MLB Player News

Dodgers starter Alex Wood was rolling merrily along Sunday night in Pittsburgh, but his eventual struggles signaled a collapse for his team in a lopsided loss.

Wood finished having allowed three runs on five hits in five innings with three walks and five strikeouts.

All was well through three shutout innings and he even had a 5-1 lead in the fourth. But a titanic home run by Andrew McCutchen in the fifth all but ended his night.

Wood has been inconsistent at best in his last several starts with Atlanta and Los Angeles. He has surrendered 21 runs in his last 37 innings pitched covering six outings.

If Pirates starter Charlie Morton had performed better Sunday night against the Dodgers, he might have stuck around longer. And if had stuck around longer, he would have been the beneficiary of an offensive onslaught. And if he had been the beneficiary of an offensive onslight, he would have won.

Instead, Morton received a no-decision after pitching just five innings and allowing five runs on 10 hits. He walked three and fanned six.

His struggles started in the first, when three singles led to two runs. An Adrian Gonzalez RBI hit in the third and three-hit fifth, which included a double by Alberto Callaspo, all but ended his evening.

Morton was coming off his finest outing in two months, but has generally struggled lately. He has yielded at least three runs in seven of his last nine starts as his ERA has risen to 4.48.

Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin allowed three runs over six innings against Cincinnati on Sunday.

Corbin left the game when it was tied and took a no-decision. 

Corbin has allowed three runs in each of his last two starts, the previous one in just 1 1/3 innings. Prior to that, Corbin had allowed two or fewer in four of five starts. 

Reds starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani allowed three runs on 10 hits, Sunday against Arizona. DeSclafani left with the score tied, taking a no-decision. 

DeSclafani allowed double-digit hits for the first time since June 30. He walked one and struck out three. He's allowed three runs or fewer in his last four outings. 

The Padres confirmed that pitcher Colin Rea will make his Major League debut on Tuesday, per U-T San Diego. 

Rea is 5-4 with a 1.95 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A this season. 

Odrisamer Despaigne will be moved to the bullpen to create a spot in the rotation for Rea. Despaigne has started 17 games for the Padres this season and come out of the pen in five games. He's 5-8 with a 5.11 ERA.

Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray dropped to 3-7 with a loss to Cincinnati on Saturday. 

Ray has lost his last three decisions and has a five-start winless streak, since his last win on July 7. 

Ray allowed three runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out a season-high eight. 

Reds starting pitcher Keyvius Sampson earned his first MLB win, Saturday against Arizona. 

Sampson allowed one run on four hits over six innings in his third career game and second start.

Sampson walked three, struck out four and evened his record at 1-1. 

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg came off the disabled list on Saturday and took the mound for the first time since July 4. 

Strasburg returned with a win over Colorado on Saturday, allowing one run over seven innings.

"He didn't look like he was coming off the DL," Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez said, per MLB.com. "His stuff was electric [Saturday]. His fastball was moving a lot with velocity and his breaking ball was really good, too. It's really sharp. It looks like it's going to be around the strike zone and then it goes down quick to the ground. As soon as you see, you already swung the bat and you get yourself in trouble."

Strasburg allowed three hits and didn't walk a batter. He hasn't allowed more than two walks in a game since his first start of the year, on April 9. Strasburg struck out a season-high 12 and improved to 6-5. 

Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard was not sharp during Saturday's start against the Rays. Syndergaard allowed five runs on eight hits over four innings of work during the 5-4 loss to the Rays.

His biggest mistake came in the first inning when he surrendered a two-run home run to Grady Sizemore. Saturday was his first loss since July 17. Syndergaard had allowed a total five runs in his last four starts prior to Saturday's loss. 

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks improved to 6-5 on the season on Saturday. Hendricks won his fourth decsion in the last five, beating San Francisco.

Hendricks allowed three runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings, the fourth time in the last five starts that he's failed to pitch into the seventh.