MLB Player News

Woodford (0-5) took the loss Sunday, allowing seven runs (five earned) on nine hits and one walk over four innings against the Mariners. He struck out four.

Woodford was tagged early when Cal Raleigh blasted a two-run homer with one out in the first inning and was never able to find his footing as he was let down both by his own performance and by poor defense. After showing well in a spot start against San Diego, Woodford was given another crack but was lit up for seven total runs by a Mariners squad that had failed to score more than three runs in any game during the five-game losing streak that they carried into the contest. While a better performance may have altered the Pirates' mindset a bit, with Jared Jones (lat) slated to make at least one more rehab start early this week, Woodford appears to be the most likely to lose his spot in the rotation once jones is ready to make his return.

Atlanta hasn't officially announced a starter for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, but manager Brian Snitker previously indicated the Lopez (forearm) was expected to be re-inserted into the rotation early this week, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Max Fried and Spencer Schwellenbach are penciled in to pitch Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, potentially leaving Tuesday open for Lopez to make his return from the injured list. The right-hander threw 71 pitches over four innings during his rehab start last Tuesday with Triple-A Gwinnett, so he shouldn't have significant workload limitations in his return to Atlanta's rotation.

Pirates GM Ben Cherington said Sunday that Jones (lat) will make at least one more rehab start before returning from the 15-day injured list, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The right-hander has struggled in his two rehab outings for Triple-A Indianapolis with six earned runs allowed across six innings. Jones encouragingly built up his workload to 67 pitching during his last appearance, but the Pirates might want to see him regain some effectiveness before re-inserting him into the big-league rotation.

Kuehler is on the full-season injured list at High-A Rome after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July, Scott Kennedy of SI.com reports.

Kuehler logged a 2.52 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 44:20 K:BB in 50 innings across 11 starts for Single-A Augusta and then gave up eight runs in three innings in his lone start for Rome on June 30. It's possible that the 22-year-old righty will eventually shift to the bullpen, where his fastball/slider combo could play up and his shaky command would be less of an issue. He may not recover in time to pitch for an affiliate in 2025.

Wicks (oblique) struck out three and allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks in his second rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Iowa. "He's got a minimum of two [rehab starts] left before he's kind of ready to pitch for us regardless," Cubs manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com on Friday, when asked about a timeline for Wicks to return from the 60-day injured list. "So, he's got time left. I think at the start of it, health is most important. And as we get closer to making a decision, then results start to get factored in more, absolutely."

Wicks has been on the IL since mid-June with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, but he's been able to steadily ramp up his workload over his first two rehab starts, tossing 43 pitches Aug. 10 and 59 pitches Thursday. The results haven't been impressive, however, as Wicks has covered just 3.2 innings between those outings while giving up 10 earned runs on nine hits -- including four home runs -- and four walks. Counsell expressed confidence that Wicks will be able to knock off the rust in his subsequent rehab outings, and the fact that the skipper notes that the lefty will make at least two more starts in the minors suggests that Wicks probably won't be activated until the final weekend of August, at the earliest. Kyle Hendricks should continue to hold down a spot at the back end of the Chicago rotation while Wicks is on the farm.

Sale (14-3) earned the win over the Angels on Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over six innings while striking out 10.

Sale stifled the Angels' lineup for most of the night, allowing only two batters to reach second base over the first five innings before surrendering two runs -- one of which came across on a wild pitch -- in the sixth. The lefty induced 17 whiffs on the night and posted double-digit strikeouts for the third consecutive start. Sale has now won his four last decisions (spanning eight starts) and hasn't surrendered more than two runs since June 1 against the Athletics (a span of 12 starts).

Freeland took the loss against the Padres on Saturday, allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks over five innings while striking out three.

Freeland went 1-2-3 through the opening frame before surrendering three consecutive hits to start the second, leading to two runs coming home for San Diego. The lefty would then allow two more runs in the fourth and another in the fifth while matching his season high with three walks in the contest. Freeland has now given up at least three runs in each of his last three starts and currently holds a 7.43 ERA in August to go along with an 11:6 K:BB. Saturday marked only his second loss since April 14.

Jones (lat) struck out three over 3.1 innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and no walks in his second rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Indianapolis.

While Jones built up to 67 pitches (43 strikes) and looks to be nearly fully stretched out, he hasn't been at his best over his two rehab outings at Triple-A. Between his appearances Wednesday and on Aug. 8, Jones has coughed up seven runs (six earned) on eight hits with a 6:2 K:BB over six innings. The Pirates haven't provided word on the next step for Jones, but the organization may want to have him make one more tune-up outing with Indianapolis before he makes his return from the 15-day injured list. The rookie has been on the shelf since July 4 with a Grade 2 right lat strain.

Woodford is scheduled to start Sunday's game against the Mariners in Pittsburgh.

He'll be making his second turn through the rotation as a replacement for Marco Gonzales, who was placed on the injured list Monday with a season-ending forearm strain. The Pirates could get Jared Jones (lat) back from the IL later this month, but the team could still choose to keep Woodford part of a six-man rotation in an effort to keep the workloads of Jones and fellow rookie Paul Skenes under control down the stretch. Woodford's performance in future outings could factor into the Pirates' plans for him moving forward, and he made a strong first impression in his start this past Monday in San Diego, when he limited the Padres to one run on three hits and no walks over six innings.

Cease (12-9) picked up the win over the Rockies on Saturday, allowing three runs on three hits and five walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

Cease started off strong, striking out five of the first nine batters he faced while keeping the Rockies off the scoreboard through the first five innings. The right-hander then began to stumble in the sixth, allowing three consecutive batters to reach before eventually surrendering three runs in the frame. He was relieved by Adrian Morejon with two outs, marking the third consecutive start in which Cease has been unable to get through six innings (excluding his rain-delayed start Aug. 6). The five walks on the night also matched his season high, and he's now issued multiple free passes in four consecutive outings in which he's pitched outside of the first inning. Despite that, Cease has won five of his last six decisions (spanning seven starts).