MLB Player News

Clarke tossed five shutout innings for Triple-A Reno in its 6-1 win over Salt Lake on Monday. He scattered three hits and two walks and struck out five.

Clarke owns an unremarkable 4.21 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 57.2 innings this season, but those figures don't accurately reflect how exceptionally he's pitched this month. Over six May starts, Clarke has gone 5-1 with a 2.12 ERA and 40:10 K:BB in 34 innings, establishing himself as arguably the top arm in the Reno rotation. If the Diamondbacks should suffer another injury to a starter at the big-league level, Clarke might be the top candidate to fill an opening.

Sims was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

Sims was likely unavailable for a couple of days after tossing 2.1 innings during Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader, so he was sent to the minors to open up a roster spot for Tuesday's starter, Anibal Sanchez, who returned from the disabled list in a corresponding move. Sims should be back with the big club when a fresh arm is needed again.

Mayers allowed an earned run on three hits and a walk over two innings in a loss to the Brewers on Monday. He struck out two.

Mayers worked up to a robust 49 pitches in his two frames, his highest pitch count of the season overall. The 26-year-old right-hander has now allowed an earned run in three of his six May appearances, but he still sports an impressive 2.63 ERA over his 13.2 innings this season. Mayers' ability to work long relief when needed renders him a valuable component of the bullpen, but the way he's been deployed thus far has failed to yield him any hold opportunities.

Koch (3-3) picked up the win despite allowing five runs on 11 hits and a walk through five innings Monday against the Reds.

Koch was lifted by the Diamondbacks offense, which broke out for four runs in the second inning and nine runs through the first five frames. He just couldn't miss bats, as he induced just four swinging strikes en route to his second strikeout-less start in three outings. Koch's season high for strikeouts is just five, and his 4.7 K/9 rivals San Francisco's Ty Blach (4.5) for the worst in the league if Koch had enough innings to qualify. Koch has sharp control, but that won't be enough if he can't find a way to draw more swinging strikes. His next turn is scheduled for Sunday against the Marlins.

Stewart allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks across four innings in a no-decision Monday against the Phillies. He struck out five.

Stewart gave up an unearned run on his own wild pitch in the first inning and was tagged for a three-run home run by Cesar Hernandez in the second. He was better over the next couple of frames, but an elevated pitch count factored into his removal before the fifth. Stewart has a 4.61 ERA on the season, but regardless of how he did in this start he seemed set to return to a long relief role when Clayton Kershaw (biceps) returns later this week.

Helsley (2-0) racked up 10 strikeouts and allowed an unearned run on three hits and a walk over seven innings in Triple-A Memphis' win over Colorado Springs on Monday.

Helsley was arguably even more impressive than in his previous outing, when he'd mowed down nine hitters over seven innings against Oklahoma City. The 23-year-old right-hander now sports a 5-2 record, 3.34 ERA, 72:23 K:BB and .179 BAA over 62 innings. While he looks destined to remain with the Redbirds for the foreseeable future, Helsley may be hard to keep on the farm over the long haul if he continues to dominate in similar fashion.

Jansen struck out two in a scoreless inning of work to earn his 12th save of the season Monday against the Phillies.

Jansen was dominant in this appearance, throwing 12 of 15 pitches for strikes as he mowed down the side in order. He's now gone 11 straight appearances without allowing a run, lowering his ERA to 2.66. Jansen has also converted 10 consecutive save opportunities.

Suarez allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and one walk across five innings in a no-decision Monday against the Rockies. He struck out seven.

Suarez was victimized by a three-run home run from Trevor Story in the first inning, but the only other run on his ledger for the day followed an error in the third. He got six groundball outs and tied his season high in strikeouts, taking his K:BB to 37:8 on the season. Suarez still has an inflated 5.65 ERA on the season, which is mainly a product of his 1.7 HR/9 through 36.2 innings. He'll look to cut down on the long balls in a more forgiving matchup with the Phillies on Sunday.

Suter (5-3) picked up the win Monday against the Cardinals, allowing three runs on five hits across five innings while striking out six.

Suter was through four scoreless innings before serving up a pair of homers -- a two-run shot to Yairo Munoz and a solo homer to Matt Carpenter -- in the fifth frame. The Brewers provided plenty of run support, and Suter helped out with a two-RBI double of his own, allowing the southpaw to rack up his third straight win, a three-start stretch during which he owns a 3.31 ERA and 18:3 K:BB across 16.1 innings. Suter will look to keep things rolling in his next start, which will come on the road against the White Sox.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that Stewart would likely transition to a long-relief role following the right-hander's start Monday against the Phillies, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Roberts confirmed over the weekend that Clayton Kershaw (biceps) would return from the 10-day disabled list to start Thursday's series finale against Philadelphia, forcing the Dodgers to drop a starter from their rotation. Despite performing credibly in his first start May 22 against the Rockies while being limited to 63 pitches, Stewart hasn't built up enough cachet to stick in the rotation over Ross Stripling, who has posted a 1.23 ERA and 31:2 K:BB over his last four starts. Once he completes the start Monday, Stewart will likely take a few days to rest before being available out of the bullpen for the Dodgers' weekend series in Colorado.