MLB Player News

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom continued his roll through spring training hitters Saturday against the Nationals, allowing just one run on four hits with four strikeouts in seven innings of work.

"That's the most stretched out I've been all spring, and I felt really good out there today," deGrom said to ESPN.com.

He needed just 81 pitches to get through his outing.

"I struggled today a little bit," said deGrom, who sliced his Grapefruit League ERA to 2.45. "I don't know if I lost concentration or something with those two four-pitch walks. That's the main thing today, but the spring has been going pretty smooth. I'm still trying to work on things. I was getting under my changeup today. And that’s what I fell behind Bryce with before he hit the home run."

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke will throw a minor league game Wednesday instead of his scheduled appearance Thursday against the Angels, reports MLB.com.

Greinke threw 76 pitches in 3 2/3 innings Friday, leading manager Don Mattingly to push for Greinke to work on his command in the minors.

"He's not thrilled about it," Mattingly said. "He'll throw Wednesday, the same day as [Clayton] Kershaw [against the Royals]. We feel he's not quite built up. He didn't get to do the ups and downs last night. He'll have an extra day before he starts [April 7 against San Diego]."

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez gave up just one run on five hits in five innings of work Friday against the Nationals. Martinez, who is competing for the final spot in St. Louis' starting rotation, has allowed just seven runs in 16 innings of work.

"I've been working hard," Martinez said through an interpreter to MLB.com. "Some of the outings haven't gone as good as I've wanted to, but I'm just trying to learn from that and get better every day."

Martinez is still focused on earning a starting spot.

"Right now I'm fighting to be a starter," Martinez said. "But if they call me into the bullpen I'm going to be ready for the team. I just want to help the team win, and I'm going to be ready when my name gets called."

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto returned to the mound for the first time since March 15 in a minor league game on Friday. 

Cueto gave up two runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter. Cueto threw 60 pitches, including 47 strikes. 

"I thought I was going to be a little wild and stuff like that, but no, everything felt pretty good," Cueto said, per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "I was trying to throw the ball down and I was effective. So I was very pleased with my start."

Cueto left the team in mid-March to return home to the Dominican Republic, after his mother needed open heart surgery. He returned after the operation. 

"He threw all of his pitches for strikes, a lot of balls were in play on the ground," manager Bryan Price said. "I thought he threw very well, especially after a fairly extended layoff from facing hitters."

As expected, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez announced that pitcher Julio Teheran will be Atlanta's Opening Day starter on April 6 at Marlins Park, per the team's official website.

The announcement came shortly after Teheran's spring outing against the Red Sox. The right-hander yielded two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out three over 5 2/3 innings of work. He has allowed nine earned runs in 14 innings of work.

Teheran is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.89 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP over 221 innings last year. He struck out 186 and walked 51 over that span in 2014. It will be his second-career Opening Day start.

Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto is scheduled to make a start Friday night against a Dodgers' minor-league squad, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Cueto was away from the team for a week while he returned to the Dominican Republic for a family medical situation. He returned Thursday, and appears on track to pitch on Opening Day.

The Braves optioned Eury Perez, Williams Perez and Manny Banuelos to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, per MLB.com.

Eury Perez was in competition with Eric Young Jr. for the center field job. He hit .268 with two RBI in 41 at-bats this spring. Williams Perez gave up nine runs in 6 1/3 innings in Grapefruit League play. Banuelos, who was acquired from the Yankees in the offseason, allowed eight runs -- seven earned -- over 6 2/3 innings this spring.

Nationals right-handed pitcher Drew Storen is among the pitchers slated to make an appearance in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, and starter Stephen Strasburg will pitch Saturday against the Mets, according to Comcast SportsNet Washington.

It will be Storen's first outing since he underwent surgery to remove the hook of hamate bone from his left hand back on March 13. Strasburg will also make his first appearance since suffering an ankle injury on March 20.

Reds pitching prospect Michael Lorenzen surrendered one earned run on four hits in three innings in Thursday's 13-2 win over the Indians.

"It went good," Lorenzen said after the outing, per MLB.com. "My fastball command was good. The tempo was good. That was the most important thing for me -- tempo and fastball command. I was able to go out there and accomplish my goal for the day."

Lorenzen came into Thursday's start having allowed no hits and six walks in two innings in his previous appearance. He threw 45 pitches in Thursday's game and another 20 in the bullpen to reach his pitch-count target.

"I worked on some breaking balls," Lorenzen said. "I gave up some two-strike hits with my breaking ball. I didn't finish them. They were a lot better in the bullpen with a couple of adjustments that I made."

The Reds are looking at Lorenzen for a long-relief role but could use him as a starter at some point this season.

"That gives him a chance to get to 80-85 [pitches] in his next outing, which to me, means he's ready to start," manager Bryan Price said before the game. "You can safely say he could throw 90-95 pitches in his first start of the season."

Diamondbacks pitcher Chase Anderson started Thursday's game against the Padres and surrendered one run over six innings.

Anderson gave up six hits while walking two and striking out four batters. It was Anderson's longest outing of the spring. Anderson has pitched 14 2/3 innings this spring and given up three runs.

Anderson is competing for a starting role in the rotation, but he said he's hasn't been informed if he's in the rotation, reports MLB.com.

"They haven't said anything to me," Anderson said. "They just told me to do the best I can. I'm just going to keep pitching. That's all you can do. It's going to come down to the wire, which I think is good for our team, our organization."