MLB Player News

The Dodgers optioned Pepiot to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Pepiot's demotion comes after he served as the 27th man in Tuesday's doubleheader with the Diamondbacks. He started the first game of the twin bill, taking a no-decision while striking out five over four frames and allowing three earned runs on two hits and three walks. The Dodgers are expected to require a new fifth starter for next week's series in Arizona, so Pepiot could be summoned from the minors at that time to fill the void in the rotation.

Strider struck out the side in a perfect seventh inning Wednesday to record his first hold of the season in an extra-innings loss to the Brewers.

The rookie looked comfortable in his new setup role, but the rest of the Atlanta bullpen wasn't able to get the job done. Strider has a dominant 40 percent strikeout rate through 20.2 innings this season with a 2.61 ERA and 1.02 WHIP, and while he's no threat to Kenley Jansen in the closer spot, he should be able to collect holds quickly with more high-leverage usage.

Meyer was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday with ulnar nerve irritation, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Meyer appears to be closing in on his major-league debut before two poor outings in the last week, but he won't get that opportunity in the immediate future. While any arm issue is potentially quite worrisome for a pitcher, the Marlins don't appear to be too concerned at this stage. The injury isn't thought to be particularly serious, as he'll skip just one start before being re-evaluated.

Wheeler (2-3) picked up the win in Wednesday's 3-0 victory over the Padres, scattering four hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out nine without walking a batter.

The right-hander set a season high for strikeouts in his best performance of the year, as no San Diego baserunner got past second base. Wheeler has blanked the opposition in three of his last four outings, and after some shoulder soreness in spring training led to a bumpy start to the campaign, he now carries a 3.49 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 41:10 K:BB through 38.2 innings.

Snell (0-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks over 3.2 innings as the Padres fell 3-0 to the Phillies. He struck out five.

The southpaw tossed 84 pitches in his first start of the season, but only 46 of them were strikes and he got no help from his offense. Snell's return from a groin injury has pushed MacKenzie Gore and Nick Martinez out of the rotation for now, but he'll need to stay healthy and effective to keep it that way.

Lopez didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Nationals, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks over three innings. He struck out two.

The right-hander needed 82 pitches (44 strikes) to record only nine outs in his shortest outing of the year, and the three walks and two strikeouts were both season-worst performances in those categories. Despite the stumble, Lopez still boasts a stellar 1.57 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 48:11 K:BB through 46 innings.

Gray didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Marlins, giving up three runs on six hits over six innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

It was arguably the right-hander's sharpest performance yet this season, as he didn't issue any free passes for the first time in eight starts. Gray tossed 95 pitches (65 strikes) en route to his second quality start of the campaign, and he'll take a 4.36 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 46:18 K:BB through 43.1 innings into his next outing.

Smyly (1-5) took the loss during Wednesday's 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Pirates, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 4.1 innings.

Smyly encountered trouble his second time through Pittsburgh's order, surrendering four consecutive baserunners with two out in the third inning and a Jack Suwinski solo home run in the fifth that proved to be the difference. After winning his first start of the season, the 32-year-old has lost five straight turns while churning out a 5.55 ERA, although he's gotten only eight total runs of support. He'll look to get back in the win column against Cincinnati early next week.

Freeland allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight across six innings Wednesday against the Giants. He did not factor into the decision.

Freeland surrendered all of his runs in the first four innings, but he retired six of the last seven batters he faced to log his third quality start of the season. He also struck out a season-best eight batters on the strength of 16 swinging strikes across 103 total pitches. Freeland has allowed two or fewer earned runs in four starts this season, but five or more in three outings. The end result is a 4.85 ERA with a 34:13 K:BB across 42.2 innings on the campaign.

Keller (1-5) earned the win during Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the Cubs, allowing one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings.

Keller lost his spot in the rotation but was used as the piggyback to opener Wil Crowe and was able to find success in the form of a win. The 26-year-old pitched well during the third and fifth innings, but he struggled in the fourth and was lucky to surrender just one run despite putting four runners on. Manager Derek Shelton is yet to tab a starter for Tuesday's game against Colorado and Keller should be considered a candidate to toe the rubber.