MLB Player News

Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton was not at his best on Sunday, suffering his first loss of the season in a 4-1 defeat to Milwaukee. He allowed four runs - two earned -- on six hits and three walks while striking out three over seven innings pitched.

Morton owns a 3.32 ERA and a 14:5 K:BB ratio over 19 innings pitched in three starts. He'll get another crack at his first win of the season Friday against Milwaukee.

Marlins starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez was unable to pick up his first win of the season. He tossed a quality start but failed to factor into the decision in a 4-3 defeat to the Phillies in Philadelphia Sunday.

Alvarez surrendered a solo home runt o Ryan Howard in the third and a two-run double to Wil Nieves in the fifth. He was charged with three runs on 12 hits and three walks while striking out five over six innings pitched.

Alvarez owns a 4.30 ERA with a 10:7 K:BB ratio over 14 2/3 innings pitched. He'll search for his first win of the season Saturday against Seattle.

The Dodgers announced their rotation plans for a three-game series at San Francisco, which starts Tuesday. Josh Beckett will start the series opener, with Paul Maholm pitching Wednesday and Hyun-Jin Ryu starting the final game of the series Thursday.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said starting pitcher Cole Hamels (shoulder) "threw great" during his rehab start Saturday. Amaro added "it's possible" Hamels will make his final rehab start Thursday, per MLB.com.

"We’ll see how he feels after that one," Amaro said.

Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley (2-2) endured a rough outing on Saturday, suffering his second loss of the season in his team's 8-5 defeat to the Dodgers. The southpaw was charged with five runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out four in five innings.

"He had no command at all. He just had no feel for the strike zone," manager Kirk Gibson said after the game, per ArizonaSports.com. "He didn't give us what we needed."

Miley has lost all two of his starts against the Dodgers this season. He owns a 5.04 ERA along with 19:8 K:BB ratio on 25 innings pitched. 

Dodgers starter Zack Greinke put together another sharp outing on Saturday, earning his third win of the season in his team's 8-5 victory over Arizona.

Greinke tossed four scoreless frames before serving up a solo home run to A.J. Pollock in the fifth inning for his only damage of the night. He permitted one run on eight hits and no walks while striking out eight in 5 1/3 innings pitched. 

Greinke has posted a 2.76 ERA along with a 21:2 K:BB ratio over 16 1/3 innings pitched. He'll look for win No. 4 Thursday against San Francisco. He allowed two runs in six innings pitched in his previous start against the Giants this season.

Marlins starting pitcher Nate Eovaldi struggled through the first few innings of his start against the Phillies Saturday, but settled down enough to reach the seventh inning in a 5-4, extra-innings loss.

Eovaldi was tagged for two runs in the first inning and two more in the third, as he fell behind 4-1. He was lights out from them on as the Marlins fought their way back, however, finishing with four runs allowed on seven hits and no walks in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five while throwing 70 of 100 pitches for strikes.

Eovaldi has been solid to open the season, though he is just 1-1 with a 4.19 ERA. He has two quality starts in three outings, with 19 strikeouts and just one walk in 19 1/3 innings of work. Eovaldi's next start is scheduled for Friday against the Mariners.  

Braves starter Alex Wood did not go past the fifth inning on Saturday, but still managed to pick up his second win of the season in his team's 6-3 win over Washington.

Wood (2-1) surrendered a solo home run to Anthony Rendon in the opening frame before settling down. He was charged with one run on six hits and three walks while striking out eight over five innings pitched. He tossed 103 pitches, 64 of which were strikes. 

Wood owns a 1.89 ERA along with a 17:6 K:BB ratio over 19 innings pitched. He'll make his next start Thursday in Philadelphia.

Phillies starter Cole Hamels made another rehab start Saturday at Class A Clearwater. The left-hander allowed one run on five hits and no walks while striking out six over six innings of work.

He will pitch again on Thursday and could be back in the rotation as early as April 22 against the Dodgers, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia reports.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw threw off the mound Saturday for the first time since sustaining a back injury after his first start of the season in Australia. Kershaw "wasn't lobbing" the ball in his session, according to MLB.com.

Kershaw, however, is not expected to return to game action until at least late April.