MLB Player News

Nola dominated the Brewers on Friday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings en route to his first win of the season.

He retired 16 of the final 17 batters he faced, including 11 in a row at one point, putting his rough outing from last week far in the rearview mirror. As always for the second-year righty, pinpoint command and changing arm angles was the key in Nola's dominant outing. Nola will take the bump again Thursday in Washington against Gio Gonzalez.

DeGrom (lat) will be on an 85-pitch limit for Sunday's outing against the Braves, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Sunday marks deGrom's first start since being placed on the paternity list. Although deGrom has been able to stay active and threw a simulated game during his down time, a pre-existing lat injury from before his placement on the paternity list will keep him to a max of 85 pitches. He figures to have the pitch count lifted after Sunday provided that he gets through the outing without incident, but his production could be limited for at least that start.

Gray (abdomen) has been activated off the 15-day disabled list and he will get the start Friday against the Dodgers, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports.

It was announced Thursday that Gray would get the start for the Rockies' series opener against Los Angeles, but the club hadn't made it official until it activated him from the DL. Gray will take the roster spot of Miguel Castro, who was placed on the disabled list due to right shoulder inflammation. Friday marks Gray's first start of the season, and he'll be put to the test right off the bat as he'll be facing an explosive Dodgers lineup.

Melville was designated for assignment Friday.

Melville has been awful for Cincinnati since the beginning of the season, posting an 11.00 ERA and 2.78 WHIP through nine innings. After struggling in his first couple of starts, it appeared that Dan Straily has taken his spot in the rotation, bumping Melville first to the bullpen and now off the 25-man roster entirely. Melville will now focus on getting his game back on track with Triple-A Toledo.

Ramirez has contract selected Friday.

Ramirez has appeared in five games at the Triple-A level this season, pitching six scoreless innings to go along with 10 strikeouts. He will join the Reds' bullpen in place of Tim Melville who has struggled mightily, posting an 11.00 ERA and 2.78 WHIP, leading to him being designated for assignment.

Cole (1-2) didn't allow a run over six innings against the Padres on Thursday to claim his first win of the 2016 season. He allowed four hits, struck out seven and walked none.

The right-hander pitched better in his second outing last week, but didn't really seem like himself during his first two starts. He looked great Thursday, registering 20 called strikes and eight swing-and-misses. He actually only threw a first-pitch strike to 12 of the 22 batters he faced, but he still avoided any walks. Cole now has 16 strikeouts and just four walks over 16.2 innings. His next start will be Tuesday in Colorado.

Finnegan (1-1) gave up five runs on seven hits and a pair of walks in just four innings during Thursday's 16-0 beating at the hands of the Cubs.

The young lefty had gotten lucky to have a sparkling 2.04 ERA coming in, and his birds came home to roost in this one while Jake Arrieta tossed a no-hitter on the other side. Finnegan has great potential, but his 18:12 K:BB isn't going to cut it, especially considering that fully half those strikeouts came in his first start of the year. His upside makes him worth owning, but until he shows improved consistency, you'll want to pick your spots with him.

Kershaw allowed one run on 10 hits and one walk while striking out 10 over eight innings against the Braves on Thursday. He did not factor in the decision in the Dodgers' 2-1 win.

Five of the 10 hits against Kershaw came in the first two innings, and eight of the 10 hits were singles. With 10 strikeouts against one walk, Kershaw now has a 30:3 K:BB in 30 innings this season. He lines up for two mouth-watering home matchups next week (weather permitting), with the Marlins and Padres visiting on the homestand.

Cueto (3-1) took his first loss of the year Thursday after allowing three runs on eight hits in seven innings against Arizona. He struck out three without a walk.

After coming away with wins in his first three outings, Cueto recorded a season low (for what that's worth) in strikeouts while his teammates were unable to take full advantage of opposing starter Shelby Miller's wildness. Cueto didn't put up very good numbers at all following his trade to Kansas City last year, but he's got a track record of success and San Francisco's a great place to pitch, so he's a good bet to put up strong numbers in his first year as a Giant.

Sampson cleared waivers on Thursday and will report to Triple-A Louisville on Friday, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Inquirer reports.

It's interesting that no one was intrigued enough to swipe the 25-year-old off waivers given his youth and decent strikeout metrics, but he'll remain a part of the Reds organization regardless. He'll likely act as organizational depth going forward.