MLB Player News

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha is one option being considered to pitch one of the team's two games Tuesday, the Belleville News-Democrat reports. Lance Lynn is scheduled to start the other half of the doubleheader.

Wacha has made three starts with the Cardinals this season, with the most recent coming on June 11. He's 1-0 with a 4.58 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 14:4 K:BB ratio in 17 2/3 innings.

Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler had trouble holding onto a three-run lead Thursday against the Braves. Luckily, the Mets' offense bailed him out in a 7-4 win.

The rookie right-hander took a 4-1 lead into the fourth inning before Dan Uggla cut the deficit to one run with a two-run homer. Freddie Freeman then tied the game at 4 with a solo home run leading off the sixth. Fortunately, the Mets retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth, sending Wheeler to the victory. 

"(Wheeler) was inconsistent with (fastball) overall," one scout told the New York Daily News about Wheeler's performance. "May be hot and cold for a while at this level, but the pure stuff is great."

Wheeler (4-1) allowed four runs on six hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five. He will be back on the hill Tuesday at Miami. 

Braves starting pitcher Alex Wood was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett Thursday to make his second major-league start against the Mets. Wood walked away with a no-decision after allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.

The rookie left-hander, who struck out five, opened with two scoreless innings and carried a 1-0 lead into the third inning before the Mets scored four times. Marlon Byrd had an RBI single, Justin Turner had an RBI groundout and John Buck had a two-RBI single.

Wood is likely to remain in the Braves' rotation for the time being with injuries to Paul Maholm (wrist) and Tim Hudson (ankle). Wood is lining up to make his next start Tuesday vs. Colorado.

Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton is having better success against left-handed batters in 2013. Lefties are batting .276 with a .833 OPS against the right-hander this season, as opposed to batting .327 with a .914 OPS last season.

Morton used the inside part of the plate more often against lefties Monday against the Nationals. He was inspired after watching A.J. Burnett pitch inside against Reds slugger Jay Bruce Saturday.

"A.J. is a big fan of pitching inside to lefties," catcher Russell Martin said. "They've got about the same kind of movement on their fastballs. Charlie had that aggressive mindset, and it worked out for him."

The Cardinals optioned pitcher Carlos Martinez to Triple-A Memphis Thursday. Martinez, who was stretching out to start in the minors, made three relief appearances following his latest recall July 11.

Starting for injured pitcher Jason Marquis, Padres pitcher Sean O'Sullivan fell to 0-2 by taking the loss in his team's 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Brewers Wednesday. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks while striking out four in 6 1/3 innings, earning his first quality start.

If O'Sullivan sticks in the rotation, his next turn will come Monday against the Reds.

Dodgers pitcher Ricky Nolasco gave up two earned runs on just two hits and four walks while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings in his team's 8-3 win over the Blue Jays Wednesday. However, he did not factor into the decision in the extra-innings victory.

Nolasco has surrendered three earned runs or less in each of his first four starts with the Dodgers, but he's walked nine batters over his last three outings while failing to complete six innings in any of those starts. He gets another interleague game in his next start Tuesday, this time against the Yankees.

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts while allowing one earned run on just two hits and no walks in eight innings Wednesday but was the tough-luck loser in his team's 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Pirates.

Strasburg's only mistake came in the second inning, when Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez hit a solo home run, which represented the only scoring by either team before the ninth inning. Strasburg's big performance gives him a 5-8 record, 2.85 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 127:38 K:BB ratio in 123 1/3 innings. He's scheduled to take on the Tigers Tuesday.

Rangers prospect pitcher Neil Ramirez has been placed on the minor league disabled list at Double-A Frisco with a biceps strain, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Ramirez was initially projected to be a part of the Cubs-Rangers trade that sent Matt Garza to Texas, but his biceps strain was apparently the injury snag that held up the deal. If the Cubs are satisfied with his recovery from the injury, he could still end up heading to Chicago as a player to be named later in the deal. It's unclear when he will return from the injury, however.

Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin turned in another impressive performance as he earned his 12th win of the season Tuesday night against the Cubs.

Corbin (12-1), who made his first start back from the All-Star break, allowed a run-scoring single to Anthony Rizzo in the third for his only blemish of the evening. The left-hander yielded one run on four hits and three walks while striking out six over six innings pitched in a 10-4 win.

Corbin has won his last three decisions. He is 3-0 with a 1.31 ERA over that span (20 2/3 innings). He is scheduled to make his next start Sunday at home against the Padres. He is 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts against San Diego this season.