MLB Player News

Lopez surrendered two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings Thursday against Seattle. He didn't factor into the decision.

Lopez cruised through the first five frames of his outing and entered the sixth inning with a 4-0 lead, but he'd allow a pair of runs on two hits and the Royals would cough up the lead in the later innings, preventing the 26-year-old from securing his first victory of the season. He owns a 3.71 ERA with 13 punchouts over 17 frames in his first three outings of the 2019 campaign.

Stanek will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Since the Rays had an off day Thursday, they'll be able to get by with only three traditional starters this week while having both Yonny Chirinos and Ryan Yarbrough on hand as "bulk relievers." Per Topkin, manager Kevin Cash hasn't tipped his hand regarding who might follow Stanek, making it somewhat risky to rely on either Chirinos or Yarbrough as streaming options. Rather than asking one of the two to pitch the majority of the innings out of the bullpen, it's conceivable that the Rays turn to both Chirinos and Yarbrough for multiple frames apiece.

Norris won't make his scheduled start Friday against the Twins after the game was postponed due to inclement weather.

Norris had been in line to make his first start of the season in place of the injured Matt Moore (knee), but the postponement will allow the Tigers to reset their rotation. According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, the Tigers now intend to start Tyson Ross and Jordan Zimmermann for the final two games of the series Saturday and Sunday, respectively, when both pitchers will be available on their normal four days' rest. Norris, meanwhile, will work in the bullpen for the short term before the Tigers require a fifth starter April 20 against the White Sox.

Barlow is an option to start Monday's game against the White Sox, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Heath Fillmyer and Glenn Sparkman are also considered options to make that start, as the Royals lack a trusted fifth starter with Danny Duffy (shoulder) still a couple weeks away from returning to the rotation. Barlow has never made a big-league start but logged a 6.11 ERA in 45.2 innings at Triple-A last year, working primarily as a starter.

Scott was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Richard Bleier (shoulder) landed on the injured list, so Scott was summoned to take his place in the big-league bullpen. He has a big fastball from the left side but has struggled with control in his big-league career (4.9 BB/9).

Barria (1-0) gave up a run on four hits while striking out three over 2.2 innings of relief to get credit for the win in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over the Brewers.

Starter Felix Pena only lasted four innings, putting Barria in position for a quick win mere hours after his promotion from Triple-A Salt Lake. The 22-year-old gave the Angels some solid innings as a rookie last season, and if the club decides it needs more length from Pena's spot in the rotation, Barria could get a shot. For now, though, he'll remain in a long-relief role.

Robles worked a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his first save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Brewers.

Cody Allen pitched Monday and Tuesday and was unavailable, but somewhat surprisingly it was Robles, and not Ty Buttrey, who got the call in his place. The former Met has certainly earned the opportunity, though, posting a 2.70 ERA and 10:1 K:BB through 6.2 innings with a win and two holds as well as the save. Robles remains a part of the Angels' setup crew for now, but if something were to happen to Allen, the 28-year-old could be the next man up on a more permanent basis.

Leclerc allowed one run on one hit, one walk and two hit batsmen over one-third of an inning in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

One day after blowing a save, Leclerc was unable to command his fastball during an appearance that was meant to be a bounce-back outing in a non-save situation. Leclerc battled command issues in the minors and first two seasons in the majors before harnessing the fastball to become a dominant closer in 2018. Those woes appear to have come roaring back after the reliever went unused during a five-day stretch. "There's always a level of concern when it's your best pitcher," manager Chris Woodward told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "And that's what he is, our best pitcher. We will dig into it and get him right, whether it's mental or physical. He wants the ball and I wanted to give it back to him. Now, maybe we can make an adjustment and get it right." Kyle Bird came on to finish out the inning and earn his first save of the season.

Pressly gave up a hit and struck out three over 1.1 innings to earn his first save of the season in a win over the Yankees on Wednesday.

Pressly came into the game with the tying run on third base in the eighth inning and proceeded to strike out Gary Sanchez to end the rally. He came back for the ninth inning and only surrendered a single by Aaron Judge to earn his first save of the season. This isn't a sign of any change to the closer's role as Roberto Osuna was unavailable after pitching three days in a row. Pressly has been fantastic thus far and has yet to allow a run through five appearances.

McHugh (2-1) gave up two runs on four hits with one walk while striking out nine through six innings in a win over the Yankees on Wednesday.

McHugh mowed down the Yankees with nine strikeouts through six innings to earn his second win. The 31-year-old featured an electric slider that provided 14 swinging strikes. The right-hander has a 2-1 record with a 2.65 ERA and 22 strikeouts through 17 innings this season. McHugh will look to keep it rolling in his next start Tuesday at Oakland.