MLB Player News

Rodriguez (9-3) earned the win against the Nationals on Friday, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four across six innings.

It wasn't exactly a smooth outing, as Rodriguez allowed at least two baserunners in three of six innings he pitched. However, he limited the damage to a two-run homer from Dylan Crews in the fourth inning, and Rodriguez ended his outing with 12 whiffs and seven groundouts on 98 pitches (63 strikes). It was the 13th quality start of the season for Rodriguez, which is tied for fourth-most in the majors, and his 2.64 ERA over 122.2 innings is seventh-best among qualified starters. His next start is lined up for next week on the road against the Pirates.

Luzardo (9-5) took the loss against the Yankees on Friday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out nine across seven innings.

Friday was Luzardo's 13th quality start of the season and the seventh time he recorded at least nine strikeouts. Unfortunately for the southpaw, it wasn't enough to avoid the loss, as the solo home run he gave up to Paul Goldschmidt in the fourth inning turned out to be the only run scored in the game. Still, Luzardo has been pitching well as of late, having allowed one earned run or less in seven of his last eight starts. He'll take a 3.31 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 122.1 innings into his next start, tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Marlins.

MRI results on McDonald's right elbow revealed a moderate UCL sprain Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

McDonald exited his start Monday due to injury before landing on the injured list Tuesday. He will now seek out a second opinion to help determine next steps, but it seems like the 25-year-old righty is trending toward an extended stay on the injured list.

Glasnow (back) is scheduled to face live hitters Friday, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Glasnow was cleared to resume throwing off a mound roughly two weeks ago, and Friday will mark his first time facing a live hitter since he landed on the injured list in May with lower-back spasms. The 32-year-old's progress within the past month has been encouraging, but he'll almost certainly require an extended rehab assignment once he's cleared to begin playing in games.

Meyer (neck) will continue treatment and won't throw for the next two weeks, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

After being placed on the 15-day injured list Monday, Meyer will not throw for another two weeks and will be evaluated after that period is over. The 27-year-old is eligible for activation Aug. 4 but will most likely log an extended absence before he returns to a big-league mound.

Gusto will start Friday's game versus the Padres, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

He's filling in for the injured Max Meyer (neck). Gusto made a two-inning relief appearance Tuesday in Houston and hasn't been stretched out for a typical starter's workload since mid-June, so the Marlins will likely need to utilize their bullpen heavily in Friday's series opener.

Drake is slated to start Sunday's game against the Nationals in Washington, D.C.

Unsurprisingly, Drake earned himself another turn through the rotation after delivering a sterling performance in his MLB debut Tuesday. He took a no-decision, holding the A's to one run on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters across five innings in an eventual extra-inning win. Before receiving his promotion to the big leagues, the 26-year-old southpaw had submitted a 6.92 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 60:31 K:BB with Triple-A Reno across 66.1 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Lowder is slated to start Friday's game against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

After heading to the bullpen shortly before the All-Star break, Lowder shifted back into the rotation to open the second half of the season after Cincinnati placed Nick Lodolo (finger) on the injured list. Making his 14th start of the campaign this past Saturday at Coors Field, Lowder was roughed up for eight earned runs on 11 hits over 2.1 innings, inflating his ERA up to 5.75. He'll get a chance to right the ship Friday, but regardless of how he performs, he'll likely be headed back to the bullpen or to Triple-A Louisville once Lodolo is ready to come off the IL.

Littell is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Carson Palmquist in Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Littell served as a traditional starter in his last appearance Saturday in Sacramento, but he was blasted for eight runs on eight hits and four walks across six innings in a loss to the Athletics. The Nationals will look to coax better results from Littell by deploying him out of the bullpen, with the right-hander likely to take over once Palmquist covers the first inning or two. Littell has submitted a 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 11.3 K-BB% in 33.2 innings over seven bulk-relief outings this season.

McGreevy (4-8) took the loss Thursday against the Diamondbacks, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three over 6.1 innings.

He was undone by a three-run fourth inning that included Tyler Locklear's two-run homer. McGreevy would give up another run in the fifth after Corbin Carroll led off the frame with a triple. Despite the loss, the right-hander continued his recent run of durability, as he has now completed at least six frames in eight of his last nine starts while posting a 3.17 ERA during that stretch. Even with the consistency, he has only one win in his last seven decisions. McGreevy owns a 3.07 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 74:27 K:BB across 114.1 innings this season. He is scheduled to make his next start at home versus the Cubs.