MLB Player News

Liberatore's contract was officially selected as expected ahead of his major-league debut against the Pirates on Saturday.

Liberatore will get about as soft a landing spot as he could have asked for in his first career start, as he'll face one of the league's weakest offenses in one of the league's most pitcher-friendly parks. The 2018 16th overall pick has been one of the game's more interesting prospects since he was drafted, and he's had a good start to the season with Triple-A Memphis, increasing his strikeout rate to 28.4 percent while posting a 3.83 ERA across seven starts. This may just be a spot start, as the Cardinals don't have a hole in their rotation at the moment, but it may also be an audition for a permanent spot in the rotation.

Gomber will start Sunday's game against the Mets, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

Gomber was initially listed as the starter for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Mets, but he'll get an extra day of rest prior to starting in Sunday's series finale. The Rockies haven't yet announced a starter for Saturday's nightcap but will likely rely heavily on their bullpen.

Castillo (0-2) took the loss Friday as the Reds fell 2-1 to the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on seven hits over six innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The right-hander put together his best performance in three outings since rejoining the Cincinnati rotation after a shoulder issue delayed his season debut, but Castillo got little support. He did get stretched out to 94 pitches (67 strikes), and he'll take a 4.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB through 15.2 innings into his next start.

Suarez (4-2) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks over three innings in a 4-1 loss to the Dodgers. He struck out five.

The lefty needed 84 pitches (48 strikes) to record only nine outs, and he got stuck with the loss when the Phillies' offense couldn't repeat last week's success against Julio Urias. Suarez has seen his numbers take a big step backward so far in 2022. He's posted a 4.12 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 19.0 percent strikeout rate through 39.1 innings.

Urias (3-3) picked up the win in Friday's 4-1 victory over the Phillies, scattering two hits over five scoreless innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

One start after getting absolutely wrecked by the Phillies to the tune of eight runs and four homers, Urias shut down the potent NL East offense almost completely. The southpaw fired 52 of 80 pitches for strikes before leaving the mound, and he's now held the opposition scoreless in three of his eight outings this season. Urias will take a 2.63 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 31:8 K:BB through 41 innings into his next start.

Rogers (2-5) took the loss Friday as the Marlins were downed 5-3 by Atlanta, coughing up five runs on eight hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over four innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw served up homers in each of the first three innings before finally getting the hook after 88 pitches (54 strikes). Rogers has not been able to duplicate his 2021 breakout, and his numbers are getting worse, not better. He's been tagged for six homers in 18.2 innings over his last four starts, matching his total through 133 innings all of last year. Rogers will carry a 5.20 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and mediocre 34:15 K:BB through 36.1 innings on the season into his next outing.

Morton (3-3) picked up the win Friday, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk over 5.1 innings in a 5-3 victory over the Marlins. He struck out five.

The veteran right-hander started strong but faded late and fell two outs short of his second straight quality start, exiting after 87 pitches (61 strikes). Morton appears to have turned a corner after a rough April, and over his last three outings he sports a 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB through 16.1 innings.

Diamondbacks pitching coach Brent Strom believes the team "identified a few things" that Kelly might have done to tip his pitches during his most recent start against the Dodgers, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Kelly's results against the Dodgers came out of nowhere. He sailed through his first seven starts, posting a 1.71 ERA over 42 innings, before Los Angeles touched him for eight runs in two innings Tuesday. Strom credited the club's analytics department for helping catch what Kelly was doing, which the right-hander addressed during his between-starts session Friday. Kelly is next scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Cubs.

Wainwright (5-3) allowed a run on four hits and three walks while striking out three in seven innings to earn the win over the Pirates on Friday.

Although Wainwright missed a turn through the rotation last week while on the COVID-19 IL, he's performed well since then with back-to-back quality starts. The 40-year-old has now posted four consecutive quality starts, and he's posted a 2.08 ERA in 26 innings during that time. The right-hander will attempt to remain productive in his next start, and he tentatively lines up to take the mound at home against the Brewers on Friday.

Hendricks (2-4) allowed seven runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three in five innings to take the loss Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Hendricks gave up just one run in 14.1 innings over his last two starts, but he had one of his worst outings of the season Friday. Josh Rojas and David Peralta each hit two home runs off him as the right-hander gave up a season-high seven runs. Hendricks has been quite inconsistent early in the season, as he's held the opposition to two or fewer runs in five of his nine starts while giving up at least six runs in three of his outings. He'll attempt to get back on track when he tentatively lines up to face the Reds on the road Wednesday.