MLB Player News

Braves starting pitcher Williams Perez will make multiple rehab starts before joining the team in late July, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Perez has been on the 15-day disabled list because of a left foot contusion since JUne 27.

Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels suffered his worst start of the year against the Giants on Friday. Hamels allowed a season-high nine runs on a season-high 12 hits in a season-low 3 1/3 innings pitched. Hamels walked two and struck out four, but really was unable to get settled in in the 15-2 thrashing.

Hamels gave up a run in the first inning, and then the wheels fell completely off when he gave up eight runs in the fourth inning. Half of those runs came on a grand slam home run by Hunter Pence.

Even with the nightmare outing, Hamels will head into the All-Star break with a solid 3.63 ERA, though he is winless in his last eight starts, with his last win coming on May 23.

Diamondbacks starter Chase Anderson struggled in his outing against the Mets on Friday. Anderson allowed four runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings in the 4-2 loss. Anderson walked two and struck out four, as his ERA rose to 3.91.

Anderson (4-3) was given an early 1-0 lead, but he gave it right back in the bottom half. Lucas Duda took Anderson deep for a three-run shot. The very next batter, Michael Cuddyer, launched a solo home run, accounting for all of the runs scored against Anderson on Friday.

"He didn't have real good stuff in the first," D-backs manager Chip Hale said, per MLB.com. "He really didn't have very good stuff the whole game. He battled and was able to just limit them to the four -- which in most games would give us a chance to win, but we just ran into an extremely impressive pitcher in Syndergaard."

The 27-year-old Anderson heads into the All-Star break on a downward trend. He owns a 6.75 ERA over his last five starts.

Mets rookie right-hander Noah Syndergaard was brilliant in his start against the Diamondbacks on Friday. Syndergaard struck out a career-high 13 batters, while allowing one run on four hits and two walks over eight innings, as the Mets took the 4-2 victory. 

Syndergaard (4-4) gave up an early run in the top of the first, and then settled in to stifle the top run-scoring offense in the National League. He threw a career-high 116 pitches in the strong outing.

The electric youngster has allowed a total of three earned runs over his last three starts, and he lowered his ERA to 3.11 on Friday. He struck out the side in order in the sixth inning, and was able to work out of trouble after that first inning. 

"He was throwing whatever pitch he wanted in any count," D-backs third baseman Jake Lamb said of Syndergaard, per MLB.com. "That was the tough part. He would be behind in counts and he would throw that slider or that two-seamer, that changeup, and it was tough to get in a rhythm off him. Especially when a guy is throwing that hard. You've got to hit off the fastball. You can't be looking for offspeed."

Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn did not have a strong outing in his start against the Pirates on Friday. Lynn allowed five runs on nine hits over four innings. He walked one and struck out five, en route to the 5-2 loss.

Lynn (6-5) was down early when he allowed a first-inning run. Then, after the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead, Lynn gave the lead right back with two more runs allowed in the bottom half of the inning. To compound matters, Lynn then gave up a two-run home run to Neil Walker in the fifth, and the Cardinals were unable to recover. 

"When you're behind in counts and you're throwing the ball over the middle of the plate, you're going to get beat, especially against this team, a good fastball-hitting team," Lynn said, per MLB.com.

The five runs allowed was the most for Lynn since he allowed five on May 22, and the four innings makes this his shortest outing of the year. He still exits the first half of the season with a very fine 2.90 ERA.

Pirates ace Gerrit Cole was in fine form in his start on Friday against the Cardinals. Cole, who picked up his 13th win of the season, allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out three in the 5-2 victory.

The only runs scored on the All-Star right-hander came on a two-run home run by Matt Carpenter in the second inning, putting the Pirates down 2-1. But the offense was able to respond quickly, getting regaining the lead in the bottom of the inning.

Cole (13-3) heads into the All-Star break with a 2.30 ERA and 116 strikeouts on the ledger.

"I feel good, strong, healthy," Cole said, per MLB.com. "I feel like I've gotten better every time out, and we've brought consistent energy out on the field, the guys have played really, really well behind us -- and that's reflected in the record."

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks pitched seven scoreless innings, Friday against the White Sox. 

Hendricks didn't allow a run for the third straight start, spanning 20 1/3 innings. Hendricks allowed five hits and didn't walk a batter. 

He has allowed five or fewer hits in each of the last four starts, and one or fewer walks in the last seven. 

The Cubs also didn't score any runs while Hendricks was on the mound, so he left with a no-decision. 

The Mets have officially placed rookie left-hander Steven Matz on the 15-day disabled list with a partial tear of his lat muscle. It had already been reported that Matz would miss his start on Sunday, and he will be reevauluated in three weeks.

Infielder Danny Muno was recalled from Triple-A to take Matz's place on the 25-man roster, ESPN.com reports. 

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez has earned the final spot on the National League All-Star team, as he was the winner of the Final Vote.

Martinez ends the first half of the season with a 10-3 record and is seventh in the NL with a 2.52 ERA. 

This is the first All-Star selection for the 23-year-old right-hander. 

Pirates reliever Rob Scahill, who has been on the disabled list with right forearm tightness, made 25 throws from 45 feet Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reported.

Scahill has been sidelined since June 26. He is trying to work his way back into a rehab assignment.