MLB Player News

Eflin moved to 5-0 with seven scoreless innings Wednesday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He allowed two hits and one walk while striking out six.

Eflin lowered his ERA to 2.36 and now has a 39:7 K:BB in 45.2 innings. He has increased his K/9 to 7.7 this season after averaging just 4.7 K/9 last season at Double-A Reading. Eflin told Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com that better fastball command and learning how to setup hitters are the primary reasons for the spike in his strikeout rate this season. He'll be under strong consideration for a promotion to the majors the next time the Phillies need a starting pitcher.

Matz (forearm) threw a successful bullpen session Wednesday, reaffirming his availability to start Friday's series opener against the Brewers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Matz seems to be getting better every day after skipping his start last Wednesday due to the ailment. This news virtually ensures that Matz will make his scheduled start, where he'll face a Brewers lineup that's 14th in the majors in scoring.

Sampson's contract was selected from Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

After being DFA'd nearly a month ago, Sampson is now back with the big league club, joining Jumbo Diaz as a Wednesday call-up. The 2009 fourth-round pick struggled in 12 starts for the Reds last season and was tagged for four earned runs in 3.0 innings of big league work in 2016. He's found success at Triple-A, however, posting a 1.37 ERA with 20 strikeouts across 19.2 innings.

Greinke (4-3) pitched seven impressive innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out seven in Tuesday's win over the Yankees. He did not walk a batter for the second time this season (nine starts).

The veteran right-hander hasn't been his dominant self this season, but appears to be getting better as his ERA in May (4.26) is more than a run lower than April's 5.50 mark. He's striking out hitters at a fine rate (8.1 K/9), but has been unable to get out of jams (65.3 percent strand rate) or limit the deep ball (1.1 HR/9). The 2009 Cy Young winner will make his next start Sunday against the Cardinals.

Kershaw (6-1) hurled eight innings, allowing a single run, four hits and no walks while striking out 11 in Tuesday's victory against the Angels.

Kershaw has struck out 10-plus hitters with no more than one walk in six consecutive starts, extending his own modern-day record. Six straight starts with at least 10 strikeouts also is a franchise record (the MLB record is eight by Pedro Martinez in 1999 and Chris Sale in 2015). Kershaw has 88 strikeouts and only four walks in 70 innings this year. His 22:1 K/BB is on pace for the highest mark in the modern era, far beyond Phil Hughes' 11.63-to-1 mark with Minnesota in 2014. In May, Kershaw is 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA, 48 strikeouts and one walk.

Rea (3-2) pitched five innings, allowing three runs, four hits and two walks while striking out three in Tuesday's loss to the Giants.

The second inning doomed the righty as he gave up three hits, including a three-run homer to Brandon Crawford, and faced seven hitters before getting out of the frame. In each of Rea's poor starts this season, the recurring theme has been inefficiency. He needed 94 pitches to get through Tuesday's five-inning outing, marking the fifth time this season he's needed at least 90 pitches to get through five innings or fewer. Not coincidentally, Rea's three quality starts have been his three most efficient efforts. He'll look to rebound Sunday when he makes his next start against the Dodgers.

Syndergaard struck out 10 and allowed just five hits and no walks over seven shutout innings in Tuesday's win over Washington.

Syndergaard reached double-digits in strikeouts for the second time this season and posted his first scoreless start since going six shutout innings against the Royals in his first start of the season. He owns a brilliant 65:9 K:BB in 53.1 innings and lowered his ERA to 2.19 as Thor is looking every bit the part of an ace in his second major league campaign.

Velasquez allowed three hits and two walks while striking out 10 over five scoreless innings in a win over the Marlins on Tuesday.

He needed 103 pitches to get through the five frames, but it was a very useful outing from Velasquez after a couple of mediocre performances against divisional foes. The 23-year-old now ranks inside the top 10 in four of the five traditional rotisserie categories, with a 2.42 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, five wins and 59 strikeouts in 48.1 innings. He will face an innings limit this season, but the Phillies have not disclosed a firm cap.

Nicasio was charged with five runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks over five innings in a win over the Braves on Tuesday. He struck out six.

It wasn't his best or most efficient outing, but Nicasio didn't need to do much to beat Aaron Blair, who was knocked around for nine runs in 1.1 innings. Nicasio has now gone three straight turns without a quality start, but he's striking out a batter per inning, and his hard-hit rate was the lowest among qualified starters entering Tuesday's game at just over 17 percent.

Anderson (2-5) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk with six strikeouts over 8.2 innings in a win Tuesday against the Cubs.

Anderson took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and a shutout into the ninth. He ran out of gas before he could get the final out, allowing a pair of solo home runs to Jason Heyward and Kris Bryant, but for eight innings he locked down arguably the best lineup in baseball. He induced 11 swinging strikes in 110 pitches, drew 10 ground outs, and held the Cubs to zero hits in just four at-bats with runners in scoring position. After four starts of allowing at least four earned runs from April 18 through May 5, Anderson now has a pair of quality starts in a row. However, he still has a 5.32 ERA and has now given up 11 home runs in just eight starts.