MLB Player News

McHugh limited the Cardinals to one run over 6.2 innings Wednesday, but received no decision in an eventual 4-1 win. He struck out six while allowing seven hits and two walks.

He matched zeroes with Adam Wainwright almost all the way through this game, only to give up a run in the seventh, but the Astros rallied to ensure he avoided the loss. After consecutive four-run outings, this is a breath of fresh air for McHugh, but he's got a long way to go yet to correct his ugly season stats. That highly inflated .359 BABIP will come down, bringing his ratios down with it, but it's highly unlikely that we'll ever see him match the sort of elite numbers he put up two seasons ago -- not to mention last year's 19 wins.

Norris is making progress at Triple-A and may be a "viable option [for the big-league rotation] if the need were there," reports the Detroit Free Press.

The Tigers have already put Michael Fulmer and Matt Boyd into big-league duty this season, long before the team really preferred. So, it might take an injury or continued struggles by the likes of Mike Pelfrey or Matt Boyd to press Norris into duty there, too. The lefty is getting minor league hitters out without much trouble -- in six starts since he was sent down, Norris has a 3.31 ERA and 2.53 FIP.

Flynn was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Flynn has worked to a 3.04 ERA in the minors as both a starter and a reliever, but he figures to be deployed out of the bullpen with the big league club. The lefty had a brief stint in the majors earlier in the season, allowing four earned runs with a 6:4 K:BB over 7.1 innings. Omar Infante was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot in a corresponding move.

Kelly (groin) has been throwing off flat ground, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports.

Manager John Farrell indicated that he'd like to see Kelly be able to throw from 180 feet before progressing to throwing off a mound, so it sounds as though Kelly remains without a set date to return to action. The 28-year-old had been sent down to the minors after struggling to a 8.46 ERA through six major league starts, so he figures to remain at Triple-A at least temporarily once healthy.

Garton (1-0) was credited with his first career victory in Tuesday's 8-7 win over the Mariners by pitching 0.2 innings of scoreless ball, with only a walk surrendered.

The 26-year-old got the call in the seventh after veteran Dana Eveland ran into considerable trouble, and was successful at minimizing the damage. Garton inherited both Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz as runners on the corners, but was able to get out of the inning with Nori Aoki's RBI groundout serving as the only run-scoring contact he yielded. After a rather disastrous major league debut versus the Marlins on May 26 that saw him surrender six hits and three earned runs over a pair of frames, Garton has bounced back with four consecutive scoreless appearances.

Girodo was called up by the Blue Jays on Wednesday, Barry Davis of Sportsnet reports.

Girodo will come up to provide a fresh arm to the Blue Jays' bullpen. He has been fantastic with Triple-A Buffalo this year, posting a 1.93 ERA, but he may continue riding the shuttle for the foreseeable future.

Shaw will remain the Indians' setup man despite his recent struggles according to manager Terry Francona, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Shaw has allowed at least one earned run in each of his last three appearances, and a home run in two of those three, ballooning his ERA to 5.68 on the year. He will continue to get hold opportunities, but he has not been sharp as of late and is not a real threat to Cody Allen's job as closer.

Pressly threw one shutout inning during Tuesday's loss to the Angels, bringing his ERA down to 4.17 for the season.

Pressly struggled to find consistency in the month of May, as he allowed 10 earned runs across 14.1 innings. However, he's improved in June, giving up two runs in eight innings of action. What's most notable is his improved control. After walking 14 batters in his first 20.2 innings of the season, Pressly has walked just one batter in his last 16 innings.

Colome issued a walk but didn't allow a run or a hit in his 19th save in Tuesday's win over the Mariners.

Colome is still perfect in save opportunities and extended his scoreless streak to 18 outings. He is currently pulling off the rare feat of owning an ERA (0.93) lower than his WHIP (1.00). Colome is striking out 11.9 batters per nine innings as he has taken extremely well to a move to the bullpen in this, his fourth major league season.

Martinez is a candidate to start Saturday against the Cardinals, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Manager Jeff Banister said Cesar Ramos and others in the minor league system are also in the running. Martinez will likely be available out of the bullpen for the next couple days as the team waits to make a decision. If Martinez were to pitch in relief Tuesday or Wednesday, it would effectively serve as his between-starts bullpen session.