MLB Player News

Stripling (0-3) took the loss against the Rangers on Wednesday, allowing six runs on 11 hits and three walks while striking out five batters over six innings.

Stripling took a tough-luck loss despite allowing just one run over seven innings against Boston his last time out, but he was much more responsible for his third loss of the campaign Wednesday. The veteran right-hander allowed 14 baserunners, and it was somewhat surprising that he was able to last six frames on 97 pitches given that amount of traffic. Stripling has at least been able to eat innings for Oakland this year -- he's averaging 6.0 frames per start through three appearances -- but his 5.50 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB aren't appealing for fantasy purposes.

Bradford (3-0) earned the win against Oakland on Wednesday, allowing an unearned run on five hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over 6.2 innings.

Bradford gave up a run on two hits in the first frame, though the tally was unearned. The southpaw breezed from there, at one point retiring 18 of 20 batters before running out of gas in the seventh inning when he allowed a two-out single followed by a walk. Reliever Yerry Rodriguez was able to get the final out to keep Bradford's line clean of any earned runs, and the latter ended up taking the victory to move into an early tie for the league lead in wins with three. Bradford was initially expected to depart the rotation once Michael Lorenzen (neck) was built up enough to slide in as a starter, but it could be difficult for Texas to make that move now given Bradford's outstanding beginning to the campaign. Through 19.1 innings, he's posted a 1.40 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and 17:2 K:BB.

Arrighetti (0-1) was the pitcher of record in Wednesday's 11-2 loss to the Royals after giving up seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three in three innings.

Arrighetti was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land to make his big-league debut Wednesday, but he labored during his time on the mound, placing only 47 of his 79 pitches for strikes before being pulled ahead of the bottom of the fourth inning. On a positive note, Arrighetti kept the ball in the yard and only two of the seven hits he allowed went for extra bases. Despite the uninspiring debut, with both Justin Verlander (shoulder) and Framber Valdez (elbow) on the shelf, Arrighetti will get at least one more turn through the rotation, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

Lugo (2-0) earned the win over Houston on Wednesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two batters over six innings.

Lugo induced just five swinging strikes and allowed at least one baserunner in five of his six frames, but aside from a two-run fourth inning, the Astros were unable to score on him. The veteran right-hander has completed at least six frames and has notched a quality start in each of his three outings so far this season, leading to his sterling 1.45 ERA. Lugo's unimpressive 9:5 K:BB over 18.2 innings provides reason to doubt this level of success moving forward, but he showed last year that he can be an effective (if unsensational) rotation piece without big punchout numbers when he posted a 3.57 ERA and 8.6 K/9 across 26 starts for the Padres.

Stroman (1-1) took the loss Wednesday against Miami, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

All of the damage against Stroman came during a four-run third inning in which he surrendered a walk and two singles to the first three batters he faced before being tagged by Jake Burger for a three-run homer. His struggles with command and some long at-bats by Miami resulted in Stroman failing to reach the sixth inning for the first time all season. Through 17 innings, Stroman owns a 2.12 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 17 strikeouts. He's in line for a start next week in Toronto.

Crawford didn't factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two hits and four walks while striking out six over five scoreless innings against the Orioles.

Crawford somehow kept the Orioles off the scoreboard despite loading the bases in the fourth and fifth innings. He lost all command to start the fifth frame, walking two of his first three batters and tossing a pair of wild pitches. Crawford has yet to be part of a decision this season, but he's allowed just one earned run on seven hits in three starts spanning 15.2 innings. He's currently lined up to toe the rubber Monday against the Guardians.

Irvin didn't factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks across five innings against Boston. He struck out four.

Irvin benefitted from a pair of inning-ending double plays in the first and second, keeping a bad start from turning even worse. He was tagged by Triston Casas for a two-run home run during the fifth inning. Irvin has lasted exactly five innings in both of his starts, yielding nine earned runs in total with a 8:5 K:BB on the year. While he could easily be replaced by John Means (forearm) -- who made his second rehab start last weekend -- Irvin is tentatively lined up for a start against the Twins on Monday.

Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Mariners, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out nine.

After struggling in his first outing this year, Kikuchi's held opponents to just one run over 11.1 innings while striking out 16 in his subsequent two starts. However, the southpaw was stuck with another no-decision Wednesday, as the Blue Jays couldn't crack Logan Gilbert in an eventual extra-innings loss. Overall, Kikuchi is 0-1 with a 2.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB through his first 15.3 innings. He'll look for his first win in his next outing, tentatively scheduled for early next week on the road against the Yankees.

Gilbert didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over 7.2 innings. He struck out eight.

Gilbert was excellent Wednesday, holding the Blue Jays scoreless through six innings before allowing a lone run on a Vladimir Guerrero homer in the seventh. The 26-year-old Gilbert has struck out 23 batters through his first three starts, ranked second in the league in the early going. While Gilbert has yet to earn a win this year, he's posted an impressive 2.66 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP through his first 20.1 innings. Gilbert currently lines up for a home matchup with the Reds in his next outing.

Paddack didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out five.

After allowing a run in the first inning, Paddack rebounded to put together a solid outing, holding the Dodgers to just one additional run on a Max Muncy solo homer. However, the right-hander allowed a pair of hits in the fifth and ultimately left the contest one out away from qualifying for the win. Paddack's allowed four runs on 12 hits while striking out seven through his first two starts this season. He's currently in line for a tough road matchup against the Orioles in his next outing.