MLB Player News

Braves reliever Alex Wood should be back in the bullpen by the start of a weekend series against the Brewers, after he was needed to throw 73 pitches in a start Tuesday. Manager Fredi Gonzalez told MLB.com Wood could be available to pitch in relief as early as the series opener.

"We're shooting for him to be available by Friday at the earliest," Gonzalez said. "He threw a lot of pitches in three innings."

Wood was bothered by a cuticle tear on his index finger in the outing, but that is not expected to bother him by he time he returns to the bullpen. 

Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu took the loss Wednesday against the Yankees and fell to 6-3.

Ryu did muster a quality start, as he allowed three runs on five hits over six innings. Ryu struck out four, walked two, and served up a solo home run to Ichiro Suzuki. His ERA remains excellent at 2.96.

Perhaps Zack Wheeler's six shutout innings in his major-league debut Tuesday at Atlanta would mean more if he didn't walk five batters in the game, but before you dismiss Mets right-hander as another Trevor Bauer, you should know he's in pretty good company with the performance.

You know Matt Harvey, arguably this season's biggest breakout at starting pitcher?  Most Fantasy owners were pretty satisfied with what he did as a rookie last year, and he issued three walks over 5 1/3 innings in his first career start. What about five walks in six innings? That came in his fourth start, when he presumably wasn't dealing with the same nerves that Wheeler was Tuesday night.

In fact, for as much grief as Wheeler has gotten for his walk rate in the minors, Harvey's was actually worse leading up to his promotion. He issued 3.9 per nine innings at Triple-A compared to Wheeler's 3.5 per nine.

That doesn't necessarily mean Wheeler will follow the same path as Harvey going forward. Al Melchior said on Fantasy Baseball Today that he'd be surprised to see Wheeler develop that quickly. But it does mean you shouldn't view the walks as a death sentence. His debut actually improved his stock in my eyes. I now rank him 59th among starting pitchers.

Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright endured a rough outing as he served up two homers and suffered his fourth loss of the season Tuesday night against the Cubs.

Wainwright (10-4) surrendered home runs to Ryan Sweeney and Cody Ransom in the opening frame before settling down. He permitted four runs on seven hits while striking out three in seven innings in a 4-2 loss.

Wainwright has allowed six earned runs combined over his last three starts (21 innings). He is scheduled to make his next start Sunday at home against the Rangers. He is 3-2 with a 1.35 ERA in five starts at home.

Marlins starting pitcher Nate Eovaldi pitched well Tuesday against the Diamondbacks in his first start of the season, but the Marlins' bullpen faltered in a 3-2 loss.

Eovaldi allowed just three hits in six innings of work, and he held the Diamondbacks to just two runs. Both runs came on a fourth-inning home run by Martin Prado that tied the game 2-2. Eovaldi exited with the game tied and earned a no-decision, despite the quality start.

Eovaldi struck out three batters and threw 58 of 84 pitches for strikes in his first start since being shut down with shoulder inflammation. He averaged 97.7 miles per hour with his fastball per BrooksBaseball.net, after averaging 94.1 miles per hour last season.

Eovaldi is set to make his second start Sunday in San Francisco. 

If Mets' pitching prospect Zack Wheeler had one obstacle to overcome in his battle to reach the majors, it was his control. In his major-league debut, that issue cropped up a few times, but Wheeler overcame his shaky command to earn a 6-1 win over the Braves.

Wheeler walked two batters in the first inning and five overall in six innings, but limited Atlanta's big-swinging offense to just one extra-base hit. Wheeler allowed four hits overall while striking out seven, though he threw just 55 of 102 pitches for strikes.

Wheeler didn't allow a run, and he picked up 14 of his 55 strikes via swings and misses. Wheeler is expected to be optioned back to Triple-A Las Vegas after the game, but he'll be recalled for his next turn in the rotation, scheduled for June 25 at the White Sox. 

Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton turned in a decent outing Tuesday against the Reds, as he earned his first major-league win since May 12, 2012. Morton (1-1) allowed three hits and struck out two in 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory.

Morton has allowed just two runs over his first 10 1/3 innings since returning from Tommy John surgery. He is scheduled to make his next start Sunday against the Angels in Anaheim.

Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu had his Tuesday start against the Yankees postponed due to rain. He will start the first half of Wednesday's doubleheader, with Chris Capuano following him later in the day. 

Braves rookie pitcher Alex Wood temporarily stepped away from his bullpen role Tuesday to start the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets. Unfortunately, Wood found out, like many other major-league pitchers have, outdueling Mets ace Matt Harvey isn't an easy feat.

The left-hander lasted only three innings, allowing one run on two hits and three walks during a 4-3 loss. Wood (0-1) struck out five, but he was plagued by a high pitch count and a callous on his left hand. Wood needed 73 pitches (38 strikes) to make it through three innings. A callous plit on his index finger, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Wood said he could have kept pitching, but manager Fredi Gonzalez said he pulled him because of the combination of high pitch count and the finger issue.

Wood was just a spot starter because of the doubleheader and is headed back to the bullpen.

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said starting pitcher Zack Wheeler, who will make his MLB debut in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Braves, was recalled as the team's 26th man. He will be optioned back to Triple-A Las Vegas after the game, but he will be recalled for his next start, June 25 at Chicago White Sox.