Nicolino, who has a 5.57 ERA in 12 previous starts for the Marlins this season, will be filling in for Andrew Cashner, who was scratched from the start due to a blister on his finger.

Giolito will be recalled to start Sunday against the Rockies, Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

He seemed the most likely candidate for the start after Reynaldo Lopez was sent down earlier in the week, and the team has confirmed that Giolito will come up to start the series finale against Colorado. Giolito hasn't gone more than four innings in any of his three major league starts to this point as walks have been a major problem (nine in 11 innings). The 22-year-old will likely have a short leash again Sunday.

Cole underwent an MRI on his elbow which showed no ligament damage, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

The Pirates sent Cole for an evaluation after an uncharacteristically poor run of starts -- Cole's ERA has ballooned from 2.73 to 3.55 in his last five outings. While no ligament damage was found, he's not completely in the clear yet, as Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that Cole could have a bone spur. He will miss Monday's start at the very least.

Cole (elbow) will not make his next scheduled start Monday against the Cubs, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune reports.

Cole has experienced uncharacteristic struggles over his last three starts, giving up a total of 31 hits and 13 earned runs while striking out just 12. The right-hander is dealing with some soreness in his throwing elbow, and he'll fly to Los Angeles on Sunday to have the elbow examined. At this point, it's unclear if the 25-year-old is dealing with anything serious, but a further update should come sometime Sunday. The Pirates are yet to announce who will start in Cole's place Monday.

Kershaw (back) will face live hitters Tuesday, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Kershaw revealed Friday that he'd been cleared for the next step and he now has a set date for his first live session since July 16. Manager Dave Roberts suggested earlier in the week that Kershaw would need one minor league rehab start, with Kershaw negotiating down from the original plan of two rehab outings according to Eric Stephen of SB Nation. There's always a chance the team could reverse course and have Kershaw bypass a rehab assignment if he looks good enough Tuesday.

Finnegan tossed six innings in Friday night's extra-inning loss to Arizona, allowing two runs (both earned) and two walks while striking out 12. He didn't factor into the decision.

The left-hander, coming off a start in Dodger Stadium where he allowed just one hit over seven innings, was outlasted by opposing starter Braden Shipley by a single inning. However, Finnegan undoubtedly finished with the more dominant performance, as a steady mixture of his slider and fastball induced plenty of weak contact along with a career-high 12 strikeouts. He'll get another road start on Wednesday against the Angels in Anaheim.