MLB Player News

Braves pitcher Alex Wood only allowed one run on seven hits over eight innings of work during Monday's 8-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

He struck out four and did not walk a batter during the outing. Wood received his fourth win of the season for his effort. His ERA now stands at 3.19.

"It was nice to see [Wood] pitch himself out of that jam in the eighth, first and second and nobody out and here come the big boys," manager Fredi Gonzalez said after the game, per MLB.com. "He was able to get the ground ball and get (Paul) Goldschmidt to fly out to center field. It was a really good outing by Woody tonight."

Wood has pitched at least seven innings and given up a total of three runs in his last three starts.

"The last two starts I'm starting to get everything together, so to speak," Wood said. "And like I said last week, it's more about getting that consistency and repeatability to where I don't have anything to work on any more than just being consistent and repeatable. For me, that's the biggest thing."

His next scheduled start is set for Sunday against the Pirates.

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom pitched eight shutout innings in Monday night's 7-0 win over the Padres. 

He held the Padres to only two hits in the game. It's the second time in the past three games that deGrom was able to go eight innings without giving up a run.

"This is probably one of the best games I've seen him pitch," manager Terry Collins said after the game, per MLB.com. "And I've seen him pitch some really, really good ones."

It was a dominant performance that saw deGrom throw nine strikeouts and walk zero batters. His ERA is now 2.41 for the season.

"This is the best I've been at repeating it, staying on top of the ball and getting good downward movement like I did last year," deGrom said. "I think I'm just in a better rhythm now."

The next projected start for deGrom is on Sunday against the Diamondbacks. 

The Dodgers announced that Juan Nicasio will start the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Rockies. 

This will be Nicasio's first start of the 2015 season. He's started 69 games in a five-year MLB career. 

Nicasio has appeared in 16 games and has a 1.29 ERA. 

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw allowed two runs on five hits over seven innings of work during Monday's 11-4 win over the Rockies. He also collected three hits during the contest.

Kershaw (4-3) struck out seven and walked one during the outing. He lowered his ERA to 3.73 and has now pitched at least seven innings in his last three starts. He said after the game that he doesn't let the Coors Field's reputation as a hitter's park affect him, per MLB.com.

"If your stuff is good, it'll be good here," said Kershaw, who's now 8-3 overall at Coors Field. "The margin for error is a lot less."

Kershaw has earned a quality start in three of his last four starts and he has won those three starts. His next expected start is scheduled for Saturday against the Cardinals.

Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel stuck out 11 batters during Monday evening's 5-1 win over the Marlins. 

Hammel gave up only earned run in the outing on five hits. He didn't walk anyone through 6 2/3 innings. His 11 strikeouts were a career-high for Hammel.

"We changed speeds pretty well early today," Hammel said, via MLB.com. "With (Miami), they're an early fastball-hitting team. So we kind of pitched backwards the first few innings, and it opened up the fastball for later.

"With my success, I had to learn after a while that if you walk guys and put guys on, you're putting yourself in trouble," Hammel said. "So I found success in the strike zone instead of outside the strike zone."

Hammel now has thrown 28 strikeouts over his last three games and has a 2.82 ERA for the season. 

His next start is projected for Saturday against the Nationals. 

Marlins pitcher Jose Urena allowed three earned runs in Monday night's 5-1 loss against the Cubs. 

Urena went six innings and struck out four batters. He gave up three walks and four hits. This was his second start of the season.

It was a better effort than the five-run, 10-hit game he had against Pittsburgh the last time he was on the mound. 

Urena now has a 7.24 ERA for the season. 

Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin threw an extended spring training game on Monday, the team announced. 

He went 3 2/3 innings and struck out eight batters. He allowed two hits and one walk. 

Corbin has been recovering from Tommy John surgery that he had back in 2013. 

The Rockies placed starting pitcher Jordan Lyles on the 15-day disabled list Monday, according to The Denver Post. Lyles aggravated a toe injury during Sunday's start against the Phillies.

"We think he's going to need a little time this time around," manager Walt Weiss said before Monday's game with the Dodgers, per MLB.com. "Not sure exactly how long, but long enough to put him on the DL."

The right-hander has not pitched well as of late, going 0-4 with a 7.40 ERA in his last six starts.

Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister (forearm) and reliever Sammy Solis (shoulder) threw bullpen sessions Monday, according to manager Matt Williams. Both players will throw again in a few days.

Fister threw 20-25 pitches Monday, per Williams. He is expected to build up his pitch count from there.

Marlins starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez has declared that he will start playing catch next week, which is a small step forward in his recovery from a shoulder problem.

Alvarez, who has been out for six weeks after losing his first four starts of the season, is still experiencing inflammation in the shoulder, per the Miami Herald.