MLB Player News

Rockies pitcher Juan Nicasio struggled through one of his toughest outings of the season Friday, in a 5-2 loss to the Indians.

Nicasio failed to make it through the fifth inning for just the second time in 11 starts, as the Indians chased him after 4 2/3 innings of work. He allowed  five runs on nine hits in that time, while striking out two batters and walking none on 100 pitches.

Nicasio fell to 5-3 with the loss, while his ERA rose back up to 4.06. He will try to get back on track in his next outing set for Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

Zack Wheeler's gem Thursday may seem like an isolated event since it was his first win in nine starts, but really, he's looked like a different pitcher for three in a row now.

The first one was "bad" in the sense that he gave up five earned runs, but with five strikeouts to two walks in six innings, that start began this stint of improved control. In his last three starts, Wheeler has 21 strikeouts to only three walks in 19 innings.

In his first eight starts, he had 41 strikeouts to a whopping 24 walks in 43 2/3 innings, which had a lot to do with his 4.53 ERA and, of course, his 1.60 WHIP during that stretch. It's not like he was getting beat on home runs or anything. He just couldn't find the strike zone.

His ability is evident in the way he lights up the radar gun. If he can just stop shooting himself in the foot, he could emerge as a high-end Fantasy option. While these last three starts aren't the final verdict for him, they're step in the right direction, which makes him once again a must-own in all leagues.

With closer Hector Rondon placed on the paternity list Friday, reliever Neil Ramirez will serve as the Cubs' closer in the event of a save situation against the Brewers, according to MLB.com. 

Marlins pitcher Henderson Alvarez will throw his usual between-start bullpen session Saturday, and should have a good idea of his status for Tuesday's start after that. At this point, however, he feels good about his chances of taking the mound.

Alvarez threw off flat ground Friday without incident, and manager Mike Redmond and pitching coach Chuck Hernandez told the Miami Herald they see no reason to be concerned about his elbow. Alvarez left his last start with stiffness, but there appears to be no structural damage in the elbow at this point. 

Additionally, Alvarez told the Sun-Sentinel he thinks he knows the source of his elbow troubles in the last outing. He was experimenting with a new grip on his slider, which caused some discomfort and forced his exit after just 62 pitches. 

"The pain was from a grip, a slider I started throwing," Alvarez said. "I knew it wasn't anything to worry about. I was just experimenting there to see if it was any good."

He will abandon the grip moving forward. 

Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard is aiming to return June 5, according to the New York Post.

Syndergaard has been sidelined due to a flexor-pronator strain, but has been able to do some long toss. He's expected to rejoin the Triple-A rotation June 5. Through 10 starts, Syndergaard has posted a 4.02 ERA. 

Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole picked up his fifth win of the season Thursday, as he took down the Dodgers, 6-3.

Cole tossed his third quality start in a row, allowing three runs in 6 1/3 innings of work. Though he stuck out just three batters to match a season-low total, he limited the Dodgers to three runs while scattering six hits and a pair of walks in the six-plus innings of work.

Cole is now 5-3, but has yet to lose since falling to .500 four starts ago. He carries a 3.80 ERA into his next outing, set for Tuesday in San Diego. 

Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler brought his losing streak to an emphatic end Thursday, in a 4-1win over the Phillies.  

Wheeler, who had been winless in his previous seven starts, was never down against the Phillies this time around. He allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings of work, while limiting the Phillies to just four hits. He struck out nine batters and did not walk any on 108 pitches in the win, just his second in 11 starts.

Wheeler is now 2-5 with a 4.31 ERA on the season, though he has lowered that mark more than half a run over the last two outings. He will try to keep his run going in his next start, set for Tuesday against the Cubs.

Marlins promising starter Henderson Alvarez claims that tightness in his elbow that knocked him out after five innings and 62 pitches of his Wednesday outing will not prevent him from making his next start Tuesday against Tampa Bay.

Mike Redmond echoed those sentiments. "I think he's fine," Redmond told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "He wanted to keep pitching but we wanted to make sure it didn't become anything serious. He just had mentioned that it had tightened up on him."

Alvarez has emerged as one of the better starters in the National League. He owns a fine 2.97 ERA with just 16 walks in 66 2/3 innings. His 2-3 record indicates a lack of run support.

Braves starter-turned-reliever Alex Wood is adding fuel to the fire for those who believe the switch should not have been made by his performance out the bullpen.

Opposing batters are hitting .348 against Wood in his last seven appearances compared to .233 a year ago in 20 relief outings.

Wood was performing extremely well in the rotation, but Fredi Gonzalez removed him in favor of such veterans as Gavin Floyd and Aaron Harang. Wood was 2-5 in seven starts, but gave up two or fewer runs in six of them in compiling a 3.00 ERA. His ERA aside from the one poor game in Miami was 1.80 as a starter.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was saddled with a loss after giving up three earned runs on seven hits and one walk in seven innings while striking out nine in his team's 3-2 loss to the Reds Wednesday.

Kershaw (3-2) has struck out exactly nine batters in four of his six starts, including each of his last two. However, he surrendered a two-run home run in the first inning and gave up another on a wild pitch in the sixth. Kershaw owns a 3.57 ERA and 46:7 K:BB ratio in 35 1/3 innings. He'll face off with the White Sox Monday.