MLB Player News

Gore (3-1) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over six innings against the Mets. He struck out 10.

Gore earned his third win, accounting for one-third of the Nationals' nine wins on the season. He set a new season high with 10 strikeouts and allowed just one run to bring his ERA down to 3.00 on the season. After being held to just 70 innings last season with elbow inflammation, Gore has been off to a strong start to 2023, allowing just 19 hits and holding a 35:16 K:BB through 27.0 innings.

Smyly allowed two runs on four hits across five innings but did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Padres. He walked one and struck out four.

Smyly pitched well and was in line for the win when the Cubs made it 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the bullpen blew the lead in a 5-3 defeat. He tossed 89 pitches and failed to complete six innings for the fourth time this year in five starts, which makes sense given his age and injury history. Despite not going deep into games, the lefty has been solid with a 3.21 ERA and 0.93 WHIP to go along with 27 strikeouts across 28 innings this season. Smyly will look to keep rolling in his next start, which is likely to come early next week against Washington.

Walker was pulled from Wednesday's game against Seattle due to right forearm tightness, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

After surrendering five runs on five hits and two walks, Walker was pulled just four innings into the game. The severity of his injury is unclear at the moment, but a trip to the injured list would seem to be a possibility.

Wainwright (groin) is scheduled to make another rehab start with Triple-A Memphis, though a date for the appearance has yet to be announced, Jim Hayes of Bally Sports Midwest reports.

Wainwright will most likely take the hill Sunday, when he would be available on the standard four days' rest. The veteran right-hander has been knocked around a bit in his first two rehab outings, yielding five runs on 11 hits with a 4:1 K:BB over 7.1 innings. With Wainwright due for at least one more outing in the minors, Jake Woodford is now in line to make another start for the big club this weekend in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Wainwright is thus set up to make his 2023 debut for the Cardinals during the following weekend's series with Detroit, provided he checks out fine after his upcoming rehab start.

Marquez was diagnosed with a right triceps injury after exiting his start in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Guardians, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports. He's scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday in Denver.

Making his return Wednesday from a minimum-length stay on the injured list due to right forearm inflammation, Marquez (2-2) took the loss after giving up three earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four over 3.2 innings. Though he was laboring through the start, Marquez was expected to work deeper into the outing before he felt a "sharp pain" in his arm following his 58th and final pitch of the afternoon. While initial tests on Marquez's arm didn't show any significant damage nor an aggravation of the prior injury, the Rockies won't know the full extent of the issue until after the MRI is conducted.

Darvish (hamstring) is on track to start Sunday for the Padres against the Giants in Mexico City, Joey Pollizze of MLB.com reports.

Darvish left Sunday's start against the Diamondbacks with a right hamstring cramp, but the right-hander's absence was described as precautionary. If there are any signs of setback, it's possible the Padres could push Darvish back, but it does appear that the 36-year-old won't end up missing any time with the hamstring trouble.

Peralta (3-2) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two unearned runs on four hits and zero walks over six innings in a 6-2 win over the Tigers. He struck out eight.

The only blemishes on Peralta's ledger came in the fourth. Nick Maton led off the inning by reaching on an error by Brian Anderson, and after the right-hander retired back-to-back hitters, Akil Baddoo and Jake Rogers posted two-out, run-scoring hits. However, both runs were unearned due to the leadoff error, and Peralta cruised through two more innings, lowering his ERA from 3.97 to 3.14. His eight strikeouts and zero walks were both season-best marks, and he currently sports a 31:9 K:BB over 28.2 innings. Wednesday's outing was certainly a bounce-back performance for Peralta, who had given up nine runs over his previous two starts, and he'll look to maintain the momentum during his next outing, which is tentatively scheduled for Milwaukee's upcoming three-game set in Colorado.

Ashcraft allowed two runs on three hits and four walks over six innings Wednesday in a no-decision against the Rangers. He struck out three.

Through five starts this year, Ashcraft has yet to allow more than two runs while pitching at least five innings. The 25-year-old right-hander is 2-0 with an impressive 2.10 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB. While an 11.3% walk rate and .235 BABIP against would indicate that Ashcraft is due for some regression, he's been able to limit hard contact thus far. He's tentatively lined up to face the Padres on the road in his next outing.

Quintana (ribs) hopes to be cleared to play catch at his six-week follow-up doctor's appointment Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

It would be the first time Quintana has done any throwing since he had surgery in mid-March to repair a stress fracture on the left side of his rib cage. He'll need to be built back up deliberately, with a return sometime in July looking like the best-case scenario.

Taillon (groin) played catch again Wednesday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Taillon already has multiple flat-ground throwing sessions under his belt and could perhaps soon advance to mound work. He landed on the 15-day injured list April 20 due to what's being called a mild-to-moderate left groin strain. If all continues to go well, the 31-year-old right-hander should be ready to rejoin the Cubs' rotation in the early part of May.