MLB Player News

Wood will skip one or two starts due to a recurrence of the sternum joint issue that bothered him earlier this season, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Wood missed a start in early June due to the same issue, which was initially thought to be a shoulder injury but turned out to be minor. The same discomfort has returned, so the Dodgers won't take any chances with their 14-1 pitcher as they nurse a gigantic NL West lead. Expect a DL announcement shortly.

Walker pitched 5.1 scoreless innings during Monday's win over the Mets, allowing seven hits and a walk while striking out four batters. He didn't factor into the decision.

This was an excellent outing from Walker after he'd posted a 5.40 ERA and 1.48 WHIP through his previous four starts. There have been minor peaks and valleys throughout the season, but with a 3.66 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 8.0 K/9 for the campaign, he's a solid fantasy asset in the majority of settings. Walker lines up to face the Giants at Chase Field in his next start.

Cole allowed five runs on eight hits and two walks across 6.1 innings in a no-decision Monday against the Dodgers. He struck out seven.

Cole was terrific through six innings before unraveling in the seventh, when he allowed five runs on a walk and four hits, including a grand slam by Curtis Granderson. The 26-year-old threw seven consecutive quality starts leading up to last week's outing against the Brewers, but he's allowed nine runs over his last 12.1 innings, inflating his ERA back to 4.16. One positive for Cole of late: a 9.7 K/9 over his last seven starts spanning 46.1 innings. He'll look to get back on track Saturday against the Reds.

Stripling worked around a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning of work to earn his second save of the season Monday against the Pirates.

With Kenley Jansen having worked the 10th inning, it was Stripling who was called upon to close things out after the Dodgers took the lead in the top of the 12th. He has now thrown four consecutive scoreless innings over his last three outings, earning two wins and a save, but Stripling is unlikely to continue contributing in those categories moving forward.

Wood allowed three runs on five hits with no walks and five strikeotus across six innings in Monday's no-decision against the Pirates.

Wood allowed a trio of solo home runs over the second and third innings, but he allowed just a pair of singles during the rest of his time on the mound. The Dodgers' offense waited until the seventh inning to get on the board, costing the lefty a shot at a victory, but he still tossed his fourth consecutive quality start. Wood's minuscule ERA actually rose to 2.41 during this respectable outing, and he will look for his 15th win when he takes the ball against the Brewers on Saturday.

Matz will undergo surgery to repair his left elbow, which was diagnosed with irritation in the ulnar nerve Monday.

The club announced that the surgery would be scheduled within the next few days. This obviously ends Matz's season, and depending on the severity of the surgery required, it could cost him some time next season as well. Matz's injury has been compared to the one that ended Jacob deGrom's season in 2016, and the latter has come back strong in 2017 (3.49 ERA, 165 IP), so Matz could still be an impact contributor in 2018 despite the surgery.

Cueto (forearm) was scratched from his rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento on Monday due to an illness, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

It appears Cueto will have to wait a little while longer before restarting his minor-league rehab assignment. The good news is that he was scratched with an illness rather than another arm issue, so his return date shouldn't be pushed back too far. It's unclear when he'll make his first rehab start at this point, but Cueto is expected to need two outings before returning to the Giants.

Milone is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Steven Matz is unable to pitch due to a nerve issue in his elbow, so Milone -- who returned from a knee issue Saturday -- will step into the Mets' rotation to make his seventh start of the big-league campaign. He compiled a 7.62 ERA and 1.73 WHIP in six starts (26 innings) between the Brewers and Mets earlier in the season, so it may pay off to stack Arizona hitters against Milone in daily competitions. It's unclear whether he'll stick in the rotation if Matz is out for an extended period of time, though that will likely be determined following Tuesday's outing.

Matz has been diagnosed with a nerve issue in his elbow and could require surgery, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Apparently, Matz has been pitching through pain all season, which would help explain his sharp drop-off in performance from last season's 3.40 ERA to this year's 6.08. The nerve issue he's dealing with is thought to be similar to the one that forced fellow starter Jacob deGrom to undergo season-ending surgery last year. Tommy Milone is expected to take his place in the rotation Tuesday and will likely remain in that slot if Matz is forced onto the DL.

Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said Kershaw (back) will throw four innings or 60 pitches in a minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He was able to incorporate all of his pitches in a four-inning simulated game Monday, and apparently everything went off without a hitch, so he'll head to Oklahoma City for the final step in his rehab. Kershaw said he believes he could be pitching for the big club already, but the Dodgers will continue to play it safe with their ace, sending him out for a minor-league rehab start before returning Kershaw to the big-league rotation. If all goes well, he could start for the Dodgers on Sept. 1 against the Padres.