MLB Player News

Scherzer (1-2) took the loss Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over 6.1 innings against the Padres. He struck out three.

Scherzer tossed his first quality start of the season, pitching into the seventh while increasing his pitch count to 90 after having tossed 57 and 77 over his first two starts. While the effectiveness has been there through three starts, as evidenced by a 2.70 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, he's not received much run support, with the Rangers supplying a total of two runs over his last two outings, with each resulting in a loss. One trend to keep an eye on moving forward is Scherzer's strikeout numbers as he's tallied only 11 thus far through 16.2 innings. The last time Scherzer recorded fewer than a strikeout per inning was in 2011, his fourth season in the league. Scherzer's next start is lined up for next week when the Rangers travel to Anaheim to take on the Angels.

King (7-5) picked up the win Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks against the Rangers. He struck out five.

King held the Rangers scoreless through five, then was removed after allowing two batters to reach base with one out in the sixth, eventually resulting in one earned run on his ledger. It's the sixth time in his last eight starts that King has allowed one earned run or fewer and his 10th such outing this season. Over his last eight starts, King has tossed 44 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 53 strikeouts. His next opportunity to toe the rubber is scheduled to come at home against the Mariners next week.

Miller allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out six over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Orioles on Thursday.

He gave up a two-run home run to Gunnar Henderson in the third inning, but Miller was able to limit the damage there. While he came an out shy of a quality start for the second time in four outings, Miller put in a decent performance to avoid a third straight loss. The right-hander is at a 3.84 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 97:29 K:BB over 103 innings across 18 starts. He's projected for a road outing in San Diego in his next start.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Yamamoto (shoulder) has been working with a plyo ball and could resume throwing soon, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Yamamoto has made progress in his rehab and was described as pain-free Wednesday. Assuming that remains the case, he's expected to start playing catch again before the All-Star break, likely meaning he won't return before August.

Kershaw (shoulder) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Thursday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw was expected to complete the session Wednesday, but he ultimately took the mound one day later. Things apparently went well, as manager Dave Roberts said that Kershaw will throw a sim game as early as Sunday and will then complete a two- or three-start rehab assignment before potentially being activated.

Sears (5-7) allowed two hits and a walk while striking out six over five shutout innings to earn the win over the Angels on Thursday.

Sears wasn't particularly efficient, needing 95 pitches (59 strikes) in this start, though it was good enough to snap a six-game winless skid. During that span, he had a 7.28 ERA over 29.2 innings and went 0-4. Sears is now at a 4.74 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 68:30 K:BB across 95 innings through 18 starts this year. He's projected to make his next start on the road at Boston.

Sanchez (6-4) suffered the loss Thursday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings against the Cubs. He struck out three.

Sanchez's outing began in a familiar manner, as he allowed no runs through the first three innings while being staked with an early 2-0 lead. But Sanchez, who has done a great job this year at avoiding the big inning, couldn't escape that trap Thursday, allowing six batters to reach base during a five-run fourth. He then saw his day end prematurely after the first two batters reached base in the fifth. All told, Sanchez, who was coming off a complete-game shutout and had allowed just one earned run over 23 innings during his previous three starts, allowed a season-high seven runs, lifting his season ERA more than half a run from 2.41 to 2.96. He'll look to rebound next week when the Phillies host a showdown series against the Dodgers.

Taillon (5-4) earned the win Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits over seven innings against the Phillies. He struck out seven.

Taillon allowed a two-out, solo home run by Nick Castellanos in the fourth that left the Cubs in a 2-0 hole, but Taillon then received nine runs of support while retiring 10 of the last 11 Phillies he faced to cruise to his fifth victory of the season. It was the fifth-straight start for Taillon in which he's tossed at least six innings while allowing three or fewer earned runs, posting a 2.25 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 30 strikeouts over 29 innings during that stretch. He's set up to face another tough matchup in his next start, likely to take place next week when the Cubs travel to Baltimore to take on the Orioles.

Mena was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

The move back to Triple-A comes after Mena struggled in his big-league debut Wednesday night. He allowed four runs in three innings, but all four runs came in the first inning. In a corresponding move, Joe Jacques was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Perez pitched 7.1 innings in a no-decision against the Cardinals on Thursday, allowing one unearned run on six hits while striking out two and walking one.

Perez pitched into the seventh inning for the second time this season, but he's come away with a no-decision on both of those occasions. The 33-year-old lefty bounced back well Thursday after giving up six runs in his first start back from the injured list last week. Perez has fared much better at home this season with a 3.65 ERA in seven starts, compared to a 5.97 ERA in six road starts.