MLB Player News

Strasburg (shoulder) is expected to be activated from the 10-day disabled list to start Friday's series opener against the Braves, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Strasburg made his second rehab appearance for High-A Potomac on Sunday, covering 5.2 scoreless innings and giving up five hits and no walks while striking out seven. The right-hander upped his pitch count to 82 in the start, so he should be able to take the hill without any restrictions during the upcoming weekend. Before the Nationals sign off on his return from the 10-day disabled list, Strasburg would likely need to complete a bullpen session in front of the team brass Tuesday or Wednesday.

Anderson threw six innings in a no-decision against Seattle on Sunday, allowing two earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts and a walk in Colorado's eventual 4-3 victory.

It was another solid showing from the lefty, who has been in a nice groove of late. That's now four straight outings in which Anderson has yielded two earned runs or fewer, and he's thrown eight innings in two of those starts. He'll take a 3.72 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP into the All-Star break -- solid numbers, especially considering he has to pitch his home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field.

Lauer (5-6) allowed five earned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three across two innings to take the loss Sunday against the Cubs.

Lauer allowed four of the first six batters he faced to reach base, with three runs scoring in the process. Things didn't improve much from there, which caused him to get a quick hook after just two innings pitched and 56 pitches. Prior to this start, he had put together eight consecutive outings in which he had given up three earned runs or fewer. While that's enough for him to be considered an option in deeper leagues, he also has allowed four or more earned runs in five of 16 starts this season.

Fried (finger) could be reinstated from the 10-day disabled list and enter the rotation as the Braves' fifth starter July 24 against the Marlins, the Associated Press reports.

Fried was placed on the DL on July 6, one day after exiting his start against the Brewers with a blister on his left middle finger. It's expected that the blister will have calloused over by the time the second half begins, but Fried would likely have to face hitters in live batting practice without any complications before the Braves are comfortable reinstating him. At the moment, Fried looks like the Braves' "Plan B" option for the July 24 start, as Luiz Gohara is in the process of getting stretched out at Triple-A Gwinnett in anticipation of an appointment to the big-league rotation.

Urena allowed five runs on four hits and four walks while striking out four across four innings, although he didn't factor into the decision Sunday against Philadelphia.

The Phillies jumped on Urena for five runs in the fourth inning, although the Marlins would answer with eight runs in the fifth to successfully allow Urena to slip off the hook. Although the 26-year-old put together a disappointing outing in the series finale, Urena had been excellent in his first two July outings as he'd given up two runs across 10.2 innings with 10 strikeouts prior to Sunday. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 4.39 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with an 89:28 K:BB through 108.2 innings.

Kershaw allowed three earned runs on six hits and four walks while striking out eight across 6.2 innings Sunday against the Angels. He did not factor into the decision.

All three of the earned runs Kershaw allowed came off the bat of Jefry Marte, who launched a home run off him in the fourth inning. The four free passes he surrendered were also uncharacteristic and marked just the third time in 13 starts this season in which he surrendered multiple walks. Otherwise, it was a relatively encouraging start, as it marked the deepest he's worked into a game since April 20 and his highest strikeout total in an outing since April 15.

Musgrove allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks across 7.2 innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Brewers. He struck out five.

Though he walked four batters for just the second time this season, Musgrove pitched well and allowed just two runs through the first seven innings. He ran into some trouble in the eighth, however, and wound up allowing a three-run triple to Brett Phillips before he was pulled with two outs. The big hit really tarnished what was shaping up to be an excellent outing for Musgrove, who will instead see his ERA rise to 4.08. He had allowed just two earned runs with a 14:3 K:BB in 12 total innings over his previous two starts and will look to get back on track after the All-Star break.

Teheran (7-6) tossed 6.1 scoreless innings Sunday to earn the win over the D-backs, allowing four hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

Teheran pitched quite effectively on the day, allowing just two men past first base as he kept a formidable offense off the board. He needed just 79 pitches to make it into the seventh inning, but he allowed the first three men to reach and was pulled in favor of the bullpen. Teheran's gem capped off a solid close to the first half of the season in which he allowed just one run over 13 combined innings over his last two starts, lowering his ERA to 4.00 to go along with a serviceable 1.21 WHIP.

DeSclafani (4-2) tossed 3.1 innings Sunday, allowing six runs on five hits and a walk in the 6-4 loss to St. Louis. He struck out three and gave up two home runs.

Matt Carpenter took DeSclafani deep for a leadoff shot before Dexter Fowler added another solo homer in the second inning. DeSclafani fell apart in the fourth, allowing a couple of hits, a walk and a hit batter -- leading to two runs -- before being lifted from the contest. His ERA shot up to 5.32 after the rough outing, but he still possesses a decent 35:13 K:BB in 44 innings. The 28-year-old will take on the Cardinals again next Tuesday at home if the Reds keep their rotation in the current order after the All-Star break.

Corbin (6-4) allowed four runs on six hits and one walk across six innings to take the loss Sunday against the Braves. He struck out three.

All the major damage to Corbin's ledger came in the third inning, when he allowed four runs on five hits as the home team took control. He pitched well otherwise, inducing 10 groundball outs and recording three 1-2-3 innings, but the one poor frame was enough to sink him to a loss. Nevertheless, Corbin heads into the All-Star break with a shiny 3.24 ERA to go along with a 1.05 WHIP and a stellar 11.0 K/9.