MLB Player News

Velasquez (2-2) allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out seven across six innings to earn the win Tuesday against the Rockies.

Velasquez allowed three earned runs in the first inning and looked to be in for a disastrous outing. However, he turned things around and allowed only one hit across his final five frames to earn a win in his second consecutive outing. After allowing eight earned runs across his first 7.1 innings this season, Velasquez has surrendered only three earned runs in his last 12 frames. The end result is still a subpar 5.12 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with a 17:10 K:BB.

Urena (0-3) allowed five earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two to take the loss Tuesday against the Pirates.

Urena pitched effectively through three innings by limiting the Pirates to one run. However, he allowed a pair of doubles and a home run to the first three batters he faced in the fourth frame, ruining his performance. Urena has failed to work at least five innings in three of his four starts this season and has given up multiple homers in each of his last three outings. The result is a disastrous 9.82 ERA and 2.32 WHIP across 14.2 frames.

The Reds recalled Stoudt from their taxi squad ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday versus the Rays in Cincinnati.

Reliever Casey Legumina was optioned to Triple-A to clear a spot on the 26-man active roster for the 25-year-old Stoudt, who will be making his big-league debut. Stoudt owns a 4.09 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 10:9 K:BB over 11 innings across his three starts with Louisville this season and isn't a highly regarded prospect, so he'll be tough to depend on as a streaming option while he pitches in a hitter-friendly park versus the 15-3 Rays. Though Stoudt is expected to be in line for just one start, an unexpectedly strong showing versus the Rays could allow him to stick in the rotation over Luis Cessa, who was walloped for 11 earned runs in his most recent start and could be at risk of a demotion to the bullpen.

Megill (3-1) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks over five innings against the Dodgers. He struck out four.

Megill gave up all three runs on two homers to J.D. Martinez. The 27-year-old righty has had trouble getting to the sixth inning this year, only doing so once so far (April 7 against the Marlins). In order to get into the upper echelon of starting pitchers, the California native will have to consistently last longer than five innings per game.

Kershaw (3-1) earned the win Tuesday, allowing three hits over seven scoreless innings against the Mets. He struck out nine without walking a batter.

The future Hall of Famer had a vintage performance, getting out of jams to start and finish his outing. The southpaw also passed Mickey Lolich for 22nd all time in strikeouts with 2,833. The 35-year-old has impressive career accomplishments and is still performing at a high level. His 0.92 WHIP is 11th in the league through Tuesday's games, and he's giving up just one free pass per start. He tentatively lines up to face the Cubs in his next outing.

Stroman did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings against the Athletics. He struck out five.

Stroman has settled into his role as the Cubs' ace nicely, as his current 0.75 ERA is second only to Mariners hurler Luis Castillo. The veteran righty has now pitched scoreless games in three of his four appearances, and he's thrown six innings in each of them. While fantasy managers will certainly appreciate his efforts to date, maintaining this level of performance all year long will be difficult. Next up is a home tilt against the Dodgers.

Snell (0-3) took the loss Tuesday, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over five innings in a 8-1 loss against Atlanta. He struck out five.

Snell had his best outing of the young season, but the Padres' lack of run support led to him taking another loss. The southpaw gave up his lowest run and hit totals of the year, a welcome sight for fantasy managers. However, the eight-year veteran hasn't pitched more than five innings in a game this year, and he has given up multiple runs in each start.

Strider (2-0) earned the win Tuesday, allowing one hit and three walks over six scoreless innings against the Padres. He struck out nine.

Fantasy managers couldn't have asked for a better start to Strider's sophomore season. This is the 24-year-old righty's second scoreless outing of the year, and he's now leading the league in strikeouts through the end of Tuesday's games. The former Clemson Tiger is also holding opposing hitters to a .158 batting average, good for eighth best in MLB. The Ohio native will look to continue his stellar start to the season against the Marlins next week.

Falter (0-3) took the loss in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox, giving up three runs on three hits and three walks over seven innings in a 3-0 loss. He struck out three.

It was a solid performance from the southpaw, who tossed 67 of 98 pitches for strikes en route to his first quality start of the season, but the Phillies managed only one hit against Lucas Giolito and the White Sox bullpen. Falter will carry a 4.50 ERA and 12:4 K:BB through 22 innings into his next outing, likely to come early next week at home against the Mariners.

Wheeler (1-1) picked up the win in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox, giving up four runs on eight hits over five innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The Phillies jumped out to 5-0 lead through three innings, but Wheeler nearly gave it all back in the bottom of the third as Chicago reeled off six straight hits to begin its half of the frame. The right-hander regained his focus, however, retiring the next three batters and then not allowing another run. Wheeler tossed 65 of 94 pitches for strikes before exiting, and he'll carry a 4.79 ERA and 23:7 K:BB through 20.2 innings into his next outing, likely to come this weekend at home against the Rockies.