MLB Player News

Rockies pitcher Jordan Lyles might have to blow the team away in the spring in order to break camp as a member of the rotation, and his first start did not make a persuavive argument in his favor.

Lyles was a bit rusty, giving up two runs in his two innings of work, though only one was earned. He was tagged for three hits, but did not walk any batters while striking out one.

Lyles was acquired in an offseason trade from the Astros, and the Rockies reportedly feel he was rushed to the majors. Lyles posted a 5.59 ERA in 141 2/3 innings a year ago, his third straight year with an ERA above 5.00.

Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn does not expect to have to fight for a rotation spot in spring training, but he got off to a good start either way Saturday against the Marlins.

Lynn tossed a silent two innings in his spring debut, facing just one batter over the minimum. He allowed one hit and struck out one batter in the 5-4 loss.

Lynn has been a key member of the rotation for two years, so it makes sense that he expects to have a spot when camp breaks. He posted a 3.97 ERA in 201 2/3 innings a year ago, while striking out 198 batters and walking 76. 

Marlins starting pitcher Nate Eovaldi made his spring debut Saturday against the Cardinals, and hardly stood out. He tossed two innings, allowing one run on three hits with no walks and a strikeout in a 5-4 win.

He also threw fastballs on nearly two-thirds of his 34 pitches according to the Sun-Sentinel, another factor that hardly seems noteworthy. 70.7 percent of the pitches were fastballs a year ago, and he told the Sentinel he expects to always rely on that pitch most heavily.

"I'm a fastball pitcher," he said. "I'm going to establish that first-pitch strike with my fastball. When it's 0-1 or 0-2, I still have to be able to put them away with offspeed, throw that good one to set up the other pitches."

Barring something unforeseen, Eovaldi is expected to open the season in the rotation. Despite a blazing fastball, Eovaldi struck out just 78 batters in his 106 1/3 innings of work, though he still finished the season with a 3.39 ERA. 

Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran has his spot in the rotation guaranteed heading into the season, so his focus in spring training isn't going to be blowing people away. He is just working his way back into shape, though he looked pretty solid in his spring debut against the Nationals Saturday.

Teheran tossed a pair of scoreless innings, surrendering just two hits, both singles. He recorded four of his six outs via groundout, while setting down one batter via strikeout.

Teheran has the luxury of not having to worry about fighting for a rotation spot after posting a 3.20 ERA in 185 2/3 innings as a rookie in 2013. He also recently signed a six-year contract that buys out his arbitration years. 

Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin allowed two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two in four innings of action in his team's 11-0 loss to the Rockies Friday.

The fact that Corbin is working four innings on a day where most pitchers are seeing no more than two innings of work could be an indication that the team is planning to start him during the team's two-game series in Australia in late March.

Corbin went 14-8 in his second season with Arizona while posting a 3.41 ERA and 178:54 K:BB ratio in 208 1/3 innings.

Making his spring debut Friday, Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu surrendered two hits in two scoreless innings in his team's 5-0 win over the White Sox.

Ryu didn't have any strikeouts or walks in the debut performance. He is likely to open the season in Australia, pitching the second game in his team's series against the Diamondbacks.

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke will likely miss the team's opening series against the Diamondbacks in Australia due to his calf injury, MLB.com reports.

Greinke tested the calf by playing catch on flat ground Friday but the team ruled him out for his Saturday bullpen session and Tuesday's scheduled start. The team will likely start Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu in the two-game opening series.

Mets pitchers Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom each pitched two perfect innings in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Nationals, with Montero striking out two and deGrom striking out four.

"I only threw two offspeed pitches," deGrom told MLB.com after the game. "I was locating my fastball really well. That was the biggest key to those two innings to me."

Looking to win a rotation spot this spring, deGrom made a quick rise through the minors last season, going 7-7 with a 4.51 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 120:46 K:BB ratio in 147 2/3 innings across three levels.

Montero will likely be a midseason callup for the Mets but could break camp with the team if he impresses this spring. He went 12-7 with a 2.78 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 150:35 K:BB ratio in 155 1/3 innings between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas last season.

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke will not throw a bullpen session Saturday or make Tuesday's start as he recovers from a calf strain, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Greinke threw just three pitches in Wednesday's debut before suffering the calf injury. 

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez served up a first-inning home run but retired the final seven batters he faced in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Marlins. He gave up two earned runs on two hits in three innings of action in the spring debut.

Martinez, who is competing for a spot in the Cardinals rotation this spring, threw 25 of his 36 pitches for strikes Friday. Tyler Lyons, another candidate for a rotation spot, pitched two scoreless innings after relieving Martinez.