MLB Player News

Williams (5-4) earned the win Sunday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks over five innings against Philadelphia. He struck out one.

It was a rough start for Williams, who allowed three runs on a pair of homers in the first inning. However, he'd settle down to pitch four scoreless innings as the Nationals rallied to a 5-4 victory. The 31-year-old Williams has made it through six innings just once in his last eight outings. He now sports a 4.34 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP and 63:27 K:BB across 17 starts (85 innings) this season. Williams currently lines up for a tough home matchup with the Rangers in his next outing.

Hill (7-8) took the loss Sunday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks over five innings against the Brewers. He struck out eight.

All the damage against Hill came on William Contreras' three-run homer in the third inning. The 43-year-old southpaw has struggled a bit over his last four starts, pitching to a 5.48 ERA in that span. Hill now sports a 4.50 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP and 88:35 K:BB across 17 starts (94 innings) this season. Hill is currently lined up for a road matchup with the Diamondbacks in his next outing.

Painter (elbow) is expected to throw live batting practice Tuesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The right-hander has been building up his arm in bullpen sessions over the past few weeks and has now been cleared to face live hitters. Painter could soon progress to a simulated game or a minor-league rehab assignment if all goes well during Tuesday's session.

Rea (5-4) earned the win Sunday, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over 6.2 innings against the Pirates. He struck out three.

Rea was sharp Sunday, holding Pittsburgh to a pair of runs on Nick Gonzales' two-run homer in the second inning. The 33-year-old Rea has won back-to-back starts, allowing just two runs on eight hits over 13 innings in that span. His ERA is down to 4.40 with a 1.19 WHIP and 60:25 K:BB across 14 starts (75.2 innings). Rea is currently lined up for a home matchup with the Reds in his next outing.

Manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw (shoulder) made some progress during Sunday's throwing session, though a decision has yet to be made about whether the left-hander will start Monday versus the Pirates, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The Dodgers have been hesitant to place Kershaw on the injured list as he manages left shoulder inflammation, but that transaction could be forced if he's unable to start on turn Monday. The beginning of the All-Star break is just one week away, which is sure to be a factor as Los Angeles makes its decision.

Darvish (illness) won't be available to start Sunday's game against the Reds, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Darvish was moved off a scheduled start this past Tuesday in Pittsburgh while he battled an illness, but the Padres held out hope that he would show enough improvement to slot back into the rotation for the weekend series in Cincinnati. The right-hander evidently hasn't fully moved past the ailment, however, so he'll get at least one more day off to recover before the Padres revisit when he might return during the final week before the All-Star break. Adrian Morejon will draw the start Sunday, but he may be serving as more of an opener since he hasn't recorded more than seven outs in any of his appearances in the majors or minors this season.

Burnes (6-5) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on one hit and two walks over seven innings against the Pirates. He struck out seven.

The right-hander had a perfect game going through five innings but gave up two runs on a hit, two walks and a hit-by-pitch during the sixth. Burnes rebounded with a scoreless seventh before turning things over to Milwaukee's bullpen, which almost squandered a nine-run lead. The strong outing was a welcome sight for Burnes, who surrendered 11 runs and struck out just six batters over his previous two starts. It's been an up-and-down season through 17 starts for the 28-year-old, who has posted a 4.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 96:35 K:BB across 101.1 frames.

Oviedo (3-9) allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out one over five innings to take the loss Saturday against the Brewers.

Oviedo gave up six runs across his first two innings of work, with the big damage being a three-run homer by Christian Yelich. The outing adds to his inconsistent campaign, as he's allowed one or fewer earned runs in seven of his 17 starts. On the other hand, he's allowed more than five earned runs on three occasions. The end result has been a 4.61 ERA across 93.2 frames, though Oviedo hasn't significantly improved his strikeout rate (19.2 percent) or his other underlying skills.

Morton (8-6) picked up the win in Saturday's 7-0 shutout of the Marlins, allowing four hits and a walk over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Atlanta's offense once again ambushed the opposition, scoring six runs in the first inning, and Morton cruised from there. The veteran righty has won three straight starts despite some inefficiency on his part, as he's completed six innings just once in his last eight outings, posting a 4.36 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 56:22 K:BB through 43.1 innings over that stretch. He'll take the mound one more time before the All-Star break for what's likely to be a road start next weekend in Tampa Bay.

Perez (5-2) took the loss Saturday, coughing up six runs on seven hits in just one-third of an inning as the Marlins fell 7-0 to Atlanta.

MLB's hottest offense provided some harsh lessons for the 20-year-old righty, as Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies led off the game with back-to-back solo shots, and all told five of the seven hits off Perez went for extra bases. Over his prior six starts however, the young phenom had allowed just one run with a 38:9 K:BB in 33 innings. Another outing or two like this might make it easier for the Marlins to send Perez back down to the minors and manage his workload, but with the team currently sitting in the first wild-card spot in the NL, it could be faced with some tough decisions on how to handle him in the second half. For now, Perez lines up for one more start before the All-Star break, which is likely to come at home next week against the Cardinals.