MLB Player News

Eickhoff turned in a quality start Thursday against St. Louis, but was saddled with the loss to fall to 1-4 on the season. He gave up three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two over six innings.

The right-hander was outdueled by lefty Jaime Garcia, and the two strikeouts marked a season low for Eickhoff, but it was another strong showing overall from the 25-year-old. The peripherals suggest Eickhoff has pitched far better this season than his ERA and record would indicate -- coming into Thursday's outing, Eickhoff's FIP was more than a full run lower than his ERA at 2.84 (a top-25 mark among starting pitchers). He lines up to face the Braves in Atlanta next week.

Ramirez was placed on the bereavement list Thursday, Mark Gonzales of MLB.com reports.

The reasoning behind the placement is unclear at this time, but Ramirez will be required to miss at least three games, but no fewer than seven games while on the list. To fill his spot, the Cubs recalled right-handed reliever Spencer Patton from Triple-A Iowa.

Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said Corbin's stuff has been diminishing later in games recently, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Hale said he thinks it's a matter of rebuilding endurance for Corbin, who missed all of the 2014 season and a big chunk of 2015 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. "We really have to keep a close watch in the fifth, sixth inning, to see where his velocity is and how his stuff is," Hale said. Fantasy owners should expect shorter outings from Corbin for the time being. He is currently 1-3 with a 4.88 ERA.

Wood (1-3) struck out seven without a walk over five innings against the Rays on Wednesday, but gave up six hits and five runs (four earned).

Almost all the damage came on a trio of Tampa Bay homers, including a three-run blast by Steve Pearce in the sixth that turned what was shaping up as a solid stat line into just another ugly one. The 25-year-old lefty has had no shortage of those in the early going this year, having allowed five-plus runs in four of his six starts. On the bright side, Wood usually isn't so prone to the long ball -- he gave up just 15 in 189.1 innings last season. However, his strikeouts have come inconsistently and his walks have generally been too frequent; he'll need to improve on that front to bring his 5.18 ERA down to the realm of respectability.

Stripling's next nod has been moved from Saturday to Sunday during the weekend series in Toronto, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Multiple off days this week have afforded the Dodgers the chance to give Clayton Kershaw five full days of rest and still take the mound Saturday instead of Sunday. Meanwhile, Stripling's ERA has ballooned each start to its current spot at 4.33 since he tossed 7.1 innings of one-run ball in his major league debut on April 8. However, he does boast 7.3 K/9 through five games, so he may be able to take advantage of the Jays' free-swinging ways (25.1% strikeout rate).

Strasburg improved to 5-0 with six innings of two-run ball against the Royals on Wednesday afternoon.

He fanned seven in the outing, while walking just one and scattering five hits. Strasburg will make a pair of home starts next week, first facing the Tigers on Monday before a turn against the Marlins on May 15.

Davies struck out three and walked three while holding the Angels to two runs on five hits over six innings in a no-decision Wednesday.

The quality start Wednesday is Davies' first of the 2016 campaign in four tries. Given the lack of alternatives, he'll continue to occupy a spot in the Milwaukee rotation for the foreseeable future, but his struggle with walks during his brief time as a big league starter continues to be problematic. At his best, Davies will keep the ball down in the strike zone and induce a steady supply of groundouts. He's lined up for a two-start week, beginning Monday at Miami followed by a May 14 turn at home against the Padres.

Nicasio (3-3) allowed four runs (one earned) on eight hits while striking out three and walking three in a 6-2 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday afternoon.

An uncustomary error from Andrew McCutchen extended the Cubs' third inning, and Ben Zobrist made Nicasio pay, hitting a three-run homer in the next at-bat to plate three unearned runs. Nicasio still has trouble finding the zone at times, but he has allowed just one earned run in his last 11.1 frames. He also has 32 strikeouts in 31.1 innings this season. Nicasio is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday against the Reds.

Matz allowed just two hits and no runs with eight strikeouts and no walks over 7.2 innings against the Braves on Wednesday afternoon.

The left-hander has won four straight outings and currently owns a 13.2 scoreless innings streak. During that time, he has 12 strikeouts and three walks. After allowing seven runs in his first start, Matz has yielded just two runs in his last 27 frames. For the season, he has 30 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. Matz is scheduled to make his next start Monday against the Dodgers.

Senzatela (shoulder) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Senzatela was placed on the disabled list last week due to right shoulder soreness, but the Rockies think the injury is fairly minor. That being said, there is still no timetable for his return, but it appears the right-hander is making steady progress through his rehab process.