MLB Player News

Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks picked up a hard-luck loss Sunday against the Cardinals. 

Hendricks allowed one run on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out two and did not issue any walks. It was a strong start for Hendricks, but he had the misfortune of going up against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright. Wainwright gave St. Louis seven scoreless innings, meaning Hendricks was tagged with the loss. 

Hendricks dropped to 1-1 with the loss. He'll take on the Dodgers in his next start. 

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright tossed a scoreless start Sunday against the Cubs.

Wainwright gave up five hits during the start. He struck out three and walked three. Wainwright mostly cruised through the start. He did run into some trouble in his final three innings, but was able to pitch around his base-runners. An intentional walk put two men on in the fifth inning, but Wainwright was able to strike out pitcher Kyle Hendricks to end the inning. Two men also reached in the sixth, but Wainwright was able to induce an inning-ending double-play. Two men also reached in the seventh, but Wainwright got out of trouble once again.

With the win, Wainwright improved to 13-5. His next start will come against the Brewers.

Rockies starting pitcher Christian Bergman (hand) is slated to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Tulsa Tuesday, according to MLB.com. He is scheduled to throw about 70 pitches.

Rockies pitcher Jordan Lyles began a rehab assignment with Class A Modesto Saturday, giving up three hits and two walks in 3 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out four batters.

Lyles has been out since June 4 while recovering from a fractured hand. He is expected to make his return to the majors August 5 provided he remains healthy. Lyles owns a 3.52 ERA and 49:26 K:BB ratio in 69 innings.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw dominated in Saturday's win, giving up just two hits and one walk and striking out seven in a complete-game shutout against the Giants.

Kershaw (12-2) needed 113 pitches to finish off the 5-0 victory, and it's the fifth time in his last seven starts -- starting with his no-hitter -- that the ace has managed to surrender no runs. He owns a major-league-leading 1.76 ERA along with a 141:15 K:BB ratio in 112 1/3 innings. Kershaw will look to keep rolling Thursday against the Braves.

Braves pitcher Julio Teheran earned a win in Saturday's quality start, giving up three earned runs on nine hits in six innings and striking out five in his team's 5-3 victory over the Padres.

Teheran (10-6) closed out the first half with a shaky two-start run, but he's been much better after the break, giving up four runs in 13 innings while striking out 16 and walking just one. He owns a 2.71 ERA and 132:31 K:BB ratio in 149 1/3 innings. Teharan is slated to take on the Dodgers Thursday.

Padres pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne took a loss Saturday, giving up five runs (two earned) on six hits and five walks in 3 2/3 innings while striking out three in his team's 5-3 defeat against the BRaves.

Despaigne (2-2) issued three or more walks in three of his first five starts, but he managed to dodge trouble while posting a 1.31 ERA. He wasn't as lucky Saturday, but he managed to avoid tacking all five runs onto his ERA. He owns a 1.66 ERA and 20:16 K:BB ratio in 38 innings. Despaigne is scheduled to face the Cardinals Thursday.

Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto twirled a gem Saturday afternoon at home against the Nationals, improving to 11-6 on the year. The right-hander yielded four hits and three walks while striking out nine over seven scoreless frames of a 1-0 victory.

Over his last two starts covering 12 innings, Cueto has allowed only two earned runs. He owns a 2.08 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP over 22 starts (155 2/3 innings). He will look to keep rolling his next turn, Thursday night in Miami.

Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole will likely need a second rehab start before returning to the rotation, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Cole, who is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis Monday, is expected to throw 100 pitches in his second rehab start, which will presumably come next weekend if all goes well. He has been sidelined since early due to a lat injury.

The Cubs sent pitcher Neil Ramirez down to Triple-A Iowa Saturday, but he won't be reporting right away.

Manager Rick Renteria told ESPNChicago.com Saturday the team is sending Ramirez down to get some rest. Renteria expects Ramirez to be used sparingly while at Iowa, and should be back in the majors after the minimum of 10 days down is up.

Ramirez has been arguably the Cubs' best reliever this season, posting an 0.96 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 28 innings of work.