MLB Player News

Cole (10-8) allowed three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven over eight innings to earn the win over Detroit on Thursday.

Cole endured three separate seven-run blowups in June, but he's been excellent over the past month and a half, turning in seven straight quality starts with a 46:10 K:BB over that span (46 innings). He's pitching like his old self, and while his next scheduled start at Milwaukee looks tough at a glance, he's dominated the Brewers in three meetings so far this season (three earned runs, 23:4 K:BB in 21 innings).

Anderson (oblique) will make his next rehab start with Triple-A Colorado Springs on Sunday, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports.

Anderson was able to throw 47 pitches with Low-A Wisconsin during his first rehab game Tuesday, and is set to make another with Milwaukee's Triple-A team this weekend. Following this upcoming start, the right-hander will need one more appearance with Colorado Springs before rejoining the Brewers, barring any setbacks. He figures to steadily increase his workload from the 3.1 innings he tossed with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, and could be back on the mound in San Francisco on Aug. 23 for the series finale if all goes according to plan.

Castillo gave up three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four over six innings in a no-decision against the Padres on Thursday.

The Reds put up 10 runs on the day, but they managed just two during Castillo's time on the mound, and thus Castillo remains with just one win over his last six turns despite four quality starts in that span. He's averaging nearly a strikeout per inning with Cincinnati, but the K's have been down in recent outings -- he's struck out four or fewer in three of his last four starts -- while the walks have been up. The 24-year-old lines up for a two-step next week, with road matchups against the Cubs and Braves on tap.

Anderson (knee) threw 20 pitches off a mound to a catcher positioned in front of home plate Wednesday, Nick Groke of The Denver Post reports. "I felt right where I need to be," Anderson said.

He didn't throw the full 60 feet and six inches from the rubber to home plate, but Anderson is back on elevated ground, and that represents a big step in his rehab. Anderson figures to require several more side sessions before being cleared to head out for a rehab assignment. The lefty struggled to a 6.11 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 63.1 innings before undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in early July, but he was averaging nearly a strikeout per inning.

Greinke (13-5) landed in the loss column Wednesday after giving up three runs on four hits over 6.2 innings against the Dodgers. He struck out eight and walked a season-high four.

He actually carried a 2-1 lead into the seventh against his old club, but Greinke let Los Angeles rally for a pair of runs before being pulled. Still, even with all the walks, this represents a solid bounce-back from his six-run misstep against the Cubs in his previous start. After struggling through his first season in Arizona, Greinke's adjusted impressively, as he's regained his status as one of baseball's top arms. A tough matchup with the Astros on Monday is up next for the veteran righty.

Wood (14-1) held the Diamondbacks to two runs on six hits and a walk over six innings Wednesday, striking out four in a 3-2 victory.

His old team, the Braves, hung nine runs on Wood back on July 21, and that's the only time the lefty's seen the loss column all year. His strikeout numbers have taken a bit of a dip over his last three starts -- just 11 in 19 innings -- but Wood has retained his excellent control and generally kept the ball in the yard; Paul Goldschmidt's homer off him Wednesday was just the sixth he's allowed in 20 starts. The only thing keeping Wood from frontrunner status in the Cy Young Award race is that he's thrown a lot fewer innings (110.1) than guys like Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer.

Gomber fired seven scoreless innings in Double-A Springfield's win over San Antonio on Wednesday, allowing three hits and four walks while recording five strikeouts.

The 23-year-old southpaw had also blanked Northwest Arkansas over seven frames in his prior start, so he's got an impressive scoreless-inning streak going. Gomber has been solid overall in extended exposure to Double-A bats, posting a 3.76 ERA, .234 BAA, 1.25 WHIP and 108 strikeouts over 117.1 innings across 22 starts. His control continues to be a work in progress, however, as he's issued a career-high 44 walks.

Woodruff (1-1) held the Twins to two runs on three hits over 5.2 innings Wednesday, only to be stuck with the loss. He struck out two, walked three and hit a batter.

Although the end result in terms of runs on the board was solid, it'd be nice to see Woodruff miss some more bats; it's not good to have more walks than strikeouts. Fortunately, that isn't a problem he generally suffered from in the minors, and it's not likely that it'll persist in the big leagues. Indeed, the top prospect's first two outings have gone well on the whole, and while Woodruff isn't a finished product yet, he's proving to be a useful back-of-the-rotation arm in fantasy. His next start will come against the Pirates on Tuesday.

Eickhoff (3-7) allowed two runs on nine hits while striking out six without a walk over 6.2 innings in Wednesday's win over the Braves.

Eickhoff has turned his season around, winning each of his past three decisions after an 0-7 start. The right-hander displayed his best control of the season in this one, issuing no free passes for just the second time in 20 starts while coming two strikeouts short of matching his season high. He'll have a terrific opportunity to keep building momentum in his next start Monday, which comes on the road against the league-worst Padres offense.

Hendricks allowed only one run on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings Wednesday, coming away with a no-decision in a 3-1 loss to the Giants. He struck out five.

He was locked in a 1-1 tie with Madison Bumgarner, but Hendricks' inefficiency elevated his pitch count and he hit the showers after throwing 96 pitches (58 strikes). The right-hander has only one quality start in his last six trips to the mound -- in fact, he's only worked more than five innings once during that stretch -- but since the All-Star break he's put together a solid 2.57 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB in 21 innings. He'll look for win No. 5 on Tuesday at home against the Reds.