MLB Player News

The Guardians plan to call Pilkington up from Triple-A Columbus to start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the White Sox, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Cleveland is expected to designate Pilkington as its 27th man for the twin bill, meaning that he'll presumably be optioned back to Columbus following the doubleheader. Pilkington has previously made 10 appearances (seven starts) for Cleveland this season, going 1-1 with a 4.08 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 34:20 K:BB across 35.1 innings.

The Royals returned Zerpa to Double-A Northwest Arkansas following Monday's doubleheader with the Tigers.

Zerpa had been designated as the Royals' 27th man for the twin bill, so he was never expected to stick around with the big club beyond Monday. He appeared in relief in the second game of the doubleheader, tossing two scoreless frames en route to securing his first MLB win.

Leclerc did not allow a hit or walk while striking out one over two scoreless innings in Monday's 10-8 win over Oakland.

Leclerc threw multiple innings for the third time in his last four outings. After a rough patch following his reinstatement from the 60-day injured list in mid-June, the right-hander has settled in nicely, pitching seven scoreless innings during the month of July. The former closer has been used to pitching single innings to this point, but manager Chris Woodward may have found a new role for Leclerc.

Martinez (2-2) allowed six runs (four earned) on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 4.1 innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Rangers.

Since rejoining the Athletics in late June, Martinez has two bad starts and one good one. Monday was a struggle, as he had two wild pitches and a balk lead to two runs in the second inning. The Rangers' got to him for three more runs in the fourth and another in the fifth before he exited the contest. With only a tenuous grasp on a rotation spot, Martinez can't afford much inconsistency. He's posted a 6.52 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB across 19.1 innings this year. If Frankie Montas (shoulder) returns during the upcoming three-game series versus the Astros, it's unclear if Martinez will make another start before the All-Star break. His turn would come up Sunday if he stays in the rotation.

Martin allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Monday's 10-8 win over the Athletics.

Martin made it a bit interesting by putting two runners on with two outs, but he struck out Chad Pinder to end the threat. All three of Martin's saves this year have come in his last three appearances, and he has a 3.2-inning scoreless streak. With Joe Barlow out of the closer role, it appears Martin has gotten the first look at the bulk of the ninth-inning duties. Dennis Santana and Matt Bush are also expected to get save chances based on matchups, but Martin's made the most of his opportunity with effective results so far. The southpaw owns a 2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 24:10 K:BB through 28 innings this season.

Howard (1-1) earned the win Monday over the Athletics. He allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and struck out one over five innings.

Howard got through three innings without trouble, then allowed an RBI single to Seth Brown in the fourth and a solo home run to Sheldon Neuse in the fifth. The Athletics rallied late against the Rangers' bullpen, but Brett Martin closed it out to earn Howard his first win in five appearances this year. Howard allowed four runs in four innings in his previous start, so this was a marked improvement for the right-hander. He still has an 8.04 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB through 15.2 innings, but with Dane Dunning (ankle) landing on the injured list, Howard should get an extended look in the rotation. He's lined up for a weekend home start versus the Mariners.

Zerpa (1-0) allowed one hit across two scoreless innings to earn the win in the second game of Monday's doubleheader versus the Tigers. He recorded zero strikeouts and zero walks.

Zerpa hadn't pitched above the Double-A level this season, but he was able to hold his own against major-league hitters in just his second career appearance with the Royals. For his efforts, he was awarded the win after Daniel Lynch (finger) went only four innings and wasn't eligible for the decision. Zerpa has a 4.36 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 69:21 K:BB in 64 innings across 13 starts with Northwest Arkansas this year, and it's expected he'll return to the Double-A club Tuesday after being designated the 27th man for Monday's doubleheader.

Alexander, who allowed one run across 3.1 innings of relief in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader against the Royals, has a 1.06 ERA across his last eight appearances.

The run actually snapped a streak of six straight scoreless outings for Alexander. The lefty has allowed just two runs across 17 innings since returning from the injured list June 13. He's still working in a long-relief role for the time being, but the Tigers could give Alexander a shot in the rotation at some point, as he made 15 starts a season ago. The team currently has Tarik Skubal, Beau Brieske, Michael Pineda and Drew Hutchison as healthy starters on the roster, with Alex Faedo optioned to Triple-A following his start in Monday's nightcap.

Barlow tossed a perfect inning and earned a save in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against Detroit.

Barlow needed just six pitches to roll through the Tigers and finish off the 3-1 victory. He's now converted six straight save chances since coughing up three runs and blowing an opportunity against the Angels on June 21. On the year, the 29-year-old is 14-of-16 in save chances with a 2.27 ERA over 39.2 frames.

Fleming left Monday's game against the Red Sox with right oblique tightness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Fleming will undergo further testing Tuesday to determine the severity of the issue. However, manager Kevin Cash stated that Fleming is likely headed to the 10-day injured list, per Topkin.