MLB Player News

Imai didn't factor into the decision Monday against the Blue Jays after striking out five across three perfect innings in relief.

Imai was stellar in his first appearance out of the bullpen for the Astros, as he held Toronto without a baserunner for three innings while striking out the final five batters he faced. It's certainly an encouraging development for Imai, who struggled to a 7.71 ERA across 11.2 innings in his last four starts. Houston figures to keep Imai in a bulk relief role for the time being, following his success Monday. Overall, the right-hander is 6-4 with a 5.55 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 77:40 K:BB across 61.2 innings this season.

King (6-8) took the loss Monday, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks over five-plus innings against Arizona. He struck out five.

The right-hander was done in by a three-run homer surrendered to Tim Tawa in the fourth inning. King threw 66 of 104 pitches for strikes, issuing four walks for the sixth time this season. Through 130.1 innings (23 starts), the 31-year-old owns a 3.45 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 114:54 K:BB. His next start is tentatively scheduled for Saturday against Houston.

Pfaadt (6-1) earned the win Monday, allowing one unearned run on five hits and a walk over 6.2 innings against the Padres. He struck out three.

Pfaadt kept the Padres offense quiet, with the lone run he surrendered in the seventh inning being unearned. The right-hander has been incredible since being recalled June 30, compiling a 6-0 record with a 1.55 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across seven starts spanning 40.2 innings. Overall, Pfaadt owns a 3.66 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 52:22 K:BB across 78.2 innings (20 appearances, 10 starts) and is tentatively slated to pitch Saturday against the Dodgers.

Lorenzen (3-10) took the loss Monday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and three walks over three innings against the Rays. He did not record a strikeout.

Lorenzen was rocked from the outset, giving up a two-run homer to Junior Caminero in the first inning before surrendering five more runs over the next two frames. The veteran hurler has struggled mightily this season, allowing seven-plus runs in five different outings. With a 6.94 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and 80:43 K:BB across 107.2 innings (24 appearances), the right-hander is tentatively slated to pitch Sunday against the Cardinals.

Lauer is expected to remain in the Dodgers' rotation after Emmet Sheehan was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Lauer's starting role was in jeopardy after Los Angeles acquired star hurler Tarik Skubal via trade Saturday. However, Sheehan's demotion to the minors should salvage Lauer's rotation spot for the time being. Lauer has been great since joining Los Angeles in mid-May, posting a 2.96 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 30:13 K:BB while going 5-0 over nine starts spanning 51.2 innings. With that said, Lauer is likely to be the odd man out when/if the Dodgers are able to eventually get all of their starters back to full health, though Shohei Ohtani (knee), Blake Snell (elbow) and Tyler Glasnow (back) are currently all working their way back from injuries.

Javier (1-2) took the loss Monday, allowing three runs on seven hits and no walks over six innings against Toronto. He struck out two.

After mostly working out of the bullpen since returning from a right shoulder strain in early July, Javier drew the start Monday and recorded a quality start, though a lack of run support saddled him with the loss. On the year, the 29-year-old owns a 6.59 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 23:15 K:BB across 27.1 innings (nine outings, five starts). Should Javier remain in the rotation, he's lined up to take the mound Sunday against San Diego.

Bieber (3-2) earned the win Monday, allowing one run on nine hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Astros. He struck out six.

Bieber allowed plenty of traffic on the bases but was ultimately able to limit the damage to just one run en route to picking up the win. Monday was a much better showing than the right-hander's previous start, when he surrendered four runs fueled by six walks without escaping the first inning Tuesday against the Nationals. The 31-year-old has mostly struggled since making his season debut June 23, posting a 5.11 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 28:20 K:BB across 37 innings (eight starts). Bieber's next outing is tentatively scheduled for Saturday against the Phillies.

Rodon threw a live session Monday and could next embark upon a minor-league rehab assignment, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Per MLB.com, Rodon threw about 40 pitches in Monday's live BP and could begin the rehab assignment this Saturday. The left-hander has been sidelined since his last start June 28 due to left elbow inflammation. If all goes well for Rodon moving forward, he'll log a few minor-league starts before being activated from the IL by the end of August.

Wrobleski (11-3) took the loss against the Cubs on Monday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four batters over 4.1 innings.

The Dodgers' offense gave Wrobleski a nice early cushion, producing three runs in the top of the first inning. However, the left-hander allowed Chicago to quickly close the gap when he surrendered a two-run homer to Carson Kelly in the bottom of the frame. The Cubs went on to crush three more long balls against Wrobleski, marking his second straight start in which he's allowed four home runs. Prior to the pair of outings, Wrobleski had allowed just eight homers across his first 106.2 frames spanning 17 starts, so he's clearly hit a rough patch. According to Jack Harris of the California Post, both Wrobleski and Dave Roberts said after the game that the hurler may be tipping his pitches, and the team is planning to look into whether that's the case. With an 11-3 overall record, a 3.31 ERA and his first career All-Star nod under his belt, Wrobleski has likely earned some leash in terms of holding onto a starting spot through his recent struggles, though Los Angeles' embarrassment of pitching riches means he could be vying with Roki Sasaki for the No. 6 rotation spot when all of Shohei Ohtani (knee), Blake Snell (elbow) and Tyler Glasnow (back) are ready to rejoin Yoshinabu Yamamoto and Tarik Skubal in the rotation.

Boyd (7-1) earned the win over the Dodgers on Monday, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 6.2 innings.

It looked like Boyd could be in for a quick hook after he surrendered four straight hits (resulting in three runs) to begin the game. However, he gave up only two more runs (one of which was unearned) the rest of the way, and Chicago's offense exploded to provide him plenty of support. Boyd managed to give the Cubs a hearty 6.2 innings on just 92 pitches, aided by the fact that he issued just one walk and registered a modest three punchouts. This was far from a great outing overall for the lefty -- the nine hits allowed were a season high, and Boyd snapped a stretch of three straight quality starts -- but it speaks volumes that he was able to rebound after the rough beginning against the back-to-back champs. Boyd hasn't taken a loss since his first outing of the season, going 7-0 across his subsequent 12 starts.