MLB Player News

Pirates pitcher Vance Worley had a rough time Tuesday against the Cardinals. 

Worley proved to be hittable, allowing nine hits in five innings of work. He gave up four earned runs. During the outing he struck out three and did not allow any walks. Worley was stung by two doubles during the start. Kolten Wong belted a two-run double off him in the second inning, and Matt Holliday did the same in the fifth.

Despite the poor start, Worley managed to pick up the no-decision. His next start is slated to come against Reds. 

Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu couldn’t make it past the third inning Tuesday against the Tigers.

Things looked promising after the first inning, as Ryu took the mound with a five-run lead. He was able to pitch around a leadoff walk in his first inning of work. The second inning, however, brought some issues for Ryu. He opened the frame allowing five straight hits to the Tigers, which scored two runs. After getting a strikeout, Ryu again allowed two straight hits, which tied the game at 5-5. Ryu came out for the third inning, but was pulled after he allowed the go-ahead run to score. He was charged with another run after leaving the game. 

Ryu tossed just 2 1/3 innings, giving up seven earned runs. He allowed 10 hits, with two strikeouts and two walks. The loss drops him to 9-5. His next start is scheduled to come against the Padres. 

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom cruised to a win Tuesday, giving up seven hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out 11 and walking none in his team's 8-3 victory over the Braves.

deGrom (2-5) matched his season high for strikeouts while delivering his third scoreless outing in 11 starts. Tuesday's brilliant performance was his first time this season not issuing a walk. deGrom owns a 3.38 ERA and 64:26 K:BB ratio in 66 2/3 innings. He's scheduled to wrap up the team's pre-break slate Sunday against the Marlins.

Braves pitcher Julio Teheran struggled in a loss Tuesday, giving up five earned runs on 11 hits and two walks in just 3 1/3 innings while striking out two in his team's 8-3 defeat against the Mets.

Teheran (8-6) turned in his shortest outing since also going 3 1/3 innings on May 14, ending a streak of four straight quality starts with Tuesday's hit barrage. He fell behind after just one batter, serving up a leadoff home run to Curtis Granderson in the first inning. Teheran owns a 2.57 ERA and 110:28 K:BB ratio in 129 1/3 innings. He's scheduled to face the Cubs Sunday.

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels can be traded to nine different clubs without his permission, according to FoxSports.com.

The Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Cardinals, Nationals, Braves, Yankees, Red Sox and Rangers are those teams. Of the bunch, the Cardinals are said to have been the most active on the pitching market recently. The team is said to be looking at Jake Peavy. Hamels woud be a massive upgrade, but would also require St. Louis to part with premium prospects. 

It's unclear if the Phillies would deal Hamels within the division, so that could rule out the two NL East teams. 

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said Tuesday he has no timetable for starting pitcher Gerrit Cole's return from a strained right lat. However, he said Cole will make a rehab start this time before he comes off the disabled list.

Yeah, I'll say there's some legitimacy to Charlie Morton's 2.80 ERA over his last seven starts. Anyone who doesn't isn't paying enough attention. He had a 2.67 ERA over his final 11 starts last year as well.

But what isn't legitimate are his 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings during that stretch. Like most ground ball pitchers, he's not a bat-misser, having never averaged even 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings in the big leagues. At least up until recently, he aimed for quick outs by pitching to contact, trusting it would be weak enough to result in an out. It's the M.O. of pitchers like Tim Hudson, Henderson Alvarez, Mike Leake and Kyle Gibson, and it certainly has its place in Fantasy.

Of course, more contact by its very nature yields more hits, so the downside to a ground ball specialist is a high WHIP relative to the ERA and, of course, a low strikeout rate. I'm not willing to suggest that after seven starts Morton has reinvented himself, so he's just as susceptible. It's enough to make him an iffy option in mixed leagues most weeks, though like Leake, you'll want to keep him around for the two-start weeks.

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto got back on the winning side Tuesday, in a 4-2 victory over the Cubs.

Cueto got some early help, as the Reds scored three runs in the first inning. He was able to make that stand up, allowing just two runs in 6 1/3 innings, on a pair of back-to-back solo home runs. He scattered six hits and a walk while striking out four batters on 97 pitches in the win.

Cueto improved his record to 9-6 on the season, while his ERA rose slightly to 2.03, the first time it has been over 2.00 since April 11. 

The Pirates have placed pitcher Gerrit Cole on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right lat, MLB.com reports.  Cole left his last start Friday due to a right lat soreness. The team will have Brandon Cumpton take the hill in his place Wednesday against the Cardinals.

Diamondbacks pitcher Chase Anderson got back on track, picking up his sixth win of the season Monday night at home against Miami. The right-hander allowed one run on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings of a 9-1 victory.

Anderson picked up his first win since June 8. He owns a 3.64 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP over 10 starts (54 1/3 innings). He will make his next start Sunday at San Francisco.