MLB Player News

Braves starting pitcher Alex Wood was effective over seven innings Sunday against the Diamondbacks. However, one big mistake was enough to send him to defeat in a 3-1 loss.

Wood (6-7) was locked in a scoreless battle with Wade Miley until Paul Goldschmidt hit the left-field foul pole with two outs in the third inning, putting Arizona ahead 2-0 with his 16th home run of the season.

Wood would not allow another run the rest of the way, but the damage was already done. He was charged with two runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out two. It was his first loss as a starter since May 4.

The lefty is expected to make his next scheduled start Friday against the Cubs.

Diamondbacks starting pitcher Wade Miley didn't get much run support Sunday at Atlanta, but the left-handed hurler didn't need it during a 3-1 win. He allowed just one run on five hits and one walk, while striking out eight over 6 2/3 innings.

Miley (4-6) ran into some early trouble, allowing two of the first three batters he faced to reach base with singles. But Miley escaped the first-inning jam unscathed and didn't give up his only run of the game until Chris Johnson's RBI single with one out in the fourth.

Following Johnson's RBI single, Miley retired 10 straight batters before Christian Bethancourt's single with two outs in the seventh chased him from the game.

Miley earned his first win in 10 starts. His last win came May 10 against the White Sox. Though, Miley has allowed just three runs through two July starts (14 2/3 innings) and has at least eight strikeouts in six of his last eight starts.

He's scheduled to make his next start Saturday at San Francisco. Miley is 1-0 with a 5.14 ERA against the Giants this season.

Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler allowed one run on six hits over 6 1/3 innings in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Rangers. He improved to 4-8 while lowering his ERA to 4.07.

After walking five in his previous start, Wheeler walked two Sunday and struck out four. The only run he allowed came on Robinson Chirinos' fourth-inning solo homer. Wheeler will face the Marlins at home Friday.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said pitcher Gerrit Cole will play long toss Sunday and throw a bullpen Monday to determine his status for his next start Wednesday against the Cardinals, per MLB.com. Cole left his last start Friday due to a right lat soreness.

Padres starting pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne was unable to factor into the decision Saturday night against the Giants. The right-hander yielded one run on two hits and four walks while striking out two over six innings of work.

Over his first three starts covering 19 2/3 innings, Despaigne has permitted only two earned runs. He also owns a 0.97 WHIP and 5:8 K:BB ratio over that span. He will make his next start Thursday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole played catch without any reported issues and remains on track to make his next scheduled start Wednesday in St. Louis, MLB.com reports.

Cole was lifted Friday after just 80 pitches due to soreness in his lat. In 14 starts, the right-hander is 7-4 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP over 85 2/3 innings.

Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole will test his sore lat Saturday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Cole is expected to warm up and throw with pitchers prior to the game. He will be evaluated by the team during this time. Cole had to leave Friday's start due to a sore lat, but he downplayed the issue following the start. 

Clearly, the headliners from Saturday's trade between the Cubs and Athletics were Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, and both immediately become must-owns in AL-only leagues. Their departure leaves the Cubs with two big holes to fill in their rotation, and there is no shortage of candidates to fill them.

Carlos Villanueva has replaced Samardzija for his Saturday start at the Nationals, but he is not necessarily among the candidates to fill a spot long-term. Even if he were, Villanueva has not had a sterling track record as a starter (career 4.94 ERA), so he can be passed over in virtually all Fantasy formats.

Then there is Dan Straily, who was acquired from the A's as part of the return for Samardzija and Hammel. He will report to Triple-A Iowa, but according to CSNChicago.com, he could be up with the big club soon. Because of his strikeout potential, Straily is worth stashing in NL-only leagues. He has a Jake Odorizzi-like skill set -- complete with shaky control and a high flyball rate -- but without a pitcher's park like Tropicana Field (or his former home of O.co Coliseum) to come home to, there may be little respite from home runs.

A better risk than Straily is Tsuyoshi Wada, who has already been announced as Tuesday's starter at the Reds. He has similar strikeout potential to Straily but with fewer control issues and slightly less pronounced flyball tendencies. He is worth pursuing in some deeper mixed leagues, as well as in NL-only formats.

Chris Rusin, just called up for bullpen duty, Dallas Beeler and Kyle Hendricks will also be in the mix, according to ESPN.com, but none has appeal outside of deeper NL-only leagues. With so much competition for two open spots, none of those three are really worth the trouble of expending FAAB dollars or a waiver priority.

The Cubs and Athletics have completed a mega-deal which will send pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to Oakland for shortstop Addison Russell .

The two sides reached a deal Friday night, but waited to officially announce the move Saturday. Samardzija and Hammel will slot into the team's rotation, though it's unclear how soon they'll make their first start with their new club.

Russell joins the Cubs' solid collection of prospects. Chicago will also receive outfield prospect Billy McKinney, pitcher Dan Straily and a player to be named later. Of the bunch, only Straily is expected to play a role with the major-league club this season.  

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw remained dominant Friday night against the Rockies in Colorado, scattering two hits over eight shutout frames to improve to 10-2 on the year. The left-hander struck out eight and walked one in 93 pitches, 67 for strikes.

Kershaw extended his scoreless streak to 36 innings after his two-hit outing. He has not allowed a run since June 13 against Arizona. His ERA has lowered from 3.17 to 1.85 over that span. He will look to keep his streak intact Thursday at home against San Diego.