MLB Player News

Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole took a step back, but escaped with a no-decision Friday night against the Blue Jays. The right-hander gave up four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings pitched. 57 of his 97 pitches went for strikes.

Cole saw his ERA rise from 3.18 to 3.69 following Friday's 6-5 victory. He owns a 32:22 K:BB ratio over 39 innings. He'll look to bounce back on Friday against St. Louis.

Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg worked past some early troubles and managed to escape Friday's start against the Phillies with a no-decision.

Strasburg served up a three-run home run to Marlon Byrd in the opening frame for his lone damage of the night. He was charged with three unearned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five over six innings. He tossed 83 pitches, 57 for strikes.

Strasburg has posted a 3.60 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP over 40 innings. He has a 58:13 K:BB ratio over that span. He'll make his next start Friday at Oakland.

Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (5-2) was hit hard on Friday, suffering his second loss of the season in his team's 6-5 loss to the Cubs in Chicago. The right-hander permitted six runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out four over five innings pitched.

Wainwright owns a 2.16 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP over 50 innings pitched. He will make his next start Wednesday in Atlanta.

Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw will make his first start back from the disabled list Tuesday night against the Nationals, MLB.com reports Friday.

Kershaw is working his way back from a back injury that has kept him sidelined since March 22. He owns a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings pitched through his firs two minor-league rehab starts.

Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu has been placed on the disabled list with shoulder issues, according to MLB.com.

Ryu is dealing with shoulder inflammation. The injury cropped up during his most recent start, and didn't subside after a few days. There are no plans to perform an MRI at this point. Ryu has posted a 3.00 ERA over 39 innings.

Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright is currently on a 25 inning scoreless streak, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Wainwright will take that streak to Wrigley Field Friday against the Cubs. Over his career, Wainwright has a 4.28 ERA in 23 games started against Chicago. He currently has a 1.20 ERA over 45 innings.

Rockies starting pitcher Juan Nicasio dominated the Mets at home on Thursday, scattering three hits in seven shutout frames to improve to 3-1 on the year.

Nicasio struck out two and walked one, improving his ERA to 4.19. He tossed 95 pitches, 56 for strikes. Over his first four home starts covering 24 innings, Nicasio has allowed nine earned runs.

Following the 7-4 victory, Nicasio will look to keep things going Tuesday at home against Texas.

Marlins starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez had trouble keeping the ball in the park Thursday, in a 5-4 loss to the Braves.

Alvarez, who had allowed just one home run through his first five starts, was taken deep twice in six innings Thursday. He surrendered a three-run home run to B.J. Upton in the third inning and then a solo homer to Evan Gattis in the sixth, leaving him in line for a loss by the time he left the game.

The Marlins were able to rally with a pair of runs in the seventh inning to get Alvarez off the hook for the loss. He was ultimately charged with four runs on eight hits and two walks in his six innings of work, while striking out four batters in a no-decision.

Alvarez has a 3.28 ERA in 35 2/3 innings on the season, and carries and 1-2 record into his next start, set for Monday against the Mets.

Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton was knocked around in the opening game of a day-night doubleheader Thursday against the Orioles.

Morton scattered four runs -- two earned -- on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, dropping to 0-4 on the year. He issued two walks and struck out four, improving his ERA from 4.35 to 4.21. Since the starting the season tossing six shutout innings against the Cubs, Morton has allowed 22 runs -- 17 earned -- over his last 30 1/3 innings.

Morton will look for his first win of the season Tuesday at home against San Francisco.

Rare is the starting pitcher who improves after joining the Rockies. In the more than 20-year history of the franchise, Jorge De La Rosa is the only one who comes to mind. But if the first month of this season is any indication, Jordan Lyles is poised to join him.

With another gem Wednesday, Lyles is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in six starts. Given that he was arguably the most hittable pitcher in baseball the previous two years in Houston -- giving up 10.3 hits and 1.2 home runs per nine innings, poor ratios by any standard -- he's about the last pitcher you'd expect to find success at Coors Field, where pitches flatten and fly balls sail.

Granted, he's always been more of a groundball pitcher, which made the high home run rates kind of surprising, and has become even more of one this year by relying more than ever on his sinker. But again, the thin air of Coors Field flattens pitches. Other sinkerballers have failed there, most famously Mike Hampton. He got off to a good start, too, before the need to create more sink forced him into some bad habits mechanically.

Considering his brutal track record, I'd be doubting the legitimacy of Lyles' hot start even if he was pitching elsewhere, but in Colorado especially, I'm staying far away.