MLB Player News

Cardinals starter Michael Wacha (17-6) wasn't sharp Thursday, allowing six hits, three walks and three runs while striking out only one against the Brewers, but he still emerged victorious.

For that, Wacha can thank his offense, as this was not a good outing at all. In fact, Wacha's been an entirely different pitcher over his last four starts, and not for the better -- in that span of 20 innings, he's given up five home runs and has a horrible 15:14 K:BB. It could be that Wacha is wearing down, as he's never even approached this year's innings total before.

Phillies starter Alec Asher (0-5) pitched well Thursday in Miami, as he allowed just one run on three hits and a walk while striking out four in seven innings, but took another loss.

Asher's managed to take the loss in all five of his starts in the majors this year, but where the other ones were ugly efforts, this was quite a solid outing, albeit against a bit of a piecemeal Marlins offense. Unfortunately, six Marlins pitchers combined to shut out the Philadelphia offense -- Asher himself contributed the team's only extra-base hit on the day, a double. But hey, the Phillies will take the positives where they can find them at this point, considering the trials and tribulations of their pitching staff this year. Asher is scheduled to make his next -- and possibly final -- start against the Mets on Wednesday.

Mets rookie starter Steven Matz struck out eight without a walk, but allowed three runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Reds on Thursday.

Nine of the hits were singles, as the Reds kept finding gaps against Matz despite shining work from the young lefty. In terms of hits and runs allowed, this was the worst start of Matz's young career, which should highlight just how good he's looked in his first six career outings. He gets a tasty matchup against the Phillies his next time out.

Rockies pitcher Jordan Lyles (toe) will pitch in the winter instructional league during the offseason, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports. 

The Rockies didn't specify where Lyles would pitch, but it's clear the organization wants the 24-year-old to pick up some innings after a broken hand, and more recently, a broken toe, have limited him to just 32 starts over the previous two years.

Lyles will likely be one of several pitchers that will compete for a spot in the Rockies' rotation in 2016, but the right-hander probably finds himself on more solid footing than most.

In the aforementioned 32 starts, Lyles has produced a 4.56 ERA (4.10 FIP). Those are middling numbers, but still superior to what the Rockies have typically received from their other starting options the last two years.

Diamondbacks starting pitcher Chase Anderson struck out ten Wednesday night, giving up one earned run on one hit while walking two in a 4-1 loss to the Dodgers.

Anderson took a tough luck no-decision after a terrific outing -- retiring 18 of 20 hitters after giving up a leadoff home run to Chase Utley. Despite putting up eight runs in each of the first two games of this series against the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks offense could only muster one run of support for the right-hander. If nothing else, Wednesday's outing will secure Anderson's rotation spot through the season.

Rockies starting pitcher Christian Bergman (3-1) was battered Wednesday, giving up seven earned runs on 10 hits while walking and striking out a batter apiece in a 13-7 loss to the Pirates.

Bergman pitched on short notice Wednesday, occupying the injured Jorge De La Rosa's rotation spot. Considering the assignment of taking on a potent offense at Coors Field after making just one previous start on the season, Bergman's outing went about as expected. Bergman's arm hasn't been stretched out to go deep into games; if he continues receiving starts, expect Colorado to go to the bullpen early and often.

Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton was bailed out of a poor start Wednesday, receiving a no-decision after giving up six earned runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out five in a 13-7 win over the Rockies.

Staked to a 7-1 lead by the fourth inning, Morton walked in a run only to give up homers to Corey Dickerson and Tom Murphy the following frame. Coors Field outings should always be taken with a grain of salt, but Morton has now given up at least five earned runs in each of his last two starts; terrible timing, considering the Pirates have yet to announce a rotation for the playoffs.

Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (12-10) went six shutout innings Wednesday, allowing four hits while walking none and striking out four in a 10-2 drubbing of the Reds.

Lynn departed at 89 pitches, having been staked to a comfortable 6-0 lead by the end of the fifth inning. Wednesday's excellent start ends a string of poor performances from Lynn, who had pitched to a 9.26 ERA in his last three outings. As the Cardinals advance their lead in the NL Central, look for Lynn to see an innings decrease in anticipation of the playoffs.

Brewers starting pitcher Zach Davies (2-2) tossed six shutout innings in Wednesday's win over the Cubs, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out four.

Of the five starts Davies has made in the majors, this may have been the best. Still, he's generally shown uneven control in his first taste of the big show, making Davies an unreliable option down the stretch.

Reds starting pitcher Brandon Finnegan (4-1) was touched up for six earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven in a 10-2 loss to the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Finnegan's second start of the season didn't go nearly as well as his first, as the southpaw gave up home runs to Randal Grichuk, Matt Carpenter, and Matt Holliday. Outings like these are to be expected from Finnegan, who will require a learning curve in his first full season as a starting pitcher. Finnegan possesses a live arm and plenty of fantasy potential, but is still a work-in-progress for the time being.