MLB Player News

Nola completed 5.1 innings Thursday against the Braves, allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out three.

Nola was curiously pulled after just 5.1 innings despite being buoyed to a 5-0 lead and having thrown just 68 pitches. First year manager Gabe Kapler hasn't been afraid of challenging established norms early in his tenure, so it is a possibility that he wants to keep Aaron Nola, and his other starters, on a limited pitch count all season. That will be something to monitor over Nola's next few starts, as his performance was strong today but if he is not allowed to pitch deep into games his fantasy value will be hurt.

Teheran pitched 5.2 innings Thursday against the Phillies, allowing four earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three.

Teheran struggled mightily in 2017 when pitching at home and against left-handed batters, both of which garnered a lot of attention throughout the season. Less talked about was the fact that his walk rate was 3.44 BB/9, up from his career rate of 2.59 BB/9. Those struggles continued on Opening Day, as he walked three and surrendered a home run to Cesar Hernandez, a switch-hitter who was batting left-handed. Until there are signs of improvement in his ability to prevent home runs and improve his control, it will be difficult to trust using Teheran consistently.

Greinke (groin) will start Saturday against the Rockies, Jack Magruder of FanRagSports.com reports.

After putting together a strong effort in his final spring tuneup, Greinke will be ready to make his season debut Saturday when he'll be opposed by Colorado's German Marquez. Greinke was saddled with a groin issue during spring training, which explains why he was limited to just 8.2 innings over three Cactus League appearances. However, the six scoreless innings he threw Monday against the Indians followed by an issue-free bullpen session was enough to convince manager Torey Lovullo that he'd be ready for Saturday.

Martinez took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and six walks across 4.1 innings against the Mets on Thursday. He struck out five.

Martinez just couldn't get things going Thursday, allowing multiple baserunners in all but one of his innings. The 26-year-old was eventually chased in what turned out to be a five-run fifth inning, though only two of the runs were credited against him. While Martinez struggled mightily with his command Thursday, his BB/9 has hovered around a respectable 3.2 over the past three seasons. He'll look to smooth things out in his second start of the season, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Brewers.

Syndergaard (1-0) allowed four runs on six hits across six innings to earn the win Thursday against the Cardinals. He struck out 10 batters.

For the most part, Syndergaard was sharp in what was his second consecutive Opening Day start. He didn't issue a walk while striking out the most batters in a season opener since Pedro Martinez fanned 12 back in 2005. The 25-year-old did concede a pair of homers, however, resulting in three of the Cardinals' four runs. Still, this was a solid debut for Syndergaard after injuries kept him sidelined for the majority of 2017. He'll look to keep things rolling when he toes the rubber for his second start, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Phillies.

Cueto will make his regular-season debut against the Dodgers on Friday.

Cueto will look to get back on track after logging a mediocre 4.52 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 25 starts in 2017. With Madison Bumgarner (hand) sidelined for at least six weeks, Cueto will follow Ty Blach -- who earned the Opening Day assignment -- in the rotation. Throughout the course of spring training, Cueto started four games, allowing seven earned runs over 15 innings.

Urena was hit with the loss after allowing five runs on six hits and four walks across four innings against the Cubs on Thursday. He struck out two.

It was far from an ideal start to the season for Urena. The 26-year-old conceded a home run to Ian Happ on the first pitch of the game and struggled to find his footing thereafter, facing all nine Cubs players -- walking two and plunking three -- before getting out of the opening frame. While he was able to limit his free passes following the first inning, Urena still conceded a pair of runs over the next three frames, leading to his premature removal. Urena will look to bounce back in his second outing of the season, but things won't get any easier for the right-hander as his next start will come against the Red Sox on Tuesday.

Lucchesi has been confirmed as Friday's starter against the Brewers, Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports.

His contract has not been officially purchased, but it will be in advance of his first career start in the big leagues. Lucchesi has only logged 60.1 innings at Double-A and has not pitched at Triple-A, but given the fact that he impressed the big-league coaches this spring and will turn 25 in June, the Padres will give him a chance to prove he belongs in the big-league rotation early this season. There are at least a half dozen better pitching prospects in the Padres' system who will push Lucchesi later this season and in future campaigns, but he will get a head start due to his age and advanced pitchability. He projects as a No. 4 or No. 5 starter long term, but lefties with deceptive deliveries who can locate and sequence can sometimes outperform their scouting reports.

Lucchesi joined the major-league team in San Diego on Thursday and could start Friday against the Brewers, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Robbie Erlin was previously considered the frontrunner for the nod, but Cassavell suggests it may very well be Lucchesi who opposes Jhoulys Chacin in the Padres' second game of the season. Lucchesi, a fourth-round pick in 2016, was mentioned as a possible option to start after Dinelson Lamet went down with an elbow injury. He battled some walk issues with the major-league team this spring, but Lucchesi has a track record of excellent control in the minors (1.8 BB/9 in 181 career innings) and can also miss bats. Those in NL-only leagues and deep mixers should take note.

Lorenzen (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day DL.

This does not come as a surprise as he suffered a shoulder strain a little over a week ago. Given the nature of his injury, he will likely require more than the minimum 10 days to get right. When healthy he will occupy a setup role for the Reds.