MLB Player News

Gray (1-3) allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out six in 5.2 innings en route to the loss Saturday against the Nationals.

Although his stat line doesn't show it, Gray pitched well Saturday. He only allowed one run through five innings (a Matt Wieters home run in the fourth), but the wheels fell off in the fifth due to a number of two-strike hits by Washington hitters. Nonetheless, Gray now holds an unsightly 6.23 ERA on the season, a number which he'll look to improve upon in his next start Friday against the Cubs.

Cueto (ankle) thinks he'll be able to start Tuesday once he's eligible to come off the disabled list, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cueto threw 40 pitches in practice Saturday while recovering from a sprained ankle. There had been some question about whether he'd be ready to make his scheduled start, but it sounds like he'll be ready to go.

Fried got the start for Triple-A Gwinnett in Friday's extra-inning loss to Rochester, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over 5.2 innings while striking out six.

With Aaron Blair (shoulder) potentially headed for an extended absence, Fried got the call and served notice that he doesn't intend to go back down. The left-hander is no longer considered one of the Braves' top pitching prospects, but given his spot on the 40-man roster, the 24-year-old could get another promotion to the big leagues if he continues to perform for Gwinnett and a hole develops in the Atlanta rotation.

Finnegan (biceps) was activated from the 10-day disabled list and will start Saturday against the Cardinals, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

This had long been rumored, despite Cody Reed being listed as Saturday's starter earlier this week. Finnegan struggled with his control Monday, walking five batters in five innings with Triple-A Louisville. The 5-foot-11 lefty has a 3.83 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 216 strikeouts in 240 career innings in the majors. He will oppose Miles Mikolas and the 7-7 Cardinals on his 25th birthday.

Maeda (1-1) took the loss Friday against the Diamondbacks, giving up five runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks over 2.2 innings while striking out two.

It had been two weeks since Maeda's last start, with only a one-inning relief appearance in between, and while his defense did him no favors, he also wasn't sharp within the zone despite throwing 41 of 65 pitches for strikes. The right-hander still has a 2.08 ERA and 14:3 K:BB through 8.2 innings, and now that he's back on a regular schedule, he should be able to produce a better result Wednesday on the road against the Padres.

Greinke (1-2) struck out seven and got the win over the Dodgers on Friday, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk over 6.1 innings.

He served up home runs to Chris Taylor and another solo shot to Cody Bellinger before putting two runners on to begin the seventh, both of whom eventually came around to score after Greinke left the game. The right-hander now has a 5.29 ERA through three starts, but his 21:1 K:BB in 17 innings is a strong sign he'll be able to whittle that number down as the season progresses. Greinke will next take the mound Thursday at home against the Giants.

Freeland went 4.2 innings in a no-decision against the Nationals on Friday, giving up one run on four hits while striking out four and walking three.

Freeland hadn't allowed a run through four innings, and the run he did give up in the fifth came from a sacrifice fly off the bat of Bryce Harper with the bases loaded. It could have been much worse. Freeland pitched well but threw a lot of pitches (101), which prevented him from going deeper into the game. The young lefty is not a preeminent strikeout guy (6.17 K/9 last year) but so far has 15 strikeouts in 16 innings this year. He'll look for his first win next week against the Pirates.

Mahle gave up five runs on nine hits over5.1 innings in a losing effort against the Cardinals on Friday.

Mahle gave up only a solo home run to Yadier Molina prior to starting the sixth, but things unraveled in the inning and he coughed up a four-spot before he was lifted. He did manage to strike out five while walking none, but couldn't quite contain the Cardinals' bats. Mahle has been roughed up in the last two starts since he one-hit the Cubs over six innings in his first start of the season. The Reds' rotation is banged up, so the young right-hander figures to continue to start.

Davies gave up five earned runs in 4.1 innings on seven hits, striking out four and walking two as the Brewers fell to the Mets 6-5 on Friday.

It was a disappointing showing for the right-hander coming off a solid start where he limited the Cubs to just one run over six innings and struck out eight. Opponents are hitting .306 off him so far this year and he's got a bloated 6.75 ERA, so Davies is probably in the streaming tier of starting pitchers until he shows he's regained his solid form of last year, when he had a 3.90 ERA and 17 wins in 191.1 innings. If there is a silver lining to his uneven start to the campaign, he does have a solid 18:5 K:BB through his first 16 innings.

Matz (1-1) picked up the win against Milwaukee on Friday, giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits, striking out five and walking two in the Mets' 6-5 win over the Brewers.

After giving up just one unearned run to the Nationals in five innings in his last start, Matz wasn't lights-out against the Brewers but he pitched well enough to get his first victory of the season. It would be nice to see him pitch a little bit deeper into games going forward, but he still owns a respectable 3.77 ERA and a solid 1.19 WHIP ahead of his next start against the Nationals next Wednesday.