MLB Player News

Cardinals president of baseball operations said Friday that Matz (shoulder) will make one more minor-league rehab start before returning from the 15-day injured list, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Matz completed his third rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Memphis, working 3.1 innings while striking out four and allowing two earned runs on two hits and one walk. Since Matz exited after throwing 59 pitches, the Cardinals will likely want to see the lefty get stretched out to the 70-to-80-pitch range in his upcoming rehab start before bringing him back from the IL. Matz is likely to make his next minor-league appearance Tuesday before potentially slotting back into the St. Louis rotation for the Cardinals' final game of the first half July 17 against the Reds.

Sandoval (3-4) took the loss against the Orioles on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits while striking out 10 and walking two over 6.1 innings.

Sandoval did everything he could to keep the Angels in the game, but his offense gave him no support and he took the loss. He did earn a quality start, his seventh of the year. The lefty threw 61 of 95 pitches for strikes in the game. This comes one game after he allowed five runs in five innings, so it appears that Sandoval is back on track. He will take a 2.95 ERA into his next outing.

Cubs manager David Ross said Smyly (oblique) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Chicago will end up welcoming two starters back from the injured list to close out the weekend series in Los Angeles, as Marcus Stroman (shoulder) was activated Saturday and worked four innings in the Cubs' 4-2 loss. Smyly will be making his first appearance for the Cubs since May 30 after he was on the shelf for the past five and a half weeks with a right oblique strain. The southpaw covered four innings and tossed 52 pitches in his lone minor-league rehab start back on Monday, so he expects to be capped at around 85 pitches in his return from the IL.

Wood (hamstring) is listed as the Giants' scheduled starting pitcher for Sunday's game in San Diego.

Wood experienced cramping in his left hamstring during his most recent outing Tuesday against the Diamondbacks, but he was apparently able to complete a between-starts bullpen session without issue to keep himself on track for the two-start week. The southpaw has had mixed results over his six starts since the beginning of June, tossing two quality starts in that stretch but posting a 7.41 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across his last four appearances.

Montgomery allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four over 5.2 innings against Boston on Saturday. He did not factor in the decision.

Montgomery gave up a run in the second inning but didn't allow Boston to get back on the scoreboard until Rob Refsnyder tagged him for a solo homer in the sixth. Montgomery was pulled one out shy of a quality start, and he lost his hold on a win when the Red Sox tied the game in the eighth frame. The southpaw has been plagued by poor run support in July -- in two starts, he's yielded only three runs over 10.2 frames but has an 0-1 record to show for it. Still, it's been a nice bounce-back after Montgomery surrendered nine runs over 12.2 frames during his final pair of starts in June.

Crawford pitched five innings against the Yankees on Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six. He did not factor in the decision.

Crawford did a good job of taming the potent Yankees offense, holding New York scoreless until Aaron Hicks launched a solo shot against him in the fifth inning. That was the only extra-base hit the right-hander allowed in the contest, and he also racked up six strikeouts. Crawford is making a case for sticking with the big club for the long haul with his past two appearances. In those outings, he's compiled 10.1 innings during which he's given up only one run while posting a 14:3 K:BB.

Manoah (9-4) took the loss Saturday against the Mariners. He allowed two runs on three hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in 7.1 innings.

Manoah's four walks matched a season high -- he hadn't issued that many free passes since April 11. He also gave up a homer for the fourth straight start, and it was a two-run blast to Carlos Santana, which saddled Manoah with his second straight loss. The right-hander showed improvement from his recent form, but he's still allowed 16 runs (14 earned) over his last 32 innings. For the season, he has a 2.34 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 97:25 K:BB through 107.2 innings in 17 starts. He's projected for a favorable home start against the Royals next week, giving him a chance to end the first half strong.

Ray allowed one run on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings in a no-decision versus the Blue Jays on Saturday.

The lone run against Ray came in the form of a George Springer solo home run in the sixth inning. The southpaw was let off the hook when Carlos Santana put the Mariners ahead with a two-run blast in the seventh. Over his last six games, Ray has allowed four runs, 18 hits, 11 walks and three hit batters while striking out 46 in 39.2 innings. The southpaw's return to ace form has seen him trim his ERA from 4.97 to 3.51 over that stretch, and he's added a 1.11 WHIP and 123:38 K:BB in 110.1 innings overall in 18 starts. Ray is projected for a road start at Texas next week.

Stroman (shoulder) threw four scoreless innings Saturday versus the Dodgers. He allowed two hits and one walk while striking out three, and he didn't factor in the decision.

Stroman missed a month with right shoulder inflammation. He was limited in this appearance, throwing 59 pitches (37 strikes), though he was effective after his stint on the injured list. It's an encouraging return for the right-hander, who still owns a mediocre 4.91 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 48:13 K:BB through 51.1 innings in 10 starts this year. He's projected for a home start versus the Mets next weekend, though it's likely he'll still be working on a pitch count for that outing as he continues to stretch out to a full workload.

Kershaw (6-2) allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings, earning the win over the Cubs on Saturday.

Kershaw worked into the eighth inning for the first time since last June. This was the ninth time in 11 starts he's limited opponents to two or fewer runs, and he's now logged six quality starts in 2022. He's in vintage form in July with only one earned run, nine hits and a walk allowed in 14.2 innings over his last two starts. The 34-year-old southpaw has a 2.40 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 69:12 K:BB through 63.2 innings overall, and he's projected for a road start versus the Angels next weekend.