MLB Player News

Rea (6-5) earned the win Wednesday against the Padres, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out five.

Rea was mostly unfazed by the difficult conditions at sizzling Wrigley Field, and he also got plenty of run support on a day when the Cubs erupted for 23 runs. The 36-year-old right-hander was a bit wild at times, walking three and hitting a pair of batters, but he still worked at least five frames while yielding two runs or fewer for a third consecutive outing. Rea will bring a shaky 4.74 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 68:34 K:BB over 89.1 innings into his next scheduled appearance against the Orioles.

Buehler (5-4) took the loss Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing nine runs on seven hits and four walks in four innings. He struck out six.

Working under tough conditions at scorching Wrigley Field, Buehler floundered in what was a season-worst outing. The veteran right-hander gave up more than five runs for the first time this year, breaking up a string of five consecutive starts during which he allowed just one run in each outing. Buehler's ERA swelled to 4.61 and his WHIP to 1.38 to go with a 76:30 K:BB over 82 innings, so he'll be looking to erase Wednesday's disaster his next time out versus Arizona.

The Rockies recalled Hughes from Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Hughes is receiving his first promotion to the major leagues. The 24-year-old has posted a 5.31 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 48:11 K:BB in 40.2 innings with Albuquerque this year. The right-hander is expected to initially work out of the bullpen despite starting in seven of his nine appearances in Triple-A. The Rockies designated John Brebbia for assignment to make room on the roster for Hughes.

Holmes could remain in Atlanta's bullpen moving forward, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Holmes made 15 starts for Atlanta before tossing four scoreless relief innings during his last appearance against the Giants on Saturday. While Holmes could make another start Thursday versus the Cardinals if Hurston Waldrep is needed in relief Wednesday, the club's preference is to keep Holmes in the bullpen. The right-hander has collected a 3.96 ERA and 69:37 K:BB over 77.1 frames this season.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that the goal is for Cabrera (hamstring) to be throwing bullpen sessions before the All-Star break, Casey Drottar of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera landed on the 15-day injured list one week ago because of a moderate left hamstring strain. If Cabrera is able to resume mound work before the break, he would seem to have a chance to rejoin the Cubs' rotation before the end of July. However, the righty needs to check off a few boxes before a clearer timeline emerges.

Taillon (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Taillon has missed a little more than three weeks as he works his way back from a left hamstring strain, and he's progressed enough to test himself in a game setting. The right-hander has a chance to rejoin the Cubs rotation for one start before the All-Star break, assuming he comes out of Sunday's outing with no issues and gets his pitch count up to a sufficient level.

Houser allowed two earned runs on five hits, including a home run, and one walk while striking out one in 5.1 relief innings during Tuesday's 8-2 loss to Arizona.

Landen Roupp surrendered six earned runs in just 2.2 innings, opening the door for Houser to cover the rest of the game. The 33-year-old right-hander was moved to the bullpen after drawing his last start June 16. He's made two relief appearances since then, allowing two earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two in 7.2 innings. Overall, he owns a 5.38 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 50:26 K:BB in 73.2 innings this season.

Alvarez will be used in a bulk-relief role Wednesday in Boston, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

All five of Alvarez's appearances in June were traditional starts, but he's operated as a bulk reliever multiple times this season. Brad Lord will open the gme Wednesday for the Nationals and is capable of logging multiple frames, so Alvarez could end up being deployed as part of a piggyback arrangement.

Sanchez (10-3) picked up the win Tuesday, scattering three hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings in an 8-0 rout of the Pirates. He struck out nine.

The southpaw became the first starting pitcher in the majors this season to reach double-digit wins, although the Dodgers' Justin Wrobleski joined him later Tuesday night, and Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby has an MLB-leading 11 victories. Sanchez fired 66 of 92 pitches for strikes in a dominant performance that wasn't even derailed by a small cut on the top of his left thumb he picked up in the second inning. Over 11 starts and 76.2 innings since the beginning of May, Sanchez has dialed up a 1.53 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 86:10 K:BB to emerge as one of the frontrunners for the NL Cy Young Award. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in Kansas City.

Chandler (3-8) took the loss Tuesday, giving up five runs on seven hits and two walks over 6.1 innings as the Pirates were blanked 8-0 by the Phillies. He struck out six.

The right-hander kept things close until running out of gas in the seventh inning after 97 pitches (65 strikes), but Chandler had no margin for error with Cristopher Sanchez locked in for Philly. It's the first time since June 2 that Chandler has been tagged for more than two earned runs, and over six starts on the month he posted a 4.28 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB in 33.2 innings. He'll look to bounce back in his next outing, which is set to come on the road this weekend against the Nationals.