MLB Player News

Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks continued Sunday to pile up the innings - for the bullpen. He has not made it through six in seven of his 11 starts.

But he made the most of his five innings in Washington to raise his record to 2-2. He allowed two earned runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Hendriks would have pitched shutout ball if not for a two-run homer in the second by Ian Desmond. But he threw 84 pitches before departing.

He is scheduled to start again Saturday against Cincinnati.

Marlins pitcher Jose Urena surrendered one run on three hits over six innings of work during Sunday's 3-2 win over the Rockies.

Urena struck out four batters and walked two during the outing and his ERA now stands at 5.49. He was making the third start of his career Sunday. He received a no-decision for his effort.

Sunday's start was his second-consecutive quality outing and the one-run allowed was a season low. His next expected start is scheduled for Friday at home against the Rockies.

Phillies pitcher Sean O'Sullivan wasn't a factor in the decision on Sunday, giving up three earned runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings while failing to record a strikeout in his team's 6-4 win over the Giants.

O'Sullivan gave up a run on a second-inning groundout and two more runs in the third, but he was able to keep the Giants off the board in his final three innings of action and keep the game tied.

O'Sullivan has posted a 4.96 ERA and 19:11 K:BB ratio in 45 1/3 innings. He's slated to face the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole earned a win in Atlanta on Sunday, giving up six hits and three walks in seven scoreless innings while striking out seven in his team's 3-0 shutout of the Braves.

"Players heighten their focus when they go up against him. They scratch and claw and fight -- and he was able to push them back every time," manager Clint Hurdle said, per MLB.com. "A very, very strong outing."

Cole (9-2) needed a season-high 116 pitches to get through seven innings, but he was able to keep the Braves off the scoreboard while doing so. It's the third time in his last four starts he hasn't surrendered an earned run, and he's racked up four wins during that stretch.

"I was all over the place, which is not typical of me," Cole said. "I wasn't very efficient and was missing a lot of spots. But we needed to bear down a couple of times, and fortunately things went our way in those situations. We had to put our foot down."

Cole owns a 1.73 ERA and 86:19 K:BB ratio in 78 innings. He's slated to face the Phillies at home on Saturday.

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto earned a win on Sunday, giving up just four hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings while striking out nine in his team's 4-0 shutout of the Padres.

Cueto (4-4) picked up his first win since May 9 on Sunday, though he's managed quality starts in each of his outings during that stretch. Jay Bruce was able to provide him all the run support he needed, swatting a pair of home runs to drive in all four of the offense's runs on the day.

Cueto owns a 2.64 ERA and 73:14 K:BB ratio in 78 1/3 innings. He'll match up with the Cubs in Chicago on Friday.

Padres pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne took the loss on Sunday, allowing four earned runs on nine hits in six innings while striking out three and walking none in his team's 4-0 defeat against the Reds.

Despaigne (3-4) pitched well over the first five innings of Sunday's start, with the only damage coming on a Jay Bruce home run in the second inning. However, Bruce came up again with two men on in the sixth and blasted his second homer of the day, preventing Despaigne from recording what would have been his fourth straight quality start.

"He was victimized by a big power hitter in Jay Bruce twice on balls that were up at the very top of the zone or possibly balls," manager Bud Black said, per MLB.com. "But I thought Despi was good. [It's] just Bruce got him on the two high fastballs."

Despaigne owns a 4.72 ERA and 28:12 K:BB ratio in 55 1/3 innings. He's slated to face the Dodgers at home on Friday.

All was downright peachy for Braves left-hander Alex Wood in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Then came the fifth inning.

That was his last inning, not because the Pirates knocked him out, but because he was ejected for complaining to home plate umpire Mark Carlson.

Wood allowed at least one baserunner in three of the first four innings, but emerged unscathed. But a walk to opposing pitcher Gerrit Cole in the fifth angered Wood, who then allowed three runs on four hits. As he walked off the mound, his words to Carlson got him tossed. He finished having thrown 86 pitches.

His poor fifth ended a stretch in which he had allowed just three runs in 26 innings. He will attempt to rebound Friday against the host Mets.

Pirates catcher Chris Stewart is in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Braves, with Francisco Cervelli on the bench.

Stewart has been catching Sunday starter Gerrit Cole for the last few turns through the rotation and will do so again on Sunday. Cole owns a 1.33 ERA and 54:8 K:BB ratio in seven starts with Stewart as his catcher, while he has posted a 3.04 ERA and 25:8 K:BB ratio in four starts with Cervelli behind the plate.

The Pirates are road favorites (-148) in Atlanta, per VegasInsider.com.

Diamondbacks starting pitcher Chase Anderson pitched a solid 5 2/3 innings in his team's 2-1 win over the Mets on Saturday.

Anderson, who earned a no-decision, allowed eight hits, one earned run and a walk while striking out six batters. A solo home run in the second inning to the Mets' Juan Lagares was the only damage Anderson allowed.

"He and Welington (Castillo) worked really well together, moved the ball around, used all his pitches tonight," D-backs manager Chip Hale said of Anderson, per MLB.com. "He did a really great job."

Anderson (1-1) has a 3.12 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings this season.

Clayton Kershaw did what Clayton Kershaw does on Saturday night. He tossed eight scoreless innings for the Dodgers in their 2-0 win against the Cardinals.

"I think I just executed some fastballs away that were pretty well located," Kershaw said, per MLB.com. "And maybe that was the best slider/curveball combination I've had in a while."

Kershaw came out of the game after throwing 106 pitches, striking out 11 batters and allowing just one hit.

"It's the evolution of Clayton -- finding new ways to put guys away," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "He has confidence in using both sides of the plate. You've got to game-plan, but it comes down to executing. This was probably his best execution of the season."

Kershaw (5-3) now has a 3.36 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 80 1/3 innings this season.