MLB Player News

Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (7-7) struck out eight, but gave up three runs on four hits over six innings in a loss to the Brewers on Wednesday.

This was a tough one for Hendricks, who pitched very well and very efficiently -- he threw just 78 pitches while going into the seventh inning -- but was sunk by bad luck and bad bullpen work. It's been an up-and-down season, but Hendricks has shown much-improved bat-missing abilities while retaining his strong control, offering plenty of promise for the long term. In the nearer future, he'll face the Royals on Monday.

Braves starting pitcher Williams Perez received no decision after allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk in six innings Wednesday against the Mets.

Perez was actually in line to lose when he departed the game, but the Braves rallied late to win. He's allowed three or fewer runs in four straight starts, but after striking out 16 over 18.2 innings in his last three outings, he regressed to just two whiffs in this one. Perez's inability to miss bats at a high rate in combination with his too-high walk rate makes him a highly risky fantasy roll next week against Washington.

Rockies pitcher Jon Gray has been shut down for the remainder of the season, Nick Groke of The Denver Post reports. 

The hard-throwing right-hander has reached his team-imposed innings limited, having totaled 155 frames between Triple-A Albuquerque and Colorado this season.

While the results for Gray in nine starts for the Rockies weren't great (5.53 ERA), the peripherals, namely his 40:14 K:BB, suggest he pitched better than the surface numbers indicate.

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke was scratched from Wednesday's start against the Diamondbacks due to calf soreness. 

While Greinke will be skipped in the order this time through, he is expected to take his next turn in the rotation. The Dodgers haven't announced yet who will replace him on the mound against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Diamondbacks pitcher Robbie Ray was stellar Tuesday in a win over the Dodgers, pitching six shutout innings, striking out seven, while allowing just three hits and walking two. 

Ray's last five starts have been pretty good, with the exception of one clunker against the Padres in his last outing. He has punched out at least seven in three of those starts and has an 8.3 K/9 rate on the season in 117 1/3 innings.

Command has always been the biggest concern with Ray, but he has limited the long ball effectively this year (0.6 HR/9) despite walking his fair share, which is critical considering his home park. His future looks much brighter today than it did coming into the season.

Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola will make his next start Saturday against the Nationals, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The Phillies were considering shutting Nola down early, but have reversed course on that decision within the last week. Nola isn't guaranteed any additional starts after this weekend, but if he says he feels well the Phillies will probably let him keep pitching through the end of the season.

Reds starter Keyvius Sampson took a no decision Tuesday against the Cardinals as he allowed just one run on four hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out one.

Sampson is still hardly missing any bats, as he induced just seven swinging strikes and continues to struggle to get strikeouts. Sampson still has just one quality start on the season and a brutal 33:24 K:BB ratio. His ERA sits at 6.45, and he still looks far away from becoming a major league quality pitcher.

Rockies pitcher Christian Bergman will make a spot start Wednesday against the Pirates, the Associated Press reports.

He'll replace Jorge De La Rosa, who has been scratched due to right Achilles' tendinitis. Bergman came through for the Rockies over the weekend while working in long relief Saturday against the Padres, covering 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball to record the win after starter Yohan Flande was forced to exit early. Bergman will likely face some sort of pitch count in Wednesday's outing, but the expanded roster shouldn't result in any of the other bullpen arms experiencing any sort of overuse.

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom's next start will be Sunday against the Reds, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports. 

Degrom's scheduled spot in the rotation - Tuesday - is being filled by Logan Verrett. So in essence, deGrom misses a full turn, as he won't pitch until Sunday. That lines him up to start against Washington, October 2-4 at Citi Field, if necessary.

Rockies pitcher Jon Gray fell to 0-2 as he allowed five runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings Monday against Pittsburgh. He also struck out five and walked one. 

The Pirates were launching the ball off Gray, as he served up four extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs. The story with Gray continues to be his home and road splits, as he has now served up 19 earned runs on 36 hits in 20 2/3 home innings against just six runs on 16 hits in 20 road innings.

He's shown he can get batters out, but can he contain them in Coors Field? It's the classic Rockies pitcher conundrum.