MLB Player News

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto was stuck with a loss Saturday after surrendering two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk in seven innings while striking out four in his team's 4-1 defeat against the Cardinals.

Cueto surrendered the unearned run in the second inning, while his first earned run of the season came on a fourth-inning home run by Matt Adams that put the Cardinals up for good. Cueto brings a 0.64 ERA and 14:2 K:BB ratio into a rematch with the Cardinals Friday.

Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel had his season debut pushed back to Saturday due to inclement weather, and it'll be his first time in action since April 1. He spend the long layoff looking to "stay sharp," the Chicago Tribune reports.

“We’re such habitual creatures that it depends on your routine," Hammel said. "So when your routine is messed up, what I try to do is not do too much. If you get a day (off) sometimes, take a day. And then I’ve thrown an extra time in the bullpen and off flat ground just to stay sharp with pitches. Other than that, I just make sure my body feels great or as close to normal as possible."

Hammel threw close to 100 pitches in his bullpen session Wednesday to help simulate a start.

"Other than that, I don't try to do too much," Hammel said. "You make sure you don’t get too rusty or dusty. I’m chomping. I want to get going."

The Cubs are underdogs (-102) in Saturday's game against the Rockies in Colorado, per Vegas Insider.

Diamondbacks starter Chase Anderson went 5.0 innings on Saturday, allowing three runs and striking out six in a no decision.

Reliever Christian Bergman earned his first win of the season, coming out of the bullpen for the Rockies. 

Bergman entered a 1-1 tie with the Cubs, with runners on first and second and no one out in the fifth. He induced a double play and a ground out in the only two batters he faced. The Rockies scored two runs in their half of the fifth to earn Bergman the win in a game that ended 5-1.

"The bullpen has given us everything we could ask," manager Walt Weiss said, per the Denver Post.

The Padres placed pitcher Ian Kennedy on the 15-day disabled list, the team announced.

Kennedy left Thursday's game with a left hamstring strain. The team is unsure how much time he'll miss.

Odrisamer Despaigne will take Kennedy's place in the rotation, and Chris Rearick has been called up from Triple-A to replace him on the roster.  

Since the Reds were convinced they had little chance to sign starting pitcher Johnny Cueto to a contract extension before the season, it isn't certain they made an offer before Cueto's Opening Day deadline, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

Cueto is believed to be seeking a contract worth around $200 million after Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer landed a $210 million contract this offseason.

The Red Sox won't surrender outfielder Mookie Betts or catching prospect Blake Swihart in a deal with the Phillies for veteran pitcher Cole Hamels, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman on Friday.

Betts cracked the Opening Day roster and is hitting .286 (3 for 13) with a home run and an RBI through three games.

Heyman added that although Swihart is prepared defensively, he is a switch hitter with the ability to produce at the plate. Swihart, considered Boston's top prospect by Baseball America and the team's second-best prospect by MLB.com, slashed .293/.341/.469 with 13 homers and 64 RBI over 416 at-bats between Triple-A Pawtucket and Double-A Portland last season.

Since Michael Wacha had shoulder problems in 2014 and Carlos Martinez has never thrown more than 150 innings in his career, the Cardinals are expecting to limit both starting pitchers at some point this season, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“We have some numbers in mind, but not early on,” manager Mike Matheny said. “I think you’ve got to wait and see where things are leading. If they’re throwing high volume, we’ll worry about that down the road, and we can use the All-Star break or we can use some of our off days to change things. This isn’t something where we need to start holding them back now. I don’t think that’s a great idea. But we don’t need to push.”

Martinez has never thrown more than 120 1/3 innings in one season. General manager John Mozeliak indicated Martinez might be limited to around 150 innings this season.

“Getting in that range would be a fair question," he said.

Padres manager Bud Black said after Thursday's game that a mild hamstring strain might force pitcher Ian Kennedy to the disabled list, The Mighty 1090 Sports Radio reports.

Kennedy suffered the injury in the middle of an at-bat in the third inning Thursday, signaling to the training staff that he had to come out of the game. If he's placed on the disabled list, the Padres will turn to Odrisamer Despaigne, who tossed 4 2/3 hitless innings in relief of Kennedy, to replace the injured pitcher in the rotation, Black said. However, Kennedy isn't sure he'll need a trip to the disabled list, U-T San Diego reports.

"We'll see tomorrow," Kennedy said. "I think it's pretty early to tell. I think tomorrow is gonna be a big indication."

Padres pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne fired off 4 2/3 scoreless innings without allowing a hit or a walk in Thursday's 1-0, 12-inning loss to the Giants.

Despaigne came into the game in the middle of an at-bat in relief of an injured Ian Kennedy, and he went on to walk the inherited batter, with the free pass being charged to the starter. The reliever then sent down the next 14 Giants he faced before handing the reins over to Joaquin Benoit in the top of the eighth. Despaigne would likely enter the rotation in place of Kennedy if the latter needs more than a few days to recover from a hamstring strain.