MLB Player News

Brown tossed six scoreless innings but did not factor into the decision Saturday against the Reds. He allowed a hit and a walk, while striking out nine.

Brown followed opener Drew Pomeranz, and the former turned in arguably his best performance of the year, though he couldn't snag the win as the Cubs scored all their runs in the eighth inning after Brown had departed. The righty matched his season high in strikeouts and innings pitched, and he lowered his ERA to 5.72 in the process. Brown still has some work to do with his ERA after allowing a total of 14 runs over his previous two outings, though Saturday's performances was a clear step in the right direction for the 25-year-old. He'll look to carry some momentum into his next scheduled start, which is tentatively penciled in for Friday against a tough Detroit squad.

Imanaga (hamstring) completed a bullpen session Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Imanaga has now thrown a pair of side sessions since landing on the injured list May 5, as the Cubs have been working him back slowly from a left hamstring strain. Assuming he's dealing with nothing more than normal soreness following Saturday's session, Imanaga is expected to shift his rehab program to the Cubs' spring training facility in Arizona during the upcoming week. Imanaga will need to face hitters in live batting practice before the Cubs determine whether to send him out on a minor-league rehab assignment or have him build up his pitch count through simulated games before bringing him back from the IL.

Manager Bob Melvin said Saturday that Verlander (pectoral) isn't expected to make his next start, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Melvin added that Verlander hasn't experienced a setback in his recovery from a right pectoral strain, but the ball simply hasn't been coming out of his hand the way he'd like. The 42-year-old righty will now presumably look to return to the mound next weekend, which will give Kyle Harrison enought time to make at least one more start with the Giants.

Patrick will start Saturday's game against the Phillies, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Patrick was originally expected to work in bulk relief behind Rob Zastryzny on Saturday, but the Brewers ultimately decided to use Patrick as their starter once they saw Bryce Harper (elbow) wouldn't be in Philadelphia's starting nine, per Hogg. Patrick has been a nice find for Milwaukee's rotation this season, turning in a 2.97 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 57.2 innings and most recently firing 4.2 shutout frames with six strikeouts against the Red Sox.

The Dodgers transferred Glasnow (shoulder) to the 60-day IL on Saturday.

The 31-year-old righty will give up his spot on the Dodgers' 40-man roster to Chuckie Robinson, who was claimed off waivers from the Angels on Saturday. Glasnow has been on the injured list since late April with right shoulder inflammation and is now eligible to return beginning June 27.

Blackburn (knee) is expected to return from the 15-day injured list to start Monday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.

Blackburn has been on the shelf all season while recovering from right knee inflammation, but he appears to be healthy again after completing a lengthy rehab assignment. He was especially effective over his most recent two outings at Triple-A Syracuse, covering 13.1 innings between those starts while striking out 10 and allowing two earned runs on five hits and four walks. The Mets will expand their rotation to six men to make room for Blackburn, but neither manager Carlos Mendoza nor president of baseball operations Davi Stearns were willing to say whether the six-man setup would continue beyond this week, per Garrett Stepien of SNY.tv. With that in mind, how Blackburn performs in a tough road matchup with the Dodgers could go a long way in determining whether he'll be in store for additional starts.

Patrick is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Rob Zastryzny in Saturday's game against the Phillies in Philadelphia, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Patrick has started in 11 of his 12 appearances on the season and owns an excellent 2.97 ERA, but he has a 2-4 record to show for it. The Brewers have typically been reluctant to let Patrick work deep into games -- he's covered five-plus innings just five times -- but working as a bulk reliever should boost his chances of coming away with a win if he ends up exiting Saturday's contest with a lead. With the Phillies typically deploying two left-handed bats (Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper or Bryson Stott) in the top three spots in the lineup, the Brewers will likely have the lefty Zastryzny pitch just one inning before he turns the game over to Patrick.

Brown is slated to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Drew Pomeranz in Saturday's game against the Reds in Chicago, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

The left-handed-hitting TJ Friedl typically leads off for the Reds, so Cubs manager Craig Counsell will have the left-handed Pomeranz begin the game on the mound with the hope that he can keep Cincinnati off the board early. Based on comments from manager Craig Counsell, Pomeranz is likely to work just one inning before turning the ball over to Brown, who had started in each of his last 10 appearances while posting a 6.38 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 48 innings. Another rough showing as a bulk reliever could loosen Brown's grip on a rotation spot a bit more, though the Cubs don't appear to have an obvious candidate to replace him.

Pivetta (6-2) picked up the win Friday, allowing two runs on six hits over six innings in a 3-2 victory over the Pirates. He struck out eight without walking a batter.

The right-hander blanked the Bucs through five innings before getting peppered with singles in the sixth, but Pivetta eventually put out the fire and saw the Padres re-take the lead in the bottom of the frame. He's delivered three straight quality starts and seven in 11 trips to the mound this season, and Pivetta will take a 2.74 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 71:18 K:BB through 62.1 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in San Francisco.

Keller (1-7) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs on three hits and two walks over six innings as the Pirates were downed 3-2 by the Padres. He struck out one.

The veteran righty managed only three swinging strikes among his 78 pitches (49 total strikes), but Keller generated plenty of weak contact as he delivered his fifth straight quality start, and ninth in 12 trips to the mound this season. His reliability has been matched only by the consistently poor offensive support he's gotten from the Pirates -- in all five of the games during his QS streak, Pittsburgh's scored two runs or fewer, and the team has yet to push more than four runs across in any of his 2025 starts. Should the Bucs look to move him by the trade deadline, Keller could see his fantasy value soar on a contender. He'll take a 3.73 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 56:19 K:BB through 70 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Astros.