MLB Player News

Houser will start Monday's game in Pittsburgh, Sophia Minnaert of Fox Sports Wisconsin reports.

It originally seemed like he'd line up for Tuesday's start, but Houser will now presumably get a two-start week, with the second turn coming at home against the Cardinals.

Houser lines up to start Tuesday in Pittsburgh, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

This is somewhat surprising, as Houser seemed like a logical candidate to start this weekend against the Cubs. He will get a better matchup against the Pirates, and should line up for a two-start week the following week.

Peralta lines up to start Sunday in Chicago, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

He pitched Tuesday while Josh Lindblom pitches Wednesday, so that confirms the order of the Brewers' rotation. Peralta has a 5.27 ERA, 4.23 FIP, 1.31 WHIP, 29 percent strikeout rate and a 10.6 percent walk rate in 109.1 innings as a starter. He has had some spectacular starts when he is commanding his fastball, but has also been susceptible to short outings. If he struggles early, Brett Anderson (blister) or Eric Lauer (COVID-19) could step into the rotation once they are physically ready.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Wood would start the Dodgers' third game of the season Saturday against the Giants in Los Angeles, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Following Tuesday's exhibition win over the Angels, Roberts named Clayton Kershaw, Ross Stripling, Wood and Julio Urias as the team's starters for this week's season-opening four-game slate, while Walker Buehler will round out the rotation by taking the hill for the road opener July 28 in Houston. Wood pitched ineffectively last season in Cincinnati while being limited to only seven big-league starts due to recurring back issues, but after signing with the Dodgers on a low-cost deal in January, the southpaw has stayed healthy and has done nothing but impress. After a visit to Driveline Baseball in the offseason, Wood flashed improved velocity in the spring and concluded his summer camp in dominant fashion last week, striking out eight and ceding two runs over six innings in his final intrasquad start.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Tuesday that Buehler will start the Dodgers' fifth game of the season July 28 in Houston, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The assignment is a tough break for Buehler and his fantasy managers. Not only will Buehler be the last in the Dodgers' pitching schedule, but he'll forgo a cushy home start against the Giants in the season-opening series for a road outing against one of baseball's top offenses from 2019. Additionally, Buehler will likely be subject to a restricted pitch count since he only covered two innings in an intrasquad game Friday in his penultimate outing of summer camp. Per Castillo, Dustin May is the top candidate to piggyback Buehler next week in the event the latter is capped at around 3-to-5 innings.

Gallen threw 75-to-80 pitches in a simulated game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Tuesday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Gallen had his final tuneup session in advance of an expected start Sunday against the Padres. The Diamondbacks are working their way down the coast for Friday's Opening Day. After two exhibition games in Los Angeles, the club is working out in Anaheim and will move on to San Diego.

Manager Derek Shelton confirmed Keller will start Sunday's series finale at St. Louis, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old received the start in Tuesday's intrasquad game, and he'll remain on the five-day schedule to begin the season. Keller made his major-league debut in 2019 and struggled with a 7.13 ERA in 11 starts, but he made a concerted effort during the shutdown to increase the spin efficiency on his fastball, which theoretically should help him miss more bats.

Flaherty, who'll start Opening Day against the Rangers, allowed three earned runs while recording 10 outs across 92 pitches in an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander faced plenty of regulars and gave up a first-inning home run to Matt Carpenter, a leadoff triple in the second to Lane Thomas, and a two-run double to Paul DeJong as far as extra-base hits. Flaherty also struggled with control, getting just 52 of his offerings into the strike zone. Despite the uneven performance from his ace, manager Mike Shildt didn't convey concern following the game, instead focusing on the progress the team's hitters seem to be making in getting their timing down ahead of the start of the season.

Urias took the win in Monday's exhibition contest against Arizona, pitching five innings and allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out three.

Urias gave up a second-inning home run to Ildemaro Vargas but was otherwise sharp in his final tuneup before the regular season. The southpaw is penciled in as the Dodgers' No. 3 starter this season and is slated to make his first appearance of the 2020 campaign this weekend against San Francisco.

Kershaw has been experimenting with a changeup, though at this point he feels "average" about it, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Kershaw chose his words carefully when discussing where he's at with the pitch, first stating "I feel good with it" before pivoting and saying, "Well, good might not be the right word. I feel average." The southpaw has gone to the changeup with decreasing frequency over the course of his career and threw it only 16 times last season. Though it doesn't sound like he's brimming with confidence regarding the pitch, mastering the offering could help him prolong his run of excellence as his fastball velocity continues to drop in the latter stages of his career.