MLB Player News

Pitching in his first game since returning from the disabled list, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg pitched well enough to earn his fourth win of season during Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Braves.

Strasburg tossed five scoreless innings to earn the win. He also struck out six and walked one. Strasburg (4-5) now has a 5.90 ERA.

"Sometimes you just have to take a step back to realize how bad it was," Strasburg said, per The Washington Post. "Once I did, I was able to get back to what my body was supposed to feel like instead of just trying to mentally grind through it. I feel a lot stronger and a lot more consistent now."

Strasburg was making his first start since May 29 when he went on the disabled list with a neck injury. His next expected start is scheduled for Sunday at Philadelphia.

Pirates reliever Rob Scahill picked up a win in relief in Tuesday's game against Cincinnati. 

Scahill won for the first time since May 9, moving to 2-3 on the year. He pitched 2/3 of an inning and allowed a run on two hits, with a walk. 

Scahill's run allowed snapped a streak of four straight scoreless appearances. 

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke produced another quality start Tuesday, but he received a no-decision during Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Cubs.

Greinke did not allow a run over six innings of work. He gave up three hits while walking two and striking out five. He now has a 1.70 ERA on the season.

Greinke is now winless in his nine starts. Over that time, he has produced eight quality starts. His next expected start is scheduled for Sunday at Miami.

Despite throwing 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball, Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel received a no-decision for his effort during Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Dodgers.

Hammel only allowed two hits during his start while striking out six and walking two. He now has a 2.65 ERA.

Tuesday's start was Hammel's first in his last two outings where he was able to pitch past the fifth inning. His next expected start is scheduled for Sunday at St. Louis.

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez allowed three earned runs in Tuesay night's 4-3 win over the Marlins. 

Martinez had an impressive outing on the mound as he struck out nine batters in seven innings of work. He gave up eight hits and walked one. After giving up three runs in the first two innings, Martinez held the Marlins scoreless over his next five frames. 

Martinez now has a 2.89 ERA this season. 

His next start is projected for Sunday against the Cubs. 

Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin will need to make two more minor-league rehab starts before he can return to the big leagues, reports The Arizona Republic.

Corbin has already begun his rehab assignment and he is expected to pitch at Double-A later this week. He has been sidelined for the entire season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery in 2013.

The Reds have been contacted by multiple teams regarding starting pitcher Johnny Cueto, starting pitcher Mike Leake and closer Aroldis Chapman, according to Fox Sports. However, the Reds have been reluctant to engage in serious trade talks.

The Royals are one team that have contacted the Reds about Cueto and Leake, according to Fox Sports.

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, who won't be on the mound due to a lingering elbow issue, said he feels fine enough to start against the Pirates on Tuesday, according to MLB.com.

Through a translator, Cueto said, "Yeah, I could have pitched today but they’re the ones who know," referring to the coaching and training staff. 

Reds manager Bryan Price said Cueto is dealing with some inflammation in his elbow stemming from a previous injury. 

“He had that little pocket of inflammation that has been an area where we’ve really tried to strengthen it when we skipped him after the Kansas City start and we haven’t gotten ourselves all the way back to 100 percent,” Price said. “It just seemed to make sense that we weren’t going to be able to get him there without giving him a little time off, and time for treatment and his strength back up. He could pitch. He could have pitched today just like he had the other starts. 

"I don’t see another window without having to do something with the roster and send somebody out and start to juggle and do things we didn’t want to do. We’re just taking advantage of a few days off.”

Cueto has had two subpar outings — seven earned runs in 12 1/3 innings — on the mound in a row. Cueto is scheduled to start this Friday against the Mets. 

The Nationals have announced that right-hander Stephen Strasburg has been activated off the disabled list and will start Tuesday night against Atlanta.

Strasburg has completed his rehab from a neck injury that prevented him from pitching since May 29.

Not that he was pitching well previously. Strasburg, who has struggled at times since the ballyhooed start to his big-league career, hit rock-bottom in May. He allowed 16 runs on 22 hits in 13 innings over his last four starts.

He returns with a 6.55 ERA that is more than double what he has compiled in any full season.

Padres starting pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne heads into Tuesday's start against the Giants having gone 0-2 with a 5.89 ERA in his first three June starts. Perhaps a matchup against San Francisco is coming at the ideal time since the right-hander has performed well against the NL West foe in his young career.

Despaigne is 2-0 with a 0.36 ERA and 0.53 WHIP in four career outings (three starts) against the Giants. He also has 10 strikeouts and five walks in 24 2/3 innings.

Despaigne faced San Francisco in a relief appearance April 9, tossing 4 2/3 perfect innings. He struck out one.