MLB Player News

Urena (1-3) gave up eight earned runs on eight hits and four walks over 4.1 innings in Friday's 11-6 loss to the Cardinals. He struck out four.

The young righty fell behind early on a two-run homer by Jeremy Hazelbaker and a Kolten Wong RBI double in the second, and then saw the floodgates open in a six-run fifth, with five of those runs going on Urena's ledger. It was a significant step back for the 24-year-old, who'd only given up two earned runs over the 11.2 innings that had encompassed his prior two starts. With the recent acquisitions of Andrew Cashner and Colin Rea, Urena's future in the rotation is now uncertain.

Lorenzen threw two scoreless innings Friday night against the Padres, striking out the first four batters he faced.

Adding Lorenzen and Raisel Iglesias to the bullpen has done wonders for the Reds, both in terms of getting pitchers with live arms at the back end of games, and having them be able to throw multiple innings if need be. Lorenzen now has a 2.95 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP, with a 19:7 K:BB over 18.1 innings.

Finnegan threw six shutout innings against the Padres on Friday and credited using his changeup more often as part of the reason for the result, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He struck out five while allowing four hits and three walks.

Before Friday's start, Finnegan changed the grip on his changeup, and that eliminated the cutting action that he had been getting on the pitch. In the last month prior to Friday, he had reduced his changeup usage to four percent, but it was back up to 16.7 percent Friday.

Nola averaged just 88.3 mph with his sinker during his start Thursday, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The sinker is Nola's primary pitch and is critical to his success. He began the year throwing the pitch at 91 mph and has seen his velocity decline each month, reaching its lowest point in his last start. There has been no talk of an injury, but there has been some indication that Nola was dealing with a "dead arm" earlier this month. He has also been tinkering with his mechanics, which could also be impacting his velocity.

Greinke (oblique) tossed three innings in a rehab start with the Diamondbacks' Rookie League squad Friday. He allowed four hits, one unearned run, and posted a 5:0 K:BB in the game.

Greinke was sharp Friday, and more importantly, made it through his outing without a setback. It's not clear how many rehab starts he will make before rejoining the big club, but he appears to be on track to return to the Diamondbacks at some point in mid-August.

Matz (8-7) pitched six innings, allowing two runs, ten hits and a walk while striking out five in Friday's loss to the Rockies.

Despite notching his fourth quality start in five July outings, Matz finished the month with a 1-4 record thanks to a lack of run support. In his past five starts, the Mets have scored a combined six runs, and no more than two in any of those games. Matz will look for better luck in his next start Wednesday versus the Yankees.

Velasquez (8-3) was the hard-luck loser in Friday's 2-1 loss to Atlanta. He pitched six quality innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five.

Entering the month, Velasquez hadn't pitched more than five innings in an outing since May 12, but he managed to do so in all five on his July starts. In his last three games, the sophomore is winless despite holding a solid 3.32 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 19 innings. The Phillies rank second-worst in MLB for runs scored, and Velasquez will likely continue to fall victim to his team's inability to cross the plate.

Glasnow (shoulder) threw from 90 feet Friday, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

This marked the first day that Glasnow threw from 90 feet while rehabbing his shoulder. He was able to throw without any discomfort and should continue progressing as scheduled. This bodes well for the Pirates, as they are expected to activate Glasnow from the disabled list when he is eligible on August 8.

Rea will start Saturday against the Cardinals, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Acquired from San Diego on Friday along with Andrew Cashner and Tayron Guerrero, Rea will slot into the rotation right away, starting opposite Jaime Garcia in Game 3 of the Cardinals series. Rea has seen an uptick in walks and a reduction in strikeout rate this year, resulting in lackluster numbers overall, but he's an upgrade over the likes of Jose Urena and Justin Nicolino at the back of the rotation. That said, he could move to the bullpen late in the year if the Marlins decide they need to limit his innings.

The trade that sends Rea, Andrew Cashner, and Tayron Guerrero to the Marlins in exchange for Jarred Cosart, Josh Naylor, Carter Capps, and Luis Castillo is now official, MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman reports.

Rea's career numbers in the majors -- a 4.81 ERA and 1.41 WHIP -- don't stand out, but he provides the Marlins another starting pitching option down the stretch, and does have 24 big league starts under his belt. The Marlins have not announced how their rotation will look now that Rea and Cashner are on board, but it seems likely that Rea will grab one of the five spots so that the team can immediately take a look at how he fares in that role in his new surroundings.