MLB Player News

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright got no help from his teammates Thursday, as he settled for a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers.

Wainwright allowed just one run, in the eighth inning, but had no chance to win, as his offense was shut out on five hits. He allowed his one run on five hits and a walk in eight innings, while striking out seven batters on 100 pitches in what was technically a complete game.

Wainwright has now tossed three complete games on the season, and has completed at least eight innings in three of his last four starts. He is 10-4 with a 2.01 ERA (2nd in the National League) heading into his next start, set for Wednesday in San Francisco. 

Pirates pitcher Vance Worley turned in his best start yet Thursday, in a 5-2 win over the Phillies.

Coming off his first win of the season, Worley was even better this time around, as he limited the Mets to just one run on a solo home run in seven innings. He scattered seven hits and a pair of walks as well, while striking out three batters on 100 pitches.

Worley is now 2-0 through three starts for the Pirates, and has tossed a quality start in each of his trips to the mound. He will try to keep his solid run going when he takes on the Diamondbacks next Thursday. 

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels had uncharacteristic trouble keeping the ball in the yard Thursday, in a 5-3 extra-innings win over the Marlins.

Hamels settled for a no-decision in the outing, though he left in line for a loss. He was tagged for three runs on six hits, with all three coming by way of solo home runs. Hamels struck out seven batters on 98 pitches, and took a no-decision as the offense bailed him out for the loss.

Hamels is just 2-4 through his first 13 starts of the season, as run support has been at a premium for him. He has a 2.84 ERA through 88 2/3 innings heading into his next start, set for Wednesday in Miami.  

After a disastrous outing Wednesday at Milwaukee, Stephen Strasburg now has a 3.70 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, making him not quite the ace his NL-leading 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings would have you believe. But his comments after the game may shed some light on the disappointing numbers:

"I'm not right mechanically right now, and I think it's causing [hitters] to see the ball a lot better," he told The Washington Post. "Happens to everybody. I'm going to keep working hard, and it's going to turn."

So ... does that mean, like, tipping pitches? What is it you're saying, Stephen?

"Still trying to figure that out. Just doesn't feel the same. Doesn't look the same."

Whatever is going on with Strasburg, it's not just in his head. Pitching coach Steve McCatty can tell something is off as well.

"It"s hard to say," McCatty said. "Rushing a little bit, a little bit of collapsing on the back leg and a little lateral. Some of them looked like that. Something we'll work on."

OK, that sounds less like tipping pitches, but it's a problem nonetheless. I remember "collapsing the back leg" was something John Farrell helped Jon Lester correct in his return to the Red Sox last year.

My thinking is that if Strasburg is this good with a mechanical flaw -- and again, his strikeout rate speaks for itself -- just imagine how good he'll be when he and McCatty correct it. Now that they've detected it, it's only a matter of time.

You wouldn't want to sell him short in Fantasy.

Phillies pitcher Sean O'Sullivan will get a spot start Saturday, according to CSN.

O'Sullivan is slated to pitch Game 2 of the team's double-header. Through 87 2/3 innings, O'Sullivan has posted a 4.31 ERA at Triple-A.

Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler had another rough start Wednesday against the A's, adding to his disappointing season. Though, Wheeler's start Wednesday was really disappointing because he had just come off a great start at Miami.

At one point during Wednesday's start Wheeler asked catcher Travis d'Arnaud to change up signs because he felt maybe the A's were a little too much on top of his pitches. Though, after the game Wheeler just called it "a bad outing." Well, he's had more than one of those this season.

It really seems Wheeler is still just having to deal with a little bit of bad luck. His groundball rate is up significantly (from 43.2 percent in 2013 to 53.5 percent in 2014, per FanGraphs.com), so it's no surprise his BABIP is at .332, which is well above the league average for starters (.296). It's really the only explanation because his hits per nine innings is barely up, he's giving up less home runs, his walk rate is down and his strikeout rate is up compared to last season. 

Given Wheeler's upside, I'd bench him over dropping him in the majority of Fantasy leagues. Shallow-league owners have a greater luxury of dropping Wheeler given what's on waivers, but if you're in a 12-team or deeper format, I'd still keep him on my roster.

Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard won't be in the majors until August at the earliest, according to the New York Daily News.

Syndergaard is considered close to the majors, but the team doesn't want to move him up any time soon. Syndergaard has dealt with a couple injuries in the minors this season. Over 65 innings, he's posted a 4.98 ERA. 

Diamondbacks pitcher Chase Anderson stumbled to his third loss in a row Wednesday, as he fell to the Indians, 6-1.

Anderson lasted five innings in the game, the second time he has failed to reach the sixth inning in his last three trips to the mound. He was tagged for four runs on seven hits, while walking three batters and striking out four on 93 pitches.

Anderson won his first five career decisions, but has dropped his last three to fall to 5-3. He has a 3.63 ERA in 44 2/3 innings heading into his next outing, set for Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

Braves pitcher Alex Wood dominated the Astros in his return to the majors Wednesday, in a 4-0 win.

The Braves wanted to keep Wood on a pretty limited pitch count, but he still made it through seven innings on just 79 pitches. He worked through the Astros with little trouble, allowing three hits and one walk in seven innings of work. Wood also struck out four batters in the win, which evened his record at 6-6 for the season.

Wood has been searching for a consistent role all season, having made eight starts in the majors to go with 11 relief appearances, as well as some time in the minors. He should be in the rotation for good moving forward, and carries a 3.07 ERA in 67 1/3 innings into his next outing, set for Monday against the Mets.  

Marlins pitcher Henderson Alvarez continued his strong run Wednesday, in a 3-2 win over the Phillies.

Alvarez limited the Phillies to two runs -- one earned -- while reaching the seventh inning for the third straight start. He scattered seven hits and a pair of walks in the outing, while striking out three on 90 pitches in 6 2/3 innings of work in the win.

Alvarez has not lost over his last eight starts, while lowering his ERA to 2.32, good for fourth in the National League. He is 5-3 heading into his next outing, set for Tuesday, again against the Phillies.