MLB Player News

Hammel (10-5) cruised through seven innings in Wednesday's 8-1 blowout of the White Sox, allowing just a single run on five hits. He struck out seven and walked two.

That's now three consecutive wins for Hammel and four straight starts of two or fewer runs since the ERA-ruining 10-run disaster that opened his month of July. Without that game, he'd have a 2.53 ERA instead of his current 3.23 -- but hey, they all count. Nonetheless, despite seeing his strikeout rate dip and walk rate rise from last year, he's still sitting on the best ERA of his career. The caveat is that both his BABIP and strand rate have been friendlier than he deserves, so it still seems reasonable to expect regression down the stretch from the 33-year-old.

Wainwright threw 6.2 innings of four-run ball Wednesday, scattering 11 hits while walking just one and striking out four en-route to a no-decision against the Mets.

Wainwright was on the hook for the loss with his four earned runs, but was bailed out by his teammates, who rallied for a pair of runs off Mets closer Jeurys Familia in the ninth to come back and win the game 5-4. Wainwright has been steady for the Cardinals after a brutal start to the season where he allowed at least three earned runs in each of his first eight starts. Since May 13th, Wainwright has gone at least six innings in 12 of 13 starts, lowering his ERA to 4.16. He's flashed his signature pinpoint command over that timeframe, walking just 19 hitters over all those innings.

Cole (6-6) dazzled Wednesday against the Mariners, tossing a complete game in which he allowed just one run on three hits and no walks while striking out six.

Cole was quite efficient on Wednesday, needing just 93 pitches to retire 27 Mariners as the Pirates cruised to a 10-1 blowout win. The complete game was Cole's first of his four-year career and came at a much-needed time for fantasy owners. Cole had lost his previous two starts since returning from a month-long DL stint in late June and early July. Cole now has a 2.78 ERA and a solid 73:23 K:BB ratio on the season. He'll look to keep things going next week in Atlanta.

Strasburg (14-1) tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out seven in Wednesday's win over the Indians.

Strasburg rebounded from his first loss of the season by twirling seven scoreless for just the second time this season (the first came on April 19 versus the Marlins). The win in Cleveland made him 7-0 in eight road starts this season, and improved his ERA away from home to an MLB-best 1.72. Among NL starters, Strasburg leads the pack with 14 wins, ranks fourth with 155 strikeouts and holds the fifth-best ERA at 0.99.

The Pirates are hopeful that Glasnow (shoulder) will be able to come off the DL as soon as he is eligible, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh-Tribune reports.

Glasnow went on the 15-day disabled list on July 24, making him eligible to return August 8. This is good news for Glasnow, who did not need an MRI on his shoulder. The hope is that Glasnow will resume baseball activities in the coming days.

Eflin (3-4) was torched in Wednesday's loss to the Marlins. He pitched five innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out just one.

The rookie entered Monday's contest flying high after dealing a three-hit shutout against the Pirates in his last start, but Eflin was quickly grounded when Giancarlo Stanton blasted a 430-foot homer to make the score 3-0 in the first. Having allowed just six runs in his four previous starts combined, Eflin had his ERA down to 3.40 before having it blown up to 4.23 by the Fish. Outside of his MLB debut on July 14 versus the Blue Jays (eight earned runs in 2.2 innings), the 22-year-old has given the fantasy world more than most could have expected, including a run of six straight quality starts that ended with this one. However, Eflin's down performance at Marlins Park is a reminder that rarely should caution be thrown into the wind when it comes to relying on a rookie arm to be consistent.

Fried is back on the 7-day DL with Low-A Rome due to a recurring blister issue, 929 The Game's Grant McAuley reports.

The 22-year-old tossed two shutout innings on July 15, but was pulled from the game after blisters on his throwing hand resurfaced -- an issue that landed him on the DL back on July 4. It's been a frustrating month for the left-hander, who has performed exceedingly well in 16 starts for Low-A Rome, posting a 3.50 ERA along with a killer 9.2 K/9 and 0.7 HR/9 through 82.1 innings. While Fried is considered a core piece in the Braves' rebuild, the club's ninth-ranked prospect needs to prove he's capable of staying healthy, as he has already lost almost two years due to Tommy John surgery back in 2014.

Eickhoff (6-12) allowed just one run on five hits and a walk and struck out eight over seven innings but still took the loss Tuesday against Miami.

Eickhoff continues to get almost no support from his teammates. Entering Tuesday, the Phillies were giving Eickhoff just 3.4 runs of support per game started, which tied him for sixth-lowest in the National League with Atlanta's Matt Wisler. He is clearly not as bad as his record -- after Tuesday's gem, he owns a 3.83 ERA and a slick 111:31 K:BB in 127 innings.

Corbin (4-9) allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out six over five innings, but received no decision Tuesday at the Brewers.

Corbin allowed three runs in the first inning, and settled down before giving up a run in the sixth inning that broke a 3-3 tie, but the offense scored late to take him off the hook for a possible loss. Opponents have now scored at least four runs off him in each of his last six starts, and his ERA is at a season-high 5.31. He'll make his next start Sunday against the Dodgers.

Hendricks (9-7) allowed three runs on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over 5.2 innings in a loss Tuesday to the White Sox.

Hendricks hadn't allowed an earned run since June 29th, but had his scoreless streak snapped when Jose Abreu hit an RBI single in the first inning. Still, Hendricks was nasty, as he induced 14 strikeouts and seven groundouts and threw 64 strikes in 97 pitches. Even with the hiccup, Hendricks still owns a slick 2.39 ERA.