MLB Player News

The Cubs acquired Wesneski from the Yankees on Monday in exchange for right-handed reliever Scott Effross, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Since Effross had emerged as a key late-inning arm in 2022 and has five years of club control remaining, the non-contending Cubs opted to cash him out while his value was at its height in return for Wesneski, who was one of the top arms in the Yankees' farm system. The 2019 sixth-round draft pick has been impressive at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, churning out a 3.51 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 83:28 across 89.2 innings. The 24-year-old is expected to report to Triple-A Iowa for his new organization, but it wouldn't be surprising if he makes his MLB debut at some point later in 2022 before getting the chance to audition for a full-time spot in the Cubs rotation next spring.

Walker (9-2) gave up three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings to earn the win in a 9-3 victory over the Marlins on Sunday.

It wasn't the smoothest of starts for Walker, but he did enough to earn the win by holding the Marlins to three earned runs while getting backed with plenty of run support. Walker threw over 100 pitches for the third time this season and tallied his ninth win of the year with the performance. The 29-year-old right-hander is having the best season of his career and boasts a 2.79 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He is tentatively expected to make his next start in a division-rival matchup against Atlanta.

Lopez (7-6) gave up six earned runs on 13 hits and no walks while striking out one over 2.2 innings to take the loss in a 9-3 defeat to the Mets on Sunday.

Lopez was handed his worst start of the season by an aggressive Mets lineup that jumped all over his fastball. Despite coming off an 11 strikeout performance over the Reds, Lopez only managed to fan one batter before getting the hook in the third inning. The 26-year-old right-hander will look to return to form in his next expected start in a favorable matchup at the Cubs this weekend.

Lodolo gave up one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out seven over six innings in a 3-2 win over the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.

Lodolo made easy work of the Orioles lineup but had to settle for a no-decision after leaving the game with 98 pitches under his belt. Lodolo has now put together two quality starts in a row to lower his ERA to 4.23. The 24-year-old left-hander is racking up the strikeouts and now has 54 in 38 innings pitched this season. He is expected to make his next start this weekend at Milwaukee.

Ashby (2-9) allowed five unearned runs on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings Sunday, striking out six and taking a loss against Boston.

Ashby rolled through four scoreless frames before he was tagged with five unearned runs in the fifth inning. It was the first time he allowed more than two runs in an appearance since July 2 against the Pirates. Despite the lackluster outing, he lowered his season ERA to 4.13 with a 98:36 K:BB through 80.2 innings. Ashby is projected to face the Reds at home next weekend.

Rodon (9-6) earned the win during Sunday's 4-0 shutout of the Cubs, allowing two hits while striking out 10 in seven scoreless innings.

In what may have been a final audition prior to Tuesday's trade deadline, Rodon completely shut down Chicago's offense -- he permitted singles in the first and fourth with neither baserunner making it past first base -- and retired the final 10 batters he faced, five via strikeout. The hard-throwing lefty fired 64 of 98 pitches for strikes with 15 of the swinging variety, and he concludes July with 53 strikeouts in six starts to pull within four of MLB leader Gerrit Cole at 158 on the season. If Rodon remains a Giant, he's slated to take the mound again next weekend against Oakland.

Nola (7-8) allowed one run on six hits and a walk over six innings Sunday, striking out eight and earning a win over Pittsburgh.

Nola bounced back nicely after coughing up five runs against Atlanta in his last outing. He gave up an RBI double to Cal Mitchell in the third inning Sunday but didn't face much danger otherwise. The 29-year-old righty lowered his season ERA to 3.25 with a terrific 152:18 K:BB through 138.2 frames. Nola is projected to take on the Nationals at home next weekend.

Brubaker (2-9) yielded seven runs on 12 hits over 4.1 innings Sunday, striking out four and taking a loss to the Phillies.

After allowing two runs in the first inning, Brubaker tossed three shutout frames. He was then tagged with five runs in an ugly fifth inning that began with a leadoff homer from Kyle Schwarber. Brubaker's ERA jumped from 3.96 to 4.40 in the ugly outing, but he improved his K:BB to 105:42. It was also his shortest outing since coughing up six runs against Arizona on June 3. Brubaker is projected to start in Baltimore next weekend.

Gray (7-7) allowed four runs on five hits and two walks over five innings Sunday, striking out six and taking a loss against the Cardinals.

Gray allowed just one run through three frames before he served up a three-run shot to Corey Dickerson in the fourth. The 24-year-old righty posted an unsightly 6.75 ERA with a 36:10 K:BB through five starts in July. Gray is now sporting a 4.59 ERA across 102 innings this season. He's lined up to start in Philadelphia next week.

Fried struck out five in seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks in a 1-0 win Sunday against Arizona. He did not factor into the decision.

Fried did not allow a hit until Jake McCarthy singled with one out in the fifth inning. He was never really in trouble as only one baserunner made it into scoring position. The lefty has given up more than three runs in a start only twice all season and has a 2.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 122:24 K:BB in 132.1 innings while allowing just six homers. His next start will likely be next weekend in New York against the Mets.