MLB Player News

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Matz (back) will make the third start of his rehab assignment Sunday with Double-A Springfield, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

In his most recent outing Tuesday with Springfield, Matz surrendered five unearned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out three over 1.2 innings. After Matz tossed 35 pitches Tuesday, Marmol said that the veteran lefty is in line to throw approximately 50 pitches Sunday. The Cardinals are aiming for Matz to build up to the 75-to-80-pitch mark before he returns from the 15-day injured list, so he'll presumably need at least one more rehab start after Sunday to get fully stretched out.

Waldrep will make his next start Sunday against the Rays in Atlanta, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Atlanta had held off from listing Waldrep among its probable pitchers following his MLB debut this past weekend against the Nationals, but the fact that the rookie wasn't immediately demoted following his first start always suggested that he was sticking around in the big-league rotation. Waldrep was touched up for seven runs while striking out only one over 3.2 innings against the Nationals, but he had cruised through the first three frames before unraveling in the fourth. Though Waldrep displayed plenty of upside during stops with Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett earlier this season, he'll still carry plenty of risk as a fantasy option Sunday, even in a favorable matchup at home.

Irvin (5-5) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on six hits and a walk over six innings in a 7-5 victory over the Tigers. He struck out five.

The right-hander continues his breakout campaign, winning his third straight trip to the mound while delivering his fifth consecutive quality start. Irvin boasts a 3.00 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 69:15 K:BB through 81 innings on the season, and he'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Diamondbacks.

Schwellenbach came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out three.

Matched up against fellow rookie hurler Cade Povich, Schwellenbach produced his first quality start in three trips to the mound for Atlanta, but the 24-year-old right-hander was on the hook for a loss until Matt Olson went deep in the top of the eighth inning. Schwellenbach may have earned himself a longer stay in the majors with Wednesday's performance, but he'll take a 6.32 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB through 15.2 big-league innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Tigers.

King came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the A's, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks over five-plus innings. He struck out 12.

The right-hander set a season high in Ks and took a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning, but after allowing back-to-back singles to begin the frame, King left the mound and watched as Wandy Peralta let both inherited runners cross the plate. King hasn't been tagged for more than three runs in any of his last five starts, posting a 2.20 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 34:8 K:BB in 28.2 innings over that stretch. He'll face a much tougher test in his next outing, on the road early next week in Philadelphia.

Marquez (elbow) resumed a rehab assignment with the Rockies' Arizona Complex League affiliate Wednesday, striking out four while yielding one unearned run over 1.2 innings.

Marquez made one rehab appearance with the ACL Rockies last month before returning to throwing bullpen sessions. He's now back to appearing in games as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander is tracking toward a return to the Rockies sometime next month.

Buehler (1-4) allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk while striking out two over five innings, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Rangers.

Buehler gave up a three-run home run to Corey Seager in the fifth inning, and that ended up being the difference in this game. This was the sixth time in seven outings that Buehler has allowed at least three runs. He's likely still working on getting into a groove after an extended absence following his August 2022 Tommy John surgery. The right-hander has a 4.64 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB over 33 innings so far. He'll have a tough task in his next start, which is projected to be at Colorado.

Falter (3-4) took the loss against St. Louis on Wednesday, allowing three runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five batters over four innings.

Falter wasn't hit particularly hard -- seven of the eight knocks against him were singles -- but the constant stream of baserunners was too much for him to overcome. This was the second straight outing during which the left-hander lasted just four innings after he went at least six frames in each of his four previous starts. Falter's ERA was at a solid 3.22 through the end of May, but with two straight poor starts to begin June, it now sits at 3.86 overall.

Cecconi (1-5) took the loss Wednesday versus the Angels, allowing seven runs on 10 hits and four strikeouts over three-plus innings. He did not walk a batter.

The lack of walks was about the only positive for Cecconi, who gave up a solo home run to Zach Neto and a three-run blast to Jo Adell in this lopsided loss. Cecconi has failed to complete five innings in each of his three starts in June, allowing 11 runs over 12 innings in that span. The right-hander is at a 6.70 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 33:9 K:BB through 44.1 innings over nine appearances (eight starts). Zac Gallen (hamstring) progressed to mound work Tuesday, but it's no guarantee at this point that Cecconi will remain in the rotation regardless of Gallen's status since Cecconi hasn't pitched well at the major-league level.

Gray (8-4) earned the win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out nine batters over seven innings.

After allowing the first two batters he faced in the outing to reach base, Gray retired the next 12 hitters to step up against him. The Pirates managed a fifth-inning run on a pair of hits, but that was the only tally they were able to push across the plate. Gray finished with his first quality start since May 3 -- a span of seven appearances -- and snapped a personal two-game losing streak. The right-hander allowed seven runs across 9.2 innings during that two-game stretch, but with Wednesday's excellent outing he improved his overall season ERA to 3.01.