MLB Player News

Davies hurled 6.1 scoreless innings against Colorado on Saturday, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out six. He did not factor in the decision.

The right-hander submitted his finest effort of the campaign thus far, pitching beyond the fifth inning for the first time and holding the Rockies scoreless while racking up 14 swinging strikes. Unfortunately for Davies, opposing starter Kyle Freeland matched him in putting goose eggs on the board, leaving both hurlers to settle for a no-decision. Nonetheless, this was a promising outing for Davies, who hasn't allowed an earned run over his past two starts covering 11.1 frames. That has lowered his ERA, which stood at 5.40 through four starts, to a much more appealing 3.34 overall.

Overton did not factor into the decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates. He allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts against zero walks over 5.1 innings.

The bar is not high on this Reds team; Overton has easily cleared that bar through two starts. He has a 2.53 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 10.2 innings. Overton is a 28-year-old journeyman with modest stuff, as evidenced by his career minor-league 8.3 K/9, but he's earned more chances to start with his performance so far.

Freeland allowed five hits and two walks while striking out five across six innings Saturday against the Diamondbacks. He did not factor into the decision.

Freeland was engaged in an improbable pitchers' duel with Zach Davies, and he limited the Diamondbacks to five singles. He primarily kept the ball on the ground to avoid any damage and also generated 12 swinging strikes on 89 pitches. Freeland has delivered a 1.57 ERA with a 19:5 K:BB across his last four starts spanning 23 frames.

The Phillies recalled Sanchez from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and designated him as the 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader with the Mets. He's scheduled to start Game 2 of the twin bill.

The 25-year-old will be picking up his second big-league start and first of 2022 after the Phillies moved Zach Eflin -- who was initially scheduled to take the hill for the second game of the twin bill -- to the COVID-19-related injured list. While it's possible that Eflin will miss more than one turn through the rotation due to MLB's COVID-19-related protocols, Sanchez may be headed back to Lehigh Valley following the doubleheader regardless of how he performs. Before he was optioned to the minors May 1, Sanchez made four appearances out of the big-league bullpen and gave up six earned runs on eight hits and five walks while striking out 10 over 10 innings. He maxed out at 3.1 innings and 65 pitches across those four appearances, so he likely can't be counted on to work deep into his start Sunday.

The Phillies placed Eflin on the COVID-19-related injured list Sunday.

Eflin had been in line to start the second game of Sunday's doubleheader with the Mets, but his move to the COVID-19-related IL will force the Phillies to adjust their pitching plans. According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Eflin was reportedly fully vaccinated when he landed on the COVID-19 IL last season, which means his placement on the list was the result of a positive. In a related transaction, the Phillies called up Cristopher Sanchez from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to serve as the 27th man for the twin bill, and he's now in line to start the second game Sunday with Eflin having been deactivated. Eflin's return date from the IL is up in the air and will be contingent on how soon he's deemed asymptomatic of the virus.

Anderson (3-0) picked up the win in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cubs, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out seven.

The veteran southpaw helped the Dodgers complete a sweep of the twin bill with arguably his best performance of the season so far, as Anderson tossed 56 of 80 pitches for strikes and struck out more than four batters for the first time in 2022. He'll take a 2.78 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 22:5 K:BB through 22.2 innings into his next start.

Kershaw (4-0) picked up the win in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cubs, scattering five hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings. He struck out two.

It wasn't a dominant effort by the veteran lefty, but Kershaw fired 58 of 81 pitches for strikes and kept the Cubs off-balance all day. The quality start was his third of the season, and Kershaw will carry a 1.80 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 32:3 K:BB through 30 innings into his next outing.

Keller allowed five earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three across 4.1 innings in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Reds. He did not factor into the decision.

Keller was handed a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but he immediately allowed two runs in the bottom of the frame. He also had a disastrous fourth inning that was capped by a three-run homer by Brandon Drury. As a result of his struggles, Keller was unable to work deep enough into the game to qualify for a win. While he's shown glimpses of improvement, Keller has allowed four or more earned runs in four of his six starts this season. The end result has been a 6.11 ERA and 1.54 WHIP with a 24:10 K:BB across his first 28 innings of the campaign.

Brubaker allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out nine across five innings in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Reds. He did not factor into the decision.

Brubaker appeared to be in for an ugly outing after surrendering both of his runs in the opening frame. However, he settled in from there to record a season-best nine strikeouts, a mark that was backed by 12 swinging strikes on 83 total pitches. Brubaker surrendered four runs in each of his first three starts this season, but he has now allowed six earned runs across his last 13 innings spanning three appearances while maintaining a 17:5 K:BB.

Gray (4-2) earned the win during Saturday's 7-3 victory over the Angels, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

Gray was staked to an early 4-0 lead and almost gave it up in a three-run fourth inning but held on to record his fourth win in five starts. Excluding his first turn, Gray has permitted eight runs in 27.1 innings -- good for a 2.63 ERA -- though he's already handed out 16 free passes. The 24-year-old will be in for a challenge as he's scheduled to face Houston next weekend.