MLB Player News

Cole (9-7) held the Padres to one run on five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over seven innings in Sunday's 7-1 win.

Cole took advantage of the league's least dangerous lineup, as his only blemish came on a home run by shortstop Dusty Coleman. The 26-year-old right-hander has put together an excellent stretch except for a June 30 outlier against the Giants, with a 6-1 record and eight quality starts in his past nine outings. He'll get a great opportunity to stay hot in his next start with a Saturday home rematch against this same San Diego team.

Davies (12-5) allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out six batters through seven innings during Sunday's loss to the Cubs.

Davies entered Sunday's outing with 14.2 scoreless frames through his previous two starts, so this was another solid showing. With 12 victories already this season, Davies has established himself as a serviceable fantasy asset for owners that have lived with his underwhelming 4.42 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 6.2 K/9. He lines up for a road start at Tropicana Field against the Rays next.

Velasquez pitched seven scoreless innings with six strikeouts during Sunday's win over Atlanta. He didn't factor into the decision.

This was easily the best start of the season for Velasquez, and the promising righty is worth a look in deep fantasy settings. He entered Sunday's start with a 25.8 career strikeout percentage, and his 8.9 K/9 for the year further highlights his tremendous upside. However, a tough matchup against the Rockies at Coors Field is Velasquez's next projected start, so it might be worth holding off before locking him into starting lineups.

Lugo (5-3) allowed five runs on eight hits while striking out five without a walk in Sunday's loss to the Mariners.

Lugo did well to settle down after allowing five runs in the first two innings, but never came close to getting off the hook in what ended as a 9-1 defeat. While he hasn't issued a walk in either of his past two starts, Lugo has also allowed two home runs in each of those games after limiting opponents to a total of four long balls in his first eight starts. Keeping the ball in the park won't be easy in his next start Saturday with the explosive Dodgers lineup in town.

Castillo (2-4) tossed eight innings of one-run ball in Sunday's win over the Marlins, allowing three hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

Castillo avoided hard contact masterfully in this one, allowing just one extra-base hit and inducing 10 groundball outs. He also threw 66 percent of his pitches for strikes and was only scored upon when Dee Gordon came around from first on a double in the sixth inning. Castillo's first few outings with the Reds were nothing special, albeit against very difficult competition (at the Nationals, home against the Brewers, at the Rockies, visiting the Diamondbacks), but he has now delivered three quality starts in his last five, posting a 29:9 K:BB during that stretch. He seems to be coming into his own and will carry a 3.56 ERA into Saturday's matchup with the Cardinals.

Strasburg (elbow) is feeling fine after Saturday's bullpen session, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Strasburg continued throwing his pitches on flat ground Sunday, so it seems like there aren't any adverse effects from the increase in activity. More information about the next steps in his rehab should come forth in the next day or so.

Lynn (9-6) held the Diamondbacks to two runs on four hits with five walks and three strikeouts over six innings in Sunday's 3-2 win.

Lynn pitched around a season-high walk total for his fifth consecutive quality start. All the damage against him came in the second, as the Diamondbacks scored on a sac fly and a bases-loaded walk but failed to blow the contest open. Lynn made Arizona pay for its lack of killer instinct, settling down to retire the final eight batters he faced. His next start is scheduled for Saturday on the road against a Reds team that has scored only two runs in 11 innings against the righty this season.

Walker (6-5) struck out 10 in 5.2 innings but took the loss Sunday in St. Louis after allowing three runs on four hits and three walks.

Walker came in with a 2.70 ERA on the road and was on pace to lower that mark even further after breezing through the first three innings. Things got more complicated from there, as Jose Martinez tagged him for a two-run homer in the fourth and a sac fly in the sixth. Martinez's home run was the only extra-base hit against Walker, so there are plenty of positives to take away from this outing despite the result. The right-hander will have a favorable matchup in his next start Saturday in San Francisco.

Kershaw (back) played catch for the third day in a row Sunday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The lefty ace continues to respond well to his initial uptick in activity. According to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, Kershaw plans to stay back in Los Angeles during the beginning portion the team's upcoming road trip before rejoining them when their series in Arizona kicks off. Despite the good start to his rehab program, he's still expected to miss roughly a month of action before returning to the Dodgers' rotation.

DeSclafani (elbow) will make his next rehab start Thursday with Low-A Dayton.

DeSclafani will stick around at Dayton for his second straight rehab start and third overall after an excellent outing with the affiliate Saturday, during which he covered four innings in 46 pitches and allowed no runs on two hits and no walks while striking out six. Following the outing, DeSclafani threw an additional 10-to-15 pitches in the bullpen to stretch out his arm, according to Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The right-hander will presumably raise his pitch count closer to 60 in his Thursday start before moving up to a higher-level affiliate for one or two additional outings prior to his activation from the 60-day disabled list. DeSclafani seems to be trending toward a mid-August return.