MLB Player News

Mariners pitcher Tony Zych will start Wednesday against the Astros. With James Paxton (finger) unable to go, the Mariners will turn to Zych, a fourth-round pick by the Cubs in the 2011 first-year player draft.

It will be Zych's first start at any level as a professional. The right-hander turned in a 2.98 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 55:9 K:BB between Double-A and Triple-A this season, and has fared reasonably well in 11 appearances so far with the big club, but he hasn't thrown more than 32 pitches in an outing since his September callup.

Twins pitcher Trevor May (back) hopes to return before the season ends, but has yet to play catch, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

May would work out of the bullpen when healthy, but that window to return continues to close. The fact that he still can't play catch decreases his chances further, but he hasn't been ruled out for the season yet.

Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris allowed six runs, but just two earned on five hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings in a no-decision Tuesday against Texas.

He didn't strike out a batter. Norris threw 71 pitches and needed over 50 to get out of the first inning. That first inning also included two infield errors by the Tigers, as Norris's defense forced him to get five outs in the inning. Thanks to the comedic defense, Norris's ERA only rose to 4.09.

Rays pitcher Brad Boxberger notched his 39th save with a scoreless ninth inning to secure a 4-2 victory over the Marlins on Tuesday. He also struck out a batter.

It was the fifth consecutive save for the hard-throwing Boxberger, who had started September by faltering in two of his first three save opportunities.

Boxberger has now posted four consecutive scoreless outings and has enjoyed a breakout season in the closer role, generating an impressive 10.77 K/9 rate in the process. While he has had his share of hiccups out of the bullpen over the course of the year, the 27-year-old appears to have the ability to take his game up another notch with some offseason refinements.

Rays reliever Alex Colome (7-5) surrendered a hit and struck out two in two-thirds of an inning in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over the Marlins.

Colome technically also blew his fifth save of the season after his eighth-inning wild pitch moved Christian Yelich to second, and the single he subsequently yielded to Martin Prado plated him to tie the score at 2-2. The 26-year-old did record back-to-back whiffs to close out the inning, and then was bailed out by Asdrubal Cabrera's two-run blast in the bottom half of the frame.

Colome has provided generally solid relief work for the Rays since moving to the bullpen in early July, lowering his ERA from 4.79 to the current figure of 3.98 in the process. He has been particularly stingy with the long ball, with the last homer he gave up having come in a starting role on June 16 versus the Nationals.

Rays starter Matt Moore pitched seven strong innings on Tuesday against the Marlins, surrendering seven hits, an earned run and a walk. He struck out three but did not factor into the decision.

It was a third straight quality start for Moore, who had posted a robust 8.42 ERA over his first eight appearances of the season after returning from Tommy John surgery. Moore has now given up only three earned runs over 20 2/3 innings in his last three trips to the mound, good for a sparking 1.34 ERA. He has also completely stayed away from the long ball during that span, and has lowered his ERA from an unsightly 8.04 to 5.84 during the month of September. Moore appears to be capping off 2015 with some much-needed positive momentum that he can hopefully carry over into next season.

Angels pitcher Hector Santiago allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision Monday against Oakland. He also struck out four. 

Santiago continues to hang on for dear life, as he has just two quality starts in his past eight outings and has a brutal 26:26 K:BB in that span. He has now allowed 27 runs (25 earned) in just 35 innings in those eight starts, but after a walk-off victory Monday night, the Angels are somehow 5-3 in those starts.

Twins pitcher Trevor May (back) was unavailable in Monday's game, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports

May pitched an inning Sunday for the first time in a week, but he simply can't shake this back issue, though it's to his credit that he keeps coming back to the mound instead of just shutting things down while the Twins have been taking aim at a playoff spot in the season's final weeks.

Athletics starting pitcher Sean Nolin was not sharp Sunday, giving up five runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk in just 2 1/3 innings of work against the Giants.

That's now back-to-back miserable starts for the young lefty, as he gave up five runs on seven hits through five innings last time out against the Rangers. Through five starts, Nolin has posted a 5.25 ERA and 1.67 WHIP, with a disappointing 13:11 K:BB to boot.

Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes, who has not allowed a run since returning to the Red Sox on Sept. 12, has been better in this stint in the majors because he's throwing first-pitch strikes, the Boston Globe reports.

"I think the bottom line is Strike 1 with Matt Barnes," interim manager Torey Lovullo said. "If he gets a strike on you, with that velocity and at that angle, it can be very challenging."

Barnes has given up just one walk, while striking out six in seven innings since returning to Boston. Getting ahead in the count and limiting walks has been key for Barnes this time around. And so has keeping the ball in the park. Barnes, who had surrendered eight homers in 32 2/3 previous innings, has not given up a long ball since the September callup.