MLB Player News

Hill (6-5) allowed three earned runs on six hits and no walks while striking out seven across five innings to take the loss Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

Hill managed to get through four innings with little trouble but allowed the first two batters of the fifth inning to reach base, both of whom scored on a David Peralta home run. While it was a setback for Hill, he continued to flash deceptiveness, racking up 14 swinging strikes on 89 total pitches. As has been the case, when healthy, Hill is a solid fantasy option who will strike out batters at a solid rate while also contributing solid ratios.

Ray (4-2) allowed one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out nine across 5.1 innings to earn the win Thursday against the Dodgers.

Ray continued to struggle with his efficiency and has now failed to go more than 5.1 innings in each of his last six starts. However, he's pitched well in that span, allowing 13 earned runs across 30.1 innings while striking out 39 batters. It's been a disappointing campaign for Ray, but he still racks up strikeouts and is in the midst of ending the season on a strong stretch.

Marquez allowed two earned runs on two hits and a walk while striking out 13 across eight innings Thursday against the Padres. He did not factor into the decision.

Marquez turned in a stellar outing, with his 13 strikeouts setting a new career-high. He has been exceptional in his last 10 starts -- spanning the last two months -- posting a 2.70 ERA with 80 strikeouts across 66.2 innings. Those numbers have been just as strong when he has pitched at Coors Field, as he has posted a 2.36 ERA while striking out 35 across 26.2 innings at home in that span. He's emerged as a pitcher to trust in the stretch run of the season.

Lauer allowed an unearned run and two walks while striking out two across five hitless innings Thursday against the Rockies. He did not factor into the decision.

Lauer had little trouble working through the Rockies' lineup through three innings, but his control and the Padres' defense let him down in the fourth inning. He put two runners on base -- one via walk, the other was hit by a pitch -- with consecutive errors allowing his only run of the start to cross the plate. He wasn't particularly deceptive as he generated only three swinging strikes, but it was an effective start considering it was his first time taking the mound after a month-long absence. After lasting only 81 pitches, he'll look to work deeper into the game in his next start at Arizona on Tuesday.

Musgrove (5-8) pitched six innings and took the loss Thursday, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk in the 5-0 loss to the Cardinals. He struck out seven and yielded two home runs.

Things were going smooth for Musgrove until the third inning when he allowed back-to-back homers to Harrison Bader and John Gant, the Cardinals' eighth and ninth batters in the lineup. Even with the poor outing, the 25-year-old is sporting a respectable 3.80 ERA and 80:21 K:BB in 2018. Musgrove will take the mound again Tuesday against the Reds.

Miley allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out six over 7.1 innings. He didn't factor into the decision Thursday against Cincinnati.

Miley sailed through six scoreless frames before ultimately allowing a run in the seventh to tie the game 1-1. The Brewers would go on to win the ballgame in extras. The 31-year-old was efficient in his most recent performance, tossing 68 of 105 pitches for strikes as he managed to work deep into his outing. He's been one of Milwaukee's more dependable starters this season when healthy, posting a 2.18 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 39 punchouts through 57.2 innings (11 starts).

Lauer (forearm) was activated from the 10-day disabled list ahead of his scheduled start Thursday against the Rockies.

Lauer is set to rejoin the big-league rotation after spending a little less than a month on the shelf with a forearm strain. The southpaw completed a pair of minor-league rehab starts before being cleared to return, striking out seven over 6.1 scoreless frames in those outings. He'll take the rotation spot of Clayton Richard (knee), while Colten Brewer was optioned to the minors to free up a roster spot for Lauer. The 23-year-old posted a 5.30 ERA across 18 starts prior to landing on the DL.

Urias was promoted from High-A Rancho Cucamonga to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old, who is working his way back from June 2017 shoulder surgery, has made six appearances in the lower rungs of the minors, accruing a 4.22 ERA and 19:4 K:BB across 10.2 innings. While Urias' velocity was down notably from its pre-surgery peak in his initial outings in the minors, he seems to have progressed nicely of late, with Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic Los Angeles relaying that the lefty's fastball topped out around 94 miles per hour in his appearance Monday for Rancho Cucamonga. Urias will require a little more time on the farm to build up his arm after the long layoff, but he could join the Dodgers at some point in September and give the club a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen.

Martinez has allowed just one hit and two walks while recording three strikeouts across four scoreless innings in three appearances since being activated from the disabled list Aug. 21.

The right-hander has settled into a bullpen role nicely thus far, and he's been much more efficient on a per-pitch basis compared to his days as a starter. Martinez has thrown just 51 pitches while recording 12 outs, and he hasn't walked a batter in either of his last pair of outings. The 26-year-old is slated to remain in a relief role for the duration of the regular season, with his flexibility in terms of workload making him an especially valuable asset for manager Mike Shildt.

Updating a previous report, Wacha (oblique) was examined by team doctors Wednesday and will have further testing done in the next couple of days according to manager Mike Shildt, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Wacha is also slated to resume throwing by playing catch following the upcoming evaluations, after which he'll likely need to make at least one more rehab start according to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. Team doctors also gave Mozeliak a generally favorable report on Wacha after examining him Wednesday, as he noted that there was nothing to be "overly concerned" based on the results provided.