MLB Player News

Padres pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne will start Saturday.

Despaigne was initially slated to start Friday, but will swap days with Jesse Hahn. He'll still take on the Braves Saturday. Despaigne has a 1.31 ERA over 34 1/3 innings. 

Cole Hamels struck out 10 batters Thursday, leading the Phillies to a 2-1 win against the Giants. The left-hander allowed one run on six hits and one walk in eight innings.

Hamels (5-5) was extremely efficient with his pitches, throwing 90 of 116 pitches for strikes. He retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced, allowing just a two-out single to Adam Duvall in the second inning during that span.

Hamels did load the bases in the fourth inning with a pair of singles and a hit batter, but he worked out of the jam unscathed. The Giants got their only run on Ehire Adrianza's two-out RBI single in the fifth inning, which tied the game at 1.

Hamels has struck out at least 10 batters four times this season. His season high is 11. He is 3-0 over his last four starts and has allowed just one earned run in each of the wins. 

Hamels will make his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Mets. He is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three starts against New York this season.

As expected, Marlins starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez was cleared to start Thursday against Atlanta after leaving his previous start due to a shin injury. Alvarez is 4-2 with a 1.85 ERA in his last 11 starts.

Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn took a loss Wednesday, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings and striking out seven in his team's 3-0 defeat against the Rays.

Lynn (11-7) turned in his fourth straight quality start Wednesday, but he was outdueled by the opposition to end his three-game winning streak. He owns a 3.05 ERA and 117:49 K:BB ratio in 127 innings. Lynn is set to take on the Padres Tuesday.

Marlins pitcher Nathan Eovaldi was stuck with a loss Wednesday, giving up five earned runs on six hits and two walks in seven innings while striking out two in his team's 6-1 defeat against the Braves.

Eovaldi (5-6) has gone 0-3 over his last five starts while surrendering 22 earned runs in 31 innings. He fell behind 5-0 after just two innings when he surrendered a three-run home run in the second frame. Eovaldi owns a 4.20 ERA and 90:26 K:BB ratio in 130 2/3 innings. He's scheduled to take on the Nationals Monday.

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was stuck with a loss Wednesday, giving up four earned runs on nine hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings while striking out five in his team's 6-4 defeat against the Rockies.

Strasburg (7-8) was touched up for three runs in the first inning but held things in check until the sixth, when he was removed with one out and two runners on base, one of which would come around to score. He owns a 3.67 ERA and 163:30 K:BB ratio in 137 1/3 innings. Strasburg is scheduled to face the Marlins Tuesday.

If Noah Syndergaard joins the Mets starting rotation in August, as the New York Daily News suggested was a possibility Wednesday, I'd be interested in adding him in an Andrew Heaney sort of way, recognizing his potential at a position where you can never have too many choices but also acknowledging he may still have more work to do.

By the look of his numbers at Triple-A, he has a lot more work to do. Over 18 starts, he has a 5.34 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. But he plays for Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League, one of the more hitter-friendly venues in an especially hitter-friendly league, so you shouldn't read too much into the numbers. Unlike Rafael Montero, Syndergaard hasn't stopped throwing strikes (which might explain why he's getting hit so hard), so he should fare better in a more neutral environment.

Of course, who knows what other bad habits he might have developed in his attempt to distinguish himself in a league where few pitchers do? If he was dominating the PCL, stashing him would be a no-brainer, but with the numbers he has, it's a roll of the dice.

Ultimately, the point may be moot. The Mets won't have an opening for Syndergaard if they keep Bartolo Colon, and even if they don't, they may fill it with Daisuke Matsuzaka instead.

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez is headed back to the bullpen as Shelby Miller will rejoin the rotation Saturday against the Cubs, according to MLB.com. Martinez went 2-1 with a 4.45 ERA over seven starts since joining the rotation June 16.

Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (lat) threw about 70 pitches during a simulated game Wednesday, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Pirates have not announced the next step in the rehab process for Cole.

Although Mets manager Terry Collins isn't sure if starting pitcher prospect Noah Syndergaard will make his major-league debut in 2014, others in the organization anticipate the top pitching prospect being in the majors as early as August, according to the New York Daily News.

They view Syndergaard as a potential replacement for Bartolo Colon, who is being mentioned in trade rumors.

"In the worst case, it would be (Daisuke) Matsuzaka, and in the best case, it would be Syndergaard," one source said, explaining why the organization would be comfortable replacing Colon over the next two months.