MLB Player News

Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha (2-1) turned in a decent outing but was not backed by enough run support as he suffered his first loss of the season Saturday night against the Mariners. The right-hander surrendered two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven over five innings of a 4-1 defeat.

Wacha has allowed only two runs over his last 24 2/3 innings of work. He is scheduled to make his next start Thursday at Colorado. He is 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in four appearances (one start).

Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (8-7) turned in a dominant outing as he earned his eighth win of the season Saturday night against the Cubs. The right-hander allowed one run on five hits and three walks while striking out seven over seven innings of a 2-1 victory.

Cole has allowed three runs combined over his last three starts (20 innings). He is scheduled to make his next start Thursday at home against San Diego. He yielded two runs over six innings pitched in his previous meeting against the Padres on Aug. 21.

Marlins starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez tossed seven strong innings Saturday, to earn a 3-0 win over the Mets. 

Henderson Alvarez shut the Mets out over the course of seven innings, while allowing just four hits and no walks. He struck out five, throwing 67 of 100 pitches for strikes. 

Alvarez lowered his ERA to 3.97 in the win, while evening his record up at 4-4. His next start is set for Thursday against the Nationals.

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who missed his last start with a tight forearm, will play catch prior to Sunday's game against the Phillies. If all goes well, he'll throw a bullpen session on Monday and could make his next start Thursday at home against Miami.

Strasburg is 1-0 with a 3.80 ERA in his first five starts since tossing his first career complete-game shutout on Aug. 11.

Marlins starting pitcher Nate Eovaldi was able to play catch without any apparently discomfort Saturday, and will attempt to throw a bullpen session Sunday. Eovaldi was scratched from his most recent start with a back injury.

"Eovaldi came in much better," manager Mike Redmond told MLB.com. "He is getting better each day."

Assuming Eovaldi continues to progress well, the team is targeting a possible return for Wednesday against the Phillies, in the series finale. The Marlins have yet to announce their starter for Wednesday, leaving that spot open for Eovaldi if he avoids a setback. 

Marlins pitcher Nate Eovaldi (back) has shown improvement since he was scratched Thursday from a start against the Braves, MLB.com reports. He could return to the rotation next week against Philadelphia.

The 23-year-old Eovaldi has been a bright spot for the Marlins this season. He has gone 3-6 over 15 starts with a solid 3.80 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 87 2/3 innings pitched.

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto threw a bullpen Saturday and the next step in his rehab will be pitching in a real game, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. 

If Cueto responds well physically Sunday, he'll likely be scheduled to get into a game of some capacity. He could even start for Cincinnati. 

"You have to get through all this stuff, everything’s been a process of execution and then follow-up, and the follow-up is seeing how he feels when he gets done, the following day," pitching coach Bryan Price said Saturday morning. "I think he’s real close. Pretty close is about as far as we can go with him before activation."

Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (14-9) turned in another strong outing but was not backed by enough run support as he suffered his ninth loss of the season Friday against the Giants. The left-hander yielded three runs -- two earned -- on eight hits and no walks while striking out six over seven innings of a 4-2 defeat.

Kershaw has permitted two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his previous 14 starts. He is scheduled to make his next start Wednesday at Arizona. He is 0-1 with a 2.11 ERA in three starts against the Diamondbacks this season.

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright turned in another impressive outing but failed to factor into the decision Friday night against the Mariners. The right-hander surrendered one run on six hits and two walks while striking out six over eight innings of a 2-1 victory in extras.

Wainwright has allowed one run combined over his last two starts (15 innings). He is scheduled to make his next start Wednesday at Colorado. He tossed a complete game shutout in his previous meeting against the Rockies on May 11.

Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton, who had been dealing with a foot injury, made the start but failed to factor into the decision Friday night against the Cubs. The right-hander surrendered three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings of a 5-4 defeat.

Morton has allowed nine runs over his last 13 2/3 innings pitched. He is scheduled to make his next start Wednesday at home against San Diego.