Clayton Kershaw Will Face Max Scherzer Friday

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw has been bumped up in the rotation with the placement of Rich Hill (finger) on the disabled list. Kershaw will now open the three-game series against the Nationals at home against their ace, Max Scherzer. This is as close to a heavyweight match as you'll get in baseball. Kershaw […]

Christian Villanueva Fine After Being Plunked On Wrist

San Diego Padres third baseman Christian Villanueva (wrist) was removed from Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers after being plunked in the wrist. X-rays came up negative and he expects to play Friday. Villanueva is second in the majors with four hit by pitches and is considering using a wrist protector. It makes sense. […]

Hunter Strickland Blows Second Save Wednesday But Picks Up Win

San Francisco Giants closer Hunter Strickland blew his second save of the season late Wednesday night. Strickland was picked up by teammate Brandon Belt, who hit a two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to give the Giants the victory. Strickland’s job should remain safe for now, and he is now 2-0 […]

Luis Perdomo Risks Demotion After Disastrous Outing

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Luis Perdomo was awful in Wednesday's loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing nine runs (seven earned) in three innings pitched. Perdomo was hit hard all night, giving up 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts. After the game, manager Andy Green was blunt. "This is Major League Baseball. […]

Ben Zobrist Is Improving

Chicago Cubs second baseman/outfielder Ben Zobrist (back) is improving and could be available off the bench on Thursday. Zobrist was scratched from Tuesday’s contest with back tightness. Zobrist missed the beginning of spring training with the same issue and the club is likely to take it easy with the veteran. Zobrist has been off to […]

Heliot Ramos Hits First Home Run

San Francisco Giants top prospect, outfielder Heliot Ramos, hit his first home run of the year on Wednesday. Ramos has been off to a slow start for Single-A Augusta and has hit just .235 early on. Ramos has good bat speed and power, but the big flaw for the 18-year-old has been his ability to […]

Austin Riley Continues Hot Start In Double-A

Atlanta Braves third base prospect Austin Riley continues to stay hot for Double-A Mississippi. Riley went 3-for-4 on Wednesday with two triples, two runs and two RBI. Riley is coming off of a strong season and is the team's No. 8 prospect. Riley now has three straight multi-hit games and has a .370 batting average […]

Blake Rutherford Is Raking

Chicago White Sox outfield prospect Blake Rutherford picked up three doubles in five at-bats for Class A Advanced Winston-Salem on Wednesday. Rutherford was the main piece brought back from the Yankees in last year's deadline deal for Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle. Rutherford is a top-100 prospect and is now hitting .357 with […]

JC Ramirez Had Successful Tommy John Surgery

Los Angeles Angels starter JC Ramirez (elbow) successfully underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. He will miss the entire 2018 season and likely the start of 2019 as well. Ramirez was expected to be a big part of LA's rotation this season after winning 11 games with 4.15 ERA last season. Expect Nick Tropeano and […]

Mets Sign Vance Worley, Scott Copeland

The New York Mets added some organizational depth on Thursday, signing pitchers Vance Worley and Scott Copeland to minor league deals. Neither figure to be major contributors for the Amazins’, but stranger things have happened. Worley is coming off a disastrous 2017 that saw him get shelled to the tune of a 6.91 ERA across […]

Tommy Pham Says He's Fine

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham (groin) told reporters he was fine and that he "could play today." Regardless, Pham is getting the day off on Thursday, but he seems likely to rejoin the lineup as early as Friday. Top outfield prospect Tyler O'Neill was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, but it looks […]

John Brebbia Sent Down to Triple-A Memphis

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher John Brebbia was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday to make room on the roster for top outfield prospect Tyler O'Neill. Brebbia was called up to join the St. Louis bullpen on April 8 but only made two appearances since then. To his credit, they were both perfect innings. He'll […]

Tommy Pham Not in the Lineup for Thursday's Game

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham (groin) is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game. Pham hurt himself in the ninth inning of Tuesday's game but was forced to stay in because the Cardinals were out of position players. The fact that he has not been placed on the disabled list certainly bodes well, […]

Robbie Ray Increases Fastball Velocity In No-Decision

Arizona Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray gave up two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out nine over six innings of work on Wednesday night. Ray struggled with his control again, as he's yet to walk fewer than three batters in a game this year. His average fastball velocity was the highest it's […]

Brad Boxberger Takes The Loss Wednesday Night

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Brad Boxberger took the loss on Wednesday night, giving up the game-winning two-run home run to Brandon Belt in the 10-inning loss to the Giants. It was Boxberger's first loss of the year and the first runs he has given up all season. Belt has been a thorn in the Diamondbacks side […]

