MLB Player News

Nola (0-4) took the loss Wednesday against the Giants after giving up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and four walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out eight.

Having already struggled to begin the season, the veteran right-hander was tagged for four runs on four hits and two walks in the opening inning Wednesday. More trouble arose in the fourth, when the Giants plated two more runs and chased Nola from the game after he threw 99 pitches. Nola could have a tough time improving on his 5.82 ERA and 1.66 WHIP over 21.2 innings (four starts) in his next scheduled start, which comes on the road against the Mets early next week.

Cruz went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Nationals.

Cruz put the Pirates up for good in the sixth inning, when he took the first pitch he saw from Eduardo Salazar deep to right field for a 385-foot grand slam. It was the third home run of the season for Cruz and his first since April 2 against the Rays. The 26-year-old outfielder has begun the season slashing .222/.343/.426 with three home runs and nine RBI in 67 plate appearances, and he leads the majors with eight stolen bases.

Tovar was scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers due to left hip pain, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The severity of Tovar's injury remains unknown, but it's enough to prevent him from playing in Wednesday's contest. Kyle Farmer will shift to shortstop while Tovar rests, opening up second base for Adael Amador.

Davis went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Nationals.

Davis opened the scoring in the fifth inning, when he took a 92-mph fastball from Mitchell Parker deep to left field for a 392-foot solo homer. It was Davis' first homer of the season, and he drove in another run in the fifth frame on a groundout to third base. With Joey Bart (back) day-to-day, Davis has started in four of the Pirates' last five games. Even when Bart has recovered from his injury, Davis should continue to see more playing time after Endy Rodriguez (finger) was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

Canning (illness) has been cleared to start Thursday's game against the Cardinals in New York, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Canning was originally scheduled to pitch in Wednesday's series finale versus the Twins, but he was scratched after falling ill Tuesday. The right-hander has apparently bounced back well from the ailment and will wind up being pushed back just one day in the pitching schedule. After winning a rotation spot on the heels of an excellent spring training, Canning has gotten off to a so-so start to the season, going 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 13:8 K:BB over 15 innings.

Falter (1-2) earned the win against the Nationals on Wednesday, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two across seven scoreless innings.

Falter needed just 83 pitches (of which 57 were strikes) to get through seven scoreless frames, allowing only three baserunners in the process. It was his second quality start in four tries and a nice bounce-back effort for the 26-year-old southpaw, who yielded 12 runs (10 earned) in his two previous outings. Falter will look to make it two wins in a row in his next start, which is tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Angels.

Call went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly in Wednesday's 6-1 loss to the Pirates.

The Nationals didn't get on the board until the ninth inning, when Call brought Dylan Crews home on a sacrifice fly to center field. Call started the season strongly with three multi-hit efforts in his first eight contests, but he's cooled off and has gone 1-for-14 with three walks in his past five games.

Parker (2-1) took the loss against the Pirates on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out six across six innings.

Parker came out of the gate hot with four-straight punchouts, and he entered the fifth frame without allowing a run. The 25-year-old southpaw's shutout bid came to an abrupt halt when Henry Davis took Parker deep to left field for a solo homer in the fifth inning, which was enough to tag him with the loss since the Nationals' bats fell silent against Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter. Parker has logged quality starts in all four outings this season and has a 1.85 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 16:9 K:BB over 24.1 innings. He's slated to take on the Orioles at home next week.

Little allowed one run and retired two batters in relief during Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Padres while also walking four.

After getting recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday with Eli Morgan (elbow) moving to the injured list, Little struggled to find the plate in his 2025 MLB debut. Command has been the lefty's weakness so far in the majors, as he posted a 5.4 BB/9 during a brief stint in 2023 and then followed that up with a 6.2 mark last year while logging 26 innings for the Cubs. Little has good stuff, but if he keeps walking batters at a high rate, he will remain a low-leverage reliever at best with limited fantasy upside.

Phillips (shoulder) struck out a batter and allowed one hit in a scoreless inning of relief during his rehab appearance Wednesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Phillips made the sixth appearance of his rehab assignment, and perhaps most notably, he pitched on consecutive days for the first time during his assignment. He was roughed up for two runs on three hits over one inning Tuesday, but Phillips was much sharper Wednesday in a high-leverage spot. He entered the game with two runners on and no outs, but after striking out a batter and then allowing a single to load the bases, he induced a game-ending double play to secure the save. Provided that the Dodgers are satisfied with the condition on his shoulder coming out of Wednesday's appearance, Phillips could be activated from the 15-day injured list this weekend to make his season debut for the big club.