MLB Player News

Mets starter Zack Wheeler stumbled in the followup to his first career complete game Wednesday, in an 8-5 loss to the Athletics.

Wheeler simply did not have his best stuff from the start, as the A's chased him after just two innings of work. He was tagged for two runs the first inning, followed by four more in the second before he was pulled.

Wheeler was charged with six runs on six hits in two innings, his shortest outing of the season. He struck out four batters and walked two, while throwing 48 pitches in the loss.

Wheeler is now 3-8 on the season, and his ERA rose more than half a run, to 4.45. He will try to get back on track when he takes on the Braves in Atlanta Monday. 

Rockies pitcher Jordan Lyles continues to throw on the side, while recovering from a broken left (non-pitching) hand.

Lyles is scheduled to undergo a second follow-up X-ray next Wednesday, as the team continues to monitor his progress three weeks removed from the injury. He is scheduled for another examination two weeks from his second, with the expectation he can have his splint removed.

"We're going to stay ready, so when I get this thing [splint] off, the transition won't be too long," Lyles told MLB.com Wednesday.

Lyles will still need to strengthen the hand for fielding and hitting before he can return to game action, but his throwing arm won't need much time. He plans to begin throwing off a mound later this week.

Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg had hurled nothing but quality starts since April 15 heading into his last outing. But he had one Friday and added his worst performance of the season Wednesday.

Strasburg was mashed in Milwaukee despite the absence of three top hitters, giving up a grand slam to Scooter Gennett in the second inning and going downhill from there. He yielded a second blast to Khris Davis and finished giving up seven earned runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He managed a season-low two strikeouts as his ERA was raised to 3.70, its highest point in two months.

He will attempt to bounce back Tuesday against Colorado.

Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton struck out a career-high 11 batters Wednesday at Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, he was opposed by Rays ace David Price, who also struck out 11 and was just a tad better in a 5-1 win for Tampa Bay.

Morton (4-9) bounced back nicely Wednesday following a horrendous first inning. The Rays sent eight players to the plate in the first and totaled three runs on a Ben Zobrist RBI triple, Jordy Mercer fielding error on Evan Longoria hit and Kevin Kiermaier sac fly.

But those were the only runs Morton allowed on the afternoon, as he finished his day with six scoreless innings. He had multiple strikeouts in the second, fourth and seventh innings. He struck out the side in the seventh. 

The right-hander was charged with three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk in seven innings. He has at least six strikeouts in five straight starts.

Morton will be back on the mound Wednesday against Arizona. He is 2-3 with a 2.22 ERA in seven home starts.

Even with Gerrit Cole (shoulder) and Francisco Liriano (side) lost to injury and Wandy Rodriguez having been let go, the Pirates have been surging in recent weeks, and their replacements have been a large part of their recent success. They have received surprisingly good performances from Jeff Locke, Brandon Cumpton and Vance Worley.

Now that Cole is set to return on Saturday against the Mets, one of the trio is likely to lose his rotation spot. Manager Clint Hurdle has yet to disclose his plans, though he confirmed that Worley and Cumpton were still the probable starters for the first two games of that series. That has the look of a one-game audition for each pitcher, and that would make sense, as Locke has made the strongest case for keeping his current role.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has speculated that Cumpton is the most likely candidate for demotion, so while Worley could conceivably lose the job with a poor performance Thursday, owners in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats should consider picking him up now. If he pitches well in his upcoming start and Cumpton is sent down, Worley could be tougher to claim in just a couple of days.

As he has been pitching with improved control and possibly a rediscovered knack for getting called strikes, Worley could be a worthy addition in deeper leagues, even if he's been making Bartolo Colon look like a swing-and-miss pitcher. After making four good starts in a row, Locke should be getting some consideration in standard mixed leagues, at least for two-start weeks.

The Rockies have moved right-hander Christian Bergman to the 60-day disabled list. He broke his hand in his third start of the season on Friday.

Clint Hurdle has confirmed that Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole will be activated off the disabled list and start Saturday against the Mets. A shoulder problem has prevented Cole from starting since June 3.

Hurdle did not indicate how his return will affect the rotation.

Diamondbacks pitcher Wade Miley didn't factor into the decision Tuesday after giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks in four innings and striking out three in his team's extra-innings game against the Indians.

Miley gave up four runs in the second inning before letting one more cross the plate in the third. It was the first time this season he wasn't able to complete five innings. Miley owns a 4.78 ERA and 96:34 K:BB ratio in 105 1/3 innings. He's scheduled to face the Pirates next Tuesday unless the team alters its rotation plans with two off-days on the horizon.

The Braves recalled pitcher Alex Wood from Triple-A Gwinnett after Tuesday's game.

Wood is scheduled to start Wednesday, and he should be in the rotation for the forseeable future after the injury to Gavin Floyd. Wood is 5-6 with a 3.43 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 63:15 K:BB ratio in 18 appearances (seven starts).

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw stayed hot in Tuesday win, giving up six hits and one walk in eight scoreless innings while striking out eight in his team's 2-0 victory over the Royals.

It was no no-hitter, but Kershaw (8-2) delivered his second straight scoreless outing and his fourth start in a row with one or no runs. He owns a 2.24 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and remarkable 94:9 K:BB ratio in 72 1/3 innings. He'll look for a similar result Sunday against the Cardinals.