Javier Baez Moved Up In Batting Order

Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez has been moved to the second spot in the order for Thursday’s game. Baez has been seeing the ball very well lately and is 10 for his last 33 with five home runs, 15 RBI and 11 runs scored. Baez is a streaky hitter but when he’s hot, he […]

Albert Almora Hitting First Thursday

Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora will hit first on Wednesday. Almora doesn’t draw many starts versus right-handed pitchers, so it’s good to see him get that chance versus Luke Weaver. Manager Joe Maddon has rotated Almora with Ian Happ and Ben Zobrist and until one of them runs away with the job, they can all […]

Evan Longoria Stays Hot

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria continues to heat up. Wednesday evening he hit his third home run and finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run and a walk. He is now nine for his last 20 and has two home runs and five RBI over that span. Longoria got overlooked in a lot […]

Reds Fire Manager Bryan Price

The Cincinnati Reds announced on Thursday morning that they are firing manager Bryan Price and pitching coach Mack Jenkins. The team is off to a 3-15 start, which surely played into the team moving on from a majority of their major league coaching staff. Bench coach Jim Riggleman will become interim manager, while former Triple-A […]

Rick Porcello Picks Up MLB-Leading Fourth Win

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello pitched a very controlled game, leading his team to a 9-0 victory against the Angels on Wednesday. He also picked up his MLB-leading fourth win of the season. Porcello ended the night scattering six hits in six scoreless innings and striking out six batters. He hasn't allowed a […]

Jeff Samardzija Set To Return Friday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (pectoral) is set to return Friday versus the Angels. Samardzija had a smooth rehab and is ready to roll. The starter is able to help owners in all formats, but you may want to see how he fares in his first game back before putting him back in […]

Freddie Freeman Will Be Evaluated Later Thursday Morning

While it looks like Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman may have avoided a fractured wrist after being hit by a pitch during Wednesday night's game, the team will have him looked at again Thursday morning before making any decisions. It would be fortunate if he did escape injury, but he'll likely sit out Thursday's […]

Rafael Devers Hits A Grand Slam

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers hit a grand slam in the third inning of a 9-0 win against the Angels on Wednesday. It was the fourth grand slam on the young season for the Red Sox. He finished the game 2-for-5 with four RBI. Devers continues to demonstrate that he is one of […]

Miguel Cabrera Homers And Doubles In Return

Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera was back in the lineup on Wednesday after leaving Tuesday's contest with lower back tightness. He showed no signs of being bothered by the injury, as he slugged a home run and a double to lead the Tigers to victory. It was a nice day at the dish for […]

Shane Greene Blows Save Wednesday

The Detroit Tigers entered the top of the ninth inning with a one-run lead on the Baltimore Orioles, but closer Shane Greene couldn't seal the deal. Greene coughed up a solo homer to pinch hitter Luis Sardinas before getting out of the inning. Greene did come away with the win, however, as Detroit's Dixon Machado […]

Denard Span Continues Run Producing Wednesday Versus Texas

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Denard Span drove in a run versus Texas on Wednesday. Span went 1-for-4 to drop his on-base percentage to .352. The RBI brought his season total to 11. The total surprisingly leads the Rays after 18 games. He has the lead despite spending his time outside of the heart of the […]

Tyler Mahle Strikes Out Six On Wednesday

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Tyler Mahle turned in a decent pitching performance against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday evening. Mahle allowed two runs over five innings of work, striking out six and walking four. He wound up taking the loss as the Reds offense was shut out by the Brewers. Mahle bounced back from a poor […]

Jose Berrios Dominates Again, Settles For No-Decision

Minnesota Twins right-hander Jose Berrios continued his pitching excellence on Wednesday night, holding the Cleveland Indians scoreless over seven innings of work. Berrios allowed just three hits and struck out five while taking a no-decision in a game that the Twins wound up winning in 16 innings. After some rough patches over his first two […]

C.J. Cron Continues Modest Hitting Streak Wednesday Versus Texas

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman C.J. Cron was the only Tampa Bay player with multiple hits Wednesday versus Texas. He went 2-for-4 to bring his batting average up to .270. He also drove in a run, a positive step towards defending his place in the middle of the order. Cron has recorded a hit in […]

Alex Colome Earns Fourth Save Wednesday Versus Texas

Tampa Bay Rays closer Alex Colome earned his fourth save of the season Wednesday versus Texas. He allowed a run to continue his less than ideal start to the season that has included blown saves and multiple games where he earned the save but still gave up runs. Colome recorded an MLB-leading 47 saves in […]