MLB Player News

Wondering why James Russell got the save in the Cubs' extra-inning win over the Marlins Monday? Yeah, so am I.

Hector Rondon, who has been the closer most of the year, returned from a nine-day absence for an elbow injury with a scoreless inning of relief, allowing one hit and one walk, but the Cubs clearly didn't reserve him for a save situation, as the road team normally would its closer in an extra-inning game.

So then, they must have been reserving Neil Ramirez, right? After all, he got the save opportunities in Rondon's absence and has the more impressive numbers between the two, leading CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman to suggest on Monday's Fantasy Baseball Today that he may be more than just an injury fill-in.

But when the save opportunity came in the bottom of the 13th inning, it wasn't Ramirez who got the call, but Russell. Ramirez was well rested, too, having thrown just 11 pitches Sunday after sitting out Saturday.

Of course, the Cubs have been extra cautious with Ramirez's workload so far, which may be all there is to it. I still think he's the Cubs' reliever to own here, with Rondon a close second. Hopefully, we'll have some clarity soon.

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is scheduled to throw a side session Wednesday to test his injured elbow, MLB.com reports.

Wainwright is expected to be able to make his next scheduled start Saturday after missing Monday's start with elbow inflammation, but the team will know more about his status once he gets in his work Wednesday. Wainwright owns a 2.15 ERA and 91:21 K:BB ratio in 100 1/3 innings.

The Diamondbacks made changes to the rotation schedule after promoting Mike Bolsinger Tuesday, with Bolsinger slotted in as the starter for Tuesday's game against the Brewers. Wade Miley has been pushed back to make Wednesday's start, while Chase Anderson is the scheduled starter Thursday.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said he will meet with general manager Neal Huntington to discuss the next step in the rehab process for starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (shoulder), per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Cole played catch Tuesday and has had no setbacks since throwing a 34-pitch side session Sunday.

The Marlins are open to trading for a starting pitcher leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, reports MLB.com. However, the team isn't to that point yet, as they are first looking for help internally with the promotions of Andrew Heaney and Anthony DeSclafani.

Compared to what he did as a rookie, Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler shouldn't be struggling as much as he has this season. His walk, strikeout and home run rates are all improved compared to last season, but the second-year right hander is just 2-7 with a 4.38 ERA through 14 starts.

The poor outcomes are beginning to irk the 24-year-old pitcher, according to Newsday.

"I feel like this whole year, it has been nothing but hits like that one against the pitcher or hits in the hole and it's just getting frustrating," Wheeler said.

It seems luck is playing a big factor in Wheeler's struggles. He has a .335 BABIP through 14 starts, per FanGraphs.com. The league average for starters is .296 and Wheeler had a .279 BABIP last season.

Wheeler's groundball rate has also increased from 43.2 percent to 55.1 percent, while lowering his line-drive rate from 23.5 percent to 17.8 percent.

"When you have good strikeout numbers and a very good groundball rate, that usually means you have good everything else," Wheeler said. "But it hasn't happened that way for me."

Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu bounced back with a sharp outing for the win Monday night at home against the Rockies. The left-hander permitted one run on three hits and one walk while striking out six over six innings of a 6-1 victory.

Over his first three starts back from the disabled list covering 18 innings, Ryu has allowed seven earned runs. He owns a 3.18 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 13 starts (76 1/3 innings). He will make his next start Sunday at San Diego.

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez pitched well in a spot-start against the Mets on Monday, but was unable to factor into the decision. Making his first start of the season, the right-hander permitted one unearned run on two hits and four walks while striking out three over four innings of a 6-2 win.

Of his 59 pitches, 31 were strikes. Martinez owns a 4.19 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in 38 2/3 innings of work. He will likely head back to the bullpen moving forward.

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom was not at his best again on Monday against the Cardinals in St. Louis, dropping to 0-4 on the year. The right-hander was charged with six runs on 12 hits and two walks while striking out two over 4 1/3 innings of a 6-2 defeat.

DeGrom owns a 4.39 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP through seven starts (41 innings). He will make his next start Saturday against the Marlins in Miami.

Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel struck out nine but was unable to factor into the decision Monday night against the Marlins in Miami. The right-hander permitted four runs on eight hits and one hit over six innings of work.

Of his 90 pitches, 68 were strikes. Hammel owns a 3.02 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP through 14 starts (89 1/3 innings). He will make his next start Sunday at home against Pittsburgh.