MLB Player News

Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton was hit hard during Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Royals.

Morton allowed five runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings of work. He gave up a solo home run to Eric Hosmer in the fourth inning and a three-run shot to Mike Moustakas in the seventh. Morton also struck out four and walked one. He is now 6-4 with a 4.59 ERA.

Morton is winless in his last four starts and is 0-3 during those outings.

Mets starter Noah Syndergaard wasn’t sharp Wednesday, but he managed to wiggle out of several tough situations against the Nationals and looked in line for a win until his bullpen failed him.

Syndergaard went five innings, giving up five hits and just one run while striking out five. However, Syndergaard walked five batters, putting himself in difficult innings and raising his pitch count, forcing him to exit after throwing 98 pitches. 

Syndergaard did lower his ERA to 2.97 with the outing. 

Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks gave up five runs on seven hits over six innings in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Reds. He walked two and struck out nine, throwing 65 of his 99 pitches for strikes in the 9-1 loss.

Hendricks got off to a rough start, as he allowed four runs to score before recording an out in the bottom of the first inning. But he settled in from there, throwing up zeroes until Joey Votto got to him with a solo home run in the fifth.

The five runs are the most Hendricks has allowed since June 19. Even with the poor results on Wednesday, Hendricks still owns a 1.69 ERA over his last five starts.

Julio Teheran had a solid outing Wednesday for the Braves , tying his career-high with 11 strikeouts, but was not able to avoid being saddled with the loss in a 3-1 defeat to the Dodgers.

It's the fourth time in Teheran's career that he has whiffed 11, but over his seven innings of work, he gave up six hits and three runs, all of them in a fifth inning that would prove to be his undoing.

Teheran (6-5) has lowered his ERA in each of his last four starts, and it now stands at 4.49. 

Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg, who has been sidelined with a left oblique strain, is scheduled to travel with the team to Pittsburgh this weekend and throw a simulated game on Friday, per The Washington Post. 

Strasburg threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday after throwing on flat ground last week. If all goes well during the sim game, he could go out on a rehab assignment. 

Strasburg (5-5) has a 5.16 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 18 walks in 61 innings this season.

Padres pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne was hit hard during Tuesday's 9-3 loss to the Giants.

Despaigne allowed six runs on seven hits over five innings of work. He also struck out one and walked two. He gave up a solo home run to Hunter Pence in the second inning and a three-run home run to Brandon Crawford in the fourth. He received his seventh loss of the season for his effort.

Despaigne is now winless in his last eight starts and has just one quality start over those outings.

Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha allowed five runs on four hits over five innings on Tuesday, but still came away with a win in the 8-5 victory over the White Sox.

Wacha walked two and struck out eight, needing an even 100 pitches to get through the fifth. Wacha (11-3) was given an big 7-0 lead after four innings, but the White Sox started chipping away. Wacha gave up two runs in the fourth, followed by a solo home run to Geovany Soto and a two-run shot to Tyler Saladino in the fifth.

Tuesday's outing lifted Wacha's ERA from 2.93 to 3.20, thanks to a 5.28 ERA over his last five starts.

Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel only allowed one earned run during Tuesday’s win over the Reds, but he received a no-decision for his effort.

Hammel allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits over five innings of work. He also struck out four and walked three. Hammel now has a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts this season.

Hammel has not won a start since June 6 and has just two quality starts over his last six starts.

Pirates ace Gerrit Cole was solid in his start against the Royals on Tuesday. The right-hander allowed three runs--two earned--on five hits over 7 1/3 innings. He struck out six and did not walk a batter, but the Pirates were unable to back him in the 3-1 loss.

Cole, who drops to 13-4, was let down by the defense behind him in this one, as a pair of errors led to a three-run inning in the eighth. Prior to that, Cole had been sharp, keeping a good Royals offense in check.

The 2015 All-Star still sports a very fine 2.31 ERA

Braves young left-hander Alex Wood struggled with his command, but managed to pick up his seventh win of the season in Tuesday's 4-3 victory over the Dodgers. Wood allowed three runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings of work. He walked four and struck out three, throwing just 59 of his 107 pitches for strikes. 

Wood improved his record to 7-6, but was fortunate to come away with the win. Wood gave up a solo home run to Justin Turner in the first inning to put the Braves down 1-0 early. But the Braves were able to score two in the bottom half to take the lead. 

The next inning, Wood allowed another solo homer, this time to Yasiel Puig. The Braves tied it up, but again Wood coughed up the lead in the fifth. The Braves' bats bailed him out one last time, and they were able to hold on for the one-run victory.

The four walks match a season-high for Wood, whose ERA sits at 3.78 following Tuesday's game.