MLB Player News

Matz is no longer in line to start Wednesday against the Marlins, as the Cardinals have confirmed that Matthew Liberatore will draw the start in Miami, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Though prior reports suggested that Matz would get the starting nod Wednesday, the Cardinals will instead turn to Liberatore on three days' rest after the rookie covered 4.1 innings in the second game of this past Saturday's doubleheader with the Yankees. Manager Oliver Marmol hasn't revealed whether Matz will be available in relief Wednesday, but if the veteran southpaw goes unused, he'll likely be a candidate to fill the spot in the rotation vacated by Adam Wainwright (shoulder), who was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier in the day. Wainwright had been lined up to make his next start Sunday versus the White Sox.

Cueto (biceps/ankle) tossed six innings Monday in his rehab start for Triple-A Jacksonville, allowing five earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out two.

After building up to 94 pitches Monday in what was the fifth start of his second rehab assignment of the season, Cueto appears ready to return from the 60-day injured list, at least from a workload standpoint. However, the Marlins may not view him as a better back-end rotation option than Bryan Hoeing, given Cueto's underwhelming numbers during his prolonged rehab assignment. Over four starts with Jacksonville and two with Double-A Pensacola, Cueto has logged a 10.50 ERA and 1.96 WHIP and has struck out just 10 batters over 24 innings.

Wainwright was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right shoulder strain.

The Cardinals had said after Wainwright's latest disastrous start Tuesday in Miami that he would land on the IL and the move is now official. It could be a fairly length absence, as even once he's deemed healthy Wainwright clearly has some stuff to work on. He'll likely require multiple rehab starts before the Cards consider re-inserting him into their rotation.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Kelly (calf) was expected to throw a 35-40 pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Eli McKown of the Arizona Republic reports.

The manager said Kelly "feels good" and is beginning to track back to the rotation, which is expected when eligible following the All-Star break.

Davies didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 8-5 loss to the Mets, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out six.

The ball was flying at Chase Field, with Davies serving up two of the six homers that left the yard Tuesday afternoon, and the right-hander exited the game after 94 pitches (58 strikes) with the score tied 4-4. He'd been tagged for only one long ball in his prior seven starts combined, but that hadn't resulted in much success -- Davies had a 6.75 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 33.1 innings over that stretch. He lines up for one more start before the All-Star break, at home against the Pirates.

Kershaw said Monday that his shoulder injury is "trending upward" and that he feels "confident" that he'll be ready to pitch after the All-Star break, per SportsNet LA.

Kershaw also suggested that he'd have liked to skip just one start and make the next one, though he indicated an understanding of the Dodgers' decision to place him on the 15-day IL instead. The veteran southpaw described the shoulder inflammation that has sidelined him as "frustrating" and "disappointing" before explaining that he's feeling better and expressing optimism about a short recovery period. According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also said Monday that he is "very confident" Kershaw will be ready to return when first eligible immediately following the break, so it appears likely that the future Hall of Fame hurler will end up missing just two starts.

Sheehan allowed five runs on four hits and four walks while striking out four over 3.2 innings, taking a no-decision Tuesday versus the Pirates.

Sheehan had allowed just five total runs over his first 17 major-league innings. He gave up a two-run double in the first inning and then ran into more trouble in the fourth before he was relieved by Caleb Ferguson. Sheehan has showed promise so far, posting a 4.35 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB through 20.2 innings over four starts. He'll likely have extra time to reset from this poor outing, as he's not likely to pitch again before the All-Star break.

Ortiz allowed six runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out three over 3.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Ortiz allowed a career-high three home runs, two of which came off the bat of James Outman. It was the worst start of Ortiz's young career, but the Pirates ultimately rallied late for the win. The right-hander is now at a 4.86 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 34:26 K:BB through 53.2 innings over 11 outings (10 starts) this season. He is tentatively projected for a road start in Arizona over the weekend.

Nola (8-5) earned the win Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over 7.1 innings in a 3-1 win over the Rays. He struck out 12.

Nola came out on the winning end of a pitcher's duel, besting Zach Eflin, who gave up two runs and struck out nine across seven innings, to claim his eighth win of the campaign. Nola tied his season high in strikeouts and carried a shutout into the eighth inning but surrendered a solo homer to Wander Franco and was pulled. The 30-year-old has been battling some severe inconsistencies across his last six starts, allowing one or fewer earned runs in three starts but surrendering at least four runs in the other three. The primary cause of his struggles has been the long ball, as Nola has surrendered 18 homers through 18 appearances, tied for the eighth most in baseball. However, he's lined up to make his next start against the Marlins, which rank 24th in home runs per game.

Allard gave up three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out three over five innings in a no-decision versus the Guardians on Tuesday.

Allard threw 73 pitches (45 strikes) and left in line for the win until Kirby Yates struggled in the seventh inning to surrender Atlanta's lead. While it wasn't as sharp as his season debut versus the Twins, Allard has done well to keep baserunners down with a 0.93 WHIP over his first 9.2 innings of the campaign. He's posted an 11:2 K:BB as well. Allard is not expected to start again before the All-Star break, and he'll likely be at the back of the rotation to start the second half.