MLB Player News

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto took a loss Tuesday, allowing six earned runs on five hits and five walks in 5 2/3 innings while striking out eight in his team's 7-0 defeat against the Cubs.

Cueto (18-9) had an atypical night Tuesday, issuing a walk with the bases loaded twice in the sixth inning to help contribute to his worst start since giving up six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings on May 20. He still owns a 2.33 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 228:64 K:BB ratio in 227 2/3 innings. Cueto is scheduled to face the Brewers next Tuesday.

Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton earned a win Tuesday, allowing four hits and two walks in five scoreless innings while striking out six in his team's 4-0 victory over the Red Sox.

Morton (6-12) was already at 92 pitches when his spot in the batting order came up in the bottom of the fifth, so the team decided to go the rest of the way with the bullpen, which did an admirable job protecting the lead. Morton owns a 3.72 ERA and 126:57 K:BB ratio in 157 1/3 innings. He's scheduled to face the Brewers Sunday.

Marlins pitcher Nathan Eovaldi took a loss Tuesday, allowing six earned runs on six hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings while striking out two in his team's 9-1 defeat against the Mets.

Eovaldi (6-12) first ran into trouble in the fourth inning, when the Mets were able to plate four runners. He then watched the two runners he left on base in the fifth come home on a three-run blast. Now 0-6 over his last seven starts, Eovaldi owns a 4.48 ERA and 133:40 K:BB ratio in 186 2/3 innings. He's scheduled to face the Nationals Sunday.

While some baseball fans probably hadn't heard of Jacob deGrom prior to his record-tying performance against the Marlins on Monday, most Fantasy owners were plenty familiar with his work already. That's what happens when a midseason waiver claim goes 8-2 with a 1.93 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings during a 14-start stretch.

But is he really that good? Understand I'm not being literal here. Only a handful of pitchers in baseball history have been that good over a full season. But is deGrom really a strikeout-per-inning, top-30 type with the potential, maybe, to pitch like an ace? I'm starting to believe he is.

I won't spoil it here, but when I took a deeper look at deGrom's last 14 starts -- or really, his season as a whole -- in the Fantasy Baseball Today blog, I liked what I saw. In terms of swinging strike percentage, he's in elite company, and his velocity speaks for itself.

Plus, he throws strikes, keeps the ball in the yard, basically does everything that makes for a successful pitcher even apart from the strikeout rate. I don't think it's a stretch to say he could be next year's Corey Kluber.

Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton has been activated from the  disabled list ahead of his scheduled start against the Red Sox Tuesday, the team announced.

Morton will be making his first appearance since Aug. 15, when he suffered a sports hernia injury. 

Diamondbacks pitcher Wade Miley bounced back with a quality start Monday night against the Giants, improving to 8-11 on the year. He allowed one run on seven hits and no walks while striking out four over seven innings of a 6-2 victory.

Over his last three starts covering 16 innings, Miley has allowed five earned runs. He owns a 4.17 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP over 31 starts (192 innings). His next start will come Sunday at Colorado.

Rockies pitcher Christian Bergman got shellacked by the Dodgers at home on Monday, dropping to 2-4 on the year. He was shelled for six runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out seven over five innings of an 11-3 defeat.

Bergman owns a 5.56 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP over eight starts (43 2/3 innings). His next start will come Saturday at home against Arizona.

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg bounced back with a gem Monday night against the Braves in Atlanta, improving to 12-11 on the year. The right-hander permitted five hits and no walks while striking out seven over seven scoreless innings of work.

Strasburg has not allowed a run in three of his last 10 starts. He owns a 3.34 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP over 32 starts (202 innings). His next start will come Saturday at Miami.

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom matched a modern major league record by striking out his first eight batters Monday night at home against Miami. However, it wasn't enough as he failed to factor inot the decision.

DeGrom allowed three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out a career-high 13 over seven innings of a 6-5 defeat. He owns a 2.68 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP over 21 starts (134 1/3 innings). His next start will come Sunday at Atlanta.

Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu underwent an MRI on his injured left shoulder, which showed no changes from his MRI in May, the team announced. Manager Don Mattingly is bracing for the possibility that Ryu will not be available again in the regular season, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Ryu will not pitch Wednesday against the Rockies. Instead, he'll be shut down for at least four days before he is re-evaluated again. The team has not established a timetable for his return.