MLB Player News

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Friday that he plans for Matz to pitch out of the bullpen "at the moment," Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals went to a six-man rotation during a stretch of the schedule that was light on off days. However, they are idle for every Thursday in May, allowing them to shift back to a five-man setup for the time being. It sounds like Matz could re-enter the rotation at any point, though, with Marmol saying of Matz's usage that the club can "pick and choose based on how things are going." Matz has pitched well in both roles this season, posting a 1.00 ERA and 11:0 K:BB over nine innings in two starts and a 1.80 ERA and 9:3 K:BB over 15 frames covering seven relief outings.

Gray (3-1) took the loss Friday as the Cardinals fell 9-3 to the Mets, coughing up six runs (four earned) on nine hits and three walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out six.

A Willson Contreras error didn't help matters, but Gray was headed to one of his worst outings of the season even if the St. Louis defense had been airtight. The veteran righty has given up double-digit baserunners in back-to-back trips to the mound, and Pete Alonso's two-run shot in the fifth inning was the sixth homer Gray has served up this year in 39.1 innings. He'll carry a 4.12 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 39:10 K:BB into his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend against the Nationals.

Alvarez went 3-for-5 with three RBI in Friday's 9-3 win over the Cardinals.

While none of the knocks went for extra bases, it was still a strong performance from Alvarez. The 23-year-old backstop is batting .269 (7-for-26) with a double, a homer and six RBI over six games since returning from surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone.

Nimmo went 3-for-3 with two walks, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Friday's 9-3 win over the Cardinals.

His seventh-inning shot off John King was the highlight of a huge performance from Nimmo, who has been running hot and cold over the last week-plus. The veteran outfielder has three multi-hit efforts in his last seven starts, but he went 0-for-16 in the other four games. On the season, Nimmo's slashing .229/.279/.441 with seven homers, 16 runs and 22 RBI in 31 contests.

Holmes (4-1) picked up the win Friday, giving up three runs on eight hits over six innings in a 9-3 victory over the Cardinals. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The right-hander needed 92 pitches (63 strikes) to deliver his second quality start of the season, and his fourth win in his last five outings. Holmes' transition to a starting role this year has gone without a hitch, and through 36.2 innings he's posted a 2.95 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 39:13 K:BB. He'll look to keep rolling in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Cubs.

Espinal started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, two RBI and a run scored in Friday's 6-1 win over Washington.

Espinal started the last two games in left field and should help fill the void left by Austin Hays' hamstring injury, which landed him on the 10-day injured list. Espinal is expected to start in left against left-handers while Hays is unavailable, and Gavin Lux should start there against righties. Espinal will also move around as needed in the infield. He's batting .324/.385/.394 over 24 games (78 plate appearances) this season.

Stephenson started at designated hitter and went 2-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 6-1 win over the Nationals.

Stephenson was activated off the 10-day injured list and made his season debut after rehabbing an oblique injury. He caught several innings while on a rehab assignment, and having him DH was likely a way to slowly integrate Stephenson back into action. He was often used as a DH in past seasons to get his bat in the lineup as much as possible.

Kelly went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 10-0 win over the Brewers.

Kelly extended his hitting streak to four games, during which time he's gone 7-for-17 with a home run and four RBI. Overall, the veteran catcher has a scintillating .364 batting average and 1.318 OPS over 18 games. The strong play has allowed Kelly to move slightly ahead of Miguel Amaya when it comes to Chicago's pecking order behind the plate.

Hoerner went 2-for-5 with an RBI in Friday's 10-0 win over the Brewers.

While other Chicago players have had splashier stat lines during the team's 20-13 start to the season, Hoerner has been a steady performer with a .289 batting average and six stolen bases across 29 games. The infielder has two multi-hit efforts over his last three contests and at least one hit in four of his last five appearances.

Kelly was removed from Friday's start after five innings due to cramping in his right hamstring, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. He allowed one run on four hits and struck out two before being removed.

Kelly began to feel the cramping while warming up for the sixth inning and was removed after just 60 pitches. The cramping issue has dogged the 36-year old right-hander the last few seasons. "I wish I had a good answer for you guys," Kelly said. "We've tried all kinds of things. We've done all kinds of labs, all kinds of hydration stuff. If I had a good answer for you guys, I'd stop cramping." As of now, Kelly is expected to make his next scheduled start in five days.