MLB Player News

Wainwright (9-8) allowed seven runs, only two of them earned, on nine hits and two walks over five innings in Thursday's loss to the Mets.

The Cardinals played some woeful defense in this one and the Mets made them pay for it. But that's not to excuse Wainwright, who struggled against the Mets for the second time within the span of a month. We keep waiting for him to turn the corner and it keeps not happening, but a start against the Brewers on Tuesday at least represents a more promising matchup.

Ray (7-12) struck out seven hitters and allowed just two runs over five innings Thursday against Atlanta, but was stuck with the loss. He gave up six hits and four walks.

In all honesty, Ray deserved a worse fate for averaging two baserunners per inning, but he was able to escape with his fourth straight start of two or fewer runs. At this point, anyone who's dipped a foot into the waters of Ray ownership understands the package he offers for fantasy owners: tons of strikeouts, but inconsistent control and an unfriendly home park. He needs to find a way to make that sky-high .354 BABIP come down, but that'll be hard to do if he keeps surrendering hard contact at a career-high rate.

Stripling (3-5) gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings in Thursday's loss to the Giants.

His demotion to the minors didn't last long, as he went down last Friday and was brought back up Tuesday in advance of this start. Unfortunately, the results weren't any better than they've been all year long -- Stripling has provided precious little in the way of longevity or run prevention as a starter, posting a 4.59 ERA over 64.2 innings. He's been much more effective (albeit in a limited sample) out of the bullpen, but the Dodgers' banged-up pitching staff needs him in the rotation for the time being. A dark cloud looms on the horizon for Stripling, as he'll make his next start against the Rockies in Coors Field on Tuesday.

Manager Pete Mackanin said Thompson will remain in the rotation, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Thompson has really struggled since his promotion to the majors. He is 1-3 with a 9.79 ERA in his first four starts. Mackanin believes part of Thompson's problem is that he is trying to make perfect pitches. The other problem is that Thompson has been up in the zone, but he was successful in the minors by keeping the ball down. He'll try to get on track when he faces the Nationals on Monday in his next start.

The Mets are "leaning towards" skipping deGrom's scheduled start Monday, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

A final decision has yet to be made, but manager Terry Collins remarked that deGrom might be fatigued after he was hit hard for the second straight start Wednesday. That notion is born out by the 1.5 mph drop in fastball velocity coupled with a decrease in spin rate. Seth Lugo on short rest, Sean Gilmartin, Gabriel Ynoa, Logan Verrett and Rafael Montero are the candidates to fill in for deGrom.

The Mets will make a decision on if Matz (shoulder) will start Tuesday following his throwing session Friday, Anthony DiComo of the MLB.com reports.

If Matz gets through it unscathed, he should be activated off the disabled list and start. If not. Seth Lugo, who started for Matz on Thursday, should replace him again in the rotation.

Updating a prior post, the Mets will skip deGrom's scheduled start Monday to work on mechanical issues and provide the righty additional rest, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets' data, through use of the Trackman technology, showed that deGrom is releasing his pitches from a point significantly higher, and more toward the first-base line than he has in the past. As a result, his entire body is "falling off" toward first, flattening his throws and making them more hittable, resulting in 13 runs allowed on 25 hits his last two outings. DeGrom dealt with a similar problem earlier this season before resolving the issue. The Mets hope that similar can occur in the next 10 days with the time off also benefitting deGrom.

Urias will start Saturday against the Cubs, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Scott Kazmir's turn is due up and the Dodgers have decided to turn back to Urias, with Brock Stewart recalled to provide insurance out of the bullpen over the next few days. Urias threw six shutout innings in a win over the Reds his last time out, his second time completing six innings in the major leagues.

Maeda's next start has been pushed back to Monday against the Rockies, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He now lines up for a matchup at Coors Field but Maeda has been excellent in two starts at Coors so far this season, allowing two earned runs with a 13:1 K:BB in 12 innings. While a reason for him being pushed back was not immediately provided, the Dodgers may just be looking to get Maeda some extra rest after he labored through five innings in his last start (103 pitches).

Kershaw (back) said Friday that he will face live hitters next week, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

It's not entirely clear whether Kershaw will throw live batting practice to teammates or head out for minor league rehab outing, but either way, Kershaw is ready for the next step. He built up to 60 pitches during Friday's bullpen session, his second bullpen session of the week.