MLB Player News

Falter didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Padres, allowing two hits while striking out one over two scoreless innings.

Falter allowed just a pair of singles Tuesday before the game entered a nearly three-hour rain delay, which forced Pittsburgh to turn to the bullpen to start the third inning. Falter's been serviceable for the Pirates this year, going 5-7 with a 3.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 65:28 K:BB across 19 starts (97.2 innings). The left-hander is currently slated to make his next start this weekend on the road against the Dodgers.

Cease didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Pirates, striking out two and allowing one hit in a scoreless inning.

Cease made quick work of the Pirates in the first inning, working around a Rowdy Tellez two-out double. However, the game would then be delayed for nearly three hours before the bottom of the second, forcing San Diego to go to the bullpen. Cease has been excellent of late, allowing just one earned run in his last 28.2 innings. Overall, he's 11-8 with a 3.40 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 176:43 K:BB in 24 starts this year. Cease currently lines up for a road matchup with the Marlins this weekend, though he could appear sooner, as the right-hander should be well rested after throwing just 14 pitches Tuesday.

Jones (lat) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Indianapolis, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Jones has missed more than a month of action with a Grade 2 right lat strain, so he'll surely require multiple rehab outings before coming off the 15-day injured list. A return before the end of August appears to be a realistic goal for the 23-year-old, assuming everything goes well during his rehab assignment.

Yamamoto (triceps) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.

The bullpen was Yamamoto's second since he landed on the injured list June 16. In his previous session, which took place Saturday, the right-hander threw 20 pitches, and he increased that count by 10 on Tuesday. Yamamoto is slated to toss another bullpen this week before pitching to live hitters next week. If he continues to build up without any setbacks, Yamamoto could return to the Dodgers' rotation in late August or early September.

Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The transaction comes one day after Elder was rocked for seven runs over just 3.2 frames in a loss to the Brewers. Elder has posted a 6.52 ERA and 1.63 WHIP through 49.2 innings in the majors this season.

Sanchez (8-7) got the win Tuesday against the Dodgers, allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out two over six innings.

Sanchez blanked the Dodgers into the sixth inning, but Teoscar Hernandez led off the frame with a double and eventually came around to score. The southpaw has now struck out just two batters in three of his past four starts, though on the bright side Tuesday marked his first time going at least six innings and allowing one run or zero since he threw a shutout June 28. The 27-year-old now owns a 3.27 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 100:32 K:BB in 126.2 innings and lines up to face the Diamondbacks over the weekend.

Atlanta recalled Dodd from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Dodd will provide length in the bullpen after Bryce Elder had an abbreviated start Tuesday against the Brewers. The left-handed Dodd was up briefly with Atlanta last month but didn't make an appearance. He holds a 4.85 ERA and 82:28 K:BB over 91 innings this season at Gwinnett.

Kershaw (0-2) took the loss Tuesday against the Phillies, allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out five over 4.2 innings.

Kershaw bounced back from a rough start against the Padres with a much better showing against the Phillies. He blanked them into the fifth before Kyle Schwarber plated the game's first run and subsequently ended Kershaw's night. The future Hall of Famer has yet to reach five innings in any of his three starts thus far despite throwing 83 and 81 pitches his last two times out, but he mentioned after the game he thought Tuesday's outing was a good building block. Kershaw seems to be trending in the right direction in terms of building up his stamina and the strikeouts returned after he failed to punch anyone out against San Diego. Kershaw will take a 4.38 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB in 12.1 innings into his next start, which projects to come against the Brewers to begin next week.

Gray (11-6) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk over seven innings in a 4-3 victory over the Rays. He struck out six.

The veteran right-hander needed 106 pitches (70 strikes) to deliver his 10th quality start of the season. Gray has lasted at least seven innings in seven of his last 10 trips to the mound, a stretch in which he's posted a 4.08 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 71:10 K:BB through 64 innings. He lines up to make his next start on the road early next week in Cincinnati.

Rea (10-3) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing five hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings in a 10-0 rout of Atlanta. He struck out nine.

The nine Ks were a season high for Rea, who let only two runners into scoring position all night on a pair of Matt Olson doubles. The right-hander has already won a career-high 10 games this year, but his 3.38 ERA is nearly a full run better than his 4.25 FIP and 4.31 xFIP, so his ability to keep up that pace down the stretch remains in question. Rea lines up to make his next start at home this weekend against the Reds.