MLB Player News

An MRI showed Cubs pitcher Neil Ramirez has inflammation behind his right throwing shoulder, but no structural damage, reports the Chicago Tribune.

"That was a relief to me and to the organization," Cubs President Theo Epstein said. "So he is going to take it slow and get back to full strength, then come back."

Ramirez was placed on the 15-day disabled list in order to rest the shoulder.

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto fanned 10 batters during Friday's game against the Cardinals, but it was not enough as the Reds fell 6-1.

Cueto surrendered four runs on six hits over seven innings of work and he only walked one. Cueto received the loss for his work and is now 0-2 on the season.

It was his first outing of the season giving up more than one run, but he has pitched seven innings in each of his three starts this season. His ERA rose from 0.64 to 2.14.

His next start is expected to be Wednesday at Milwaukee.

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha tossed seven solid innings of work to pick up his second win of the season during Friday's 6-1 win over the Reds.

"Anytime you're going up against a guy like Cueto, you know you're going to have to match zeroes with him," Wacha said, per MLB.com. "That was the mentality going into it."

Over the seven innings, Wacha surrendered five hits and one run, while walking one and striking out four. His lone blemish was a solo home run to Joey Votto.

Despite coming into the game with a 1.42 ERA, Wacha was able to lower it to 1.35. Wacha has yet to allow more than one run in his first two starts of the season and is 2-0. 

His next expected start will be Thursday at Washington.

Braves pitcher Julio Teheran had his worst outing of the season Friday, but the Braves were able to recover to defeat the Blue Jays 8-7.

Teheran surrendered five runs and seven hits over five innings of work. He was able to strike out four batters and walked two.

"When I got [a] lead, I just wanted to keep my team [in it] to hold the other team, but I wasn't able to," he said, per MLB.com

The long ball was Teheran's downfall Friday. Teheran gave up four home runs to the Blue Jays, including two to Josh Donaldson.

Despite the struggles Friday, Teheran received a no-decision, but his ERA rose from 1.50 to 3.71. Before Friday's start, Teheran had yet to surrender more than one run in his previous two starts.

His next expected start will be Thursday at the New York Mets.

After getting roughed up in his last start, Pirates pitcher Vance Worley rebounded to throw six solid innings during Friday's win over the Brewers.

"They were aggressive up there and I made sure I kept them more off balance," Worley said, reports the Boston Herald. "And when they started looking to hit the pitches I was throwing, I went back to what I used to do."

Over the six innings, Worley threw 93 pitches and gave up two runs and six hits. He walked four batters (two intentional) and struck out six to earn his first win of season. Worley is now 1-1 with a 5.84 ERA.

"We're all playing as hard as we can out there," Worley said. "We know it's early. Spring training was long but we've got some new guys here, we're all still learning each other and I think as the season progresses we'll only get better."

His next expected start will be Thursday against the Cubs.

Phillies pitcher Sean O'Sullivan had a tough outing during Friday night's 7-2 loss to the Nationals. 

O'Sullivan allowed four earned runs in five innings. He gave up five hits, two walks and two home runs. He struck out two batters. The first home run he allowed came in the first inning, which was a three-run shot from Bryce Harper. 

Danny Espinosa then hit a solo homer off of him in the fourth. 

O'Sullivan, credited with a loss, now holds a 4.91 ERA this season. His next projected start is on April 23 against the Marlins. 

Cubs starter Jason Hammel had a shot to shut down San Diego on Friday and earn his second win of the season. But one mighty swing off the bat of Wil Myers against reliever Brian Schlitter wrecked that possibility.

Hammel was rolling along through six having yielded two runs on five hits. But back-to-back singles knocked him out of the game and eventually saddled him with a no-decision.

The two runs charged to him that inning raised his ERA to 5.11. Hammel will seek to lower it Wednesday at Pittsburgh.

The new emphasis on pitch framing as a possible valuable skill for catchers has spurred debate among players at that position, as well as the pitchers who throw to them.

Among those who have entered into the conversation is Dodgers standout right-hander Zack Greinke, who is known as a sophisticated analysist, but is not convinced that pitch framing is a skill set that can make or break a catcher.

"I believe that some catchers are better at framing pitches," Greinke told the Orange County Register. "But I'm not a believer that it's as valuable as it's being made out to be. It's part of a catcher's skill set. It's not the most important part. Just because he frames good doesn't mean he's a good catcher."

Teammate and stud southpaw Clayton Kershaw takes a similar view.

"You just want strikes called strikes. ... I gues I'm in the middle," he offered. "I don't roll my eyes at it and I don't pay a whole lot of attention to it either."

Their catcher, A.J. Ellis, also didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it at one time. But he does now. Metrics that showed him lacking as a pitch framer, as well as the wave of the future, forced him to change his outlook.

"I was motivated by the realization that that aspect of catching was becoming highly valued by this new wave of analytical front-office types," said Ellis, who spent time in the offseason working on framing pitches. "And I know that deficiency in the long run could affect my future employment."

Ellis added that "every metric out there tells me that I'm very deficient in that area" and that the Dodgers front office personnel advised him of their awareness of it during spring training.

One must wonder what umpires think about the new pitch framing metric. After all, they believe they're calling a strike based on the zone rather than how a catcher frames the pitch.

Cubs pitcher Neil Ramirez was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, according to the Chicago Tribune. Ramirez injured his shoulder Wednesday against the Reds and was sent for an MRI. The team will likely know the results of his exam by Friday. The club activated outfielder Chris Denorfia from the disabled list to take his spot on the active roster. 

What may be holding the trade market for Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels this season is the free agent market for next season, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman. At this point, David Price, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmerman, Jeff Samardzija, Doug Fister, Ian Kennedy and Wei-Yin Chen are all slated to become free agents at the end of the season.

Hamels is off to a rough start, surrendering 10 runs through his first 18 innings pitched. He is 0-2 with a 1.16 WHIP and an 18:9 K:BB ratio through three starts.