MLB Player News

Irvin (2-1) picked up the win Saturday, scattering four hits over seven scoreless innings in a 7-0 victory over the A's. He struck out five without walking a batter.

For the second straight start, Irvin led the Orioles to a combined shutout. The southpaw retired the first 10 batters he faced, and Oakland failed to get a baserunner into scoring position until he'd left the mound. Irvin tossed 63 of 89 pitches for strikes as he extended his scoreless streak to 14.1 innings, and his impressive stretch may have come in the nick of time to save his rotation spot -- Kyle Bradish (elbow) is ready to come off the IL, and John Means (forearm) may not be far behind. Bradish lines up to take Irvin's spot next Wednesday at home against the Yankees, but Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reported prior to Saturday's game that Baltimore could shift to a six-man rotation in the short term. Irvin sports a 3.49 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB through 28.1 innings.

Sears (1-2) took the loss Saturday as the A's were dropped 7-0 by the Orioles, surrendering seven runs on eight hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk over 6.1 innings. He struck out eight.

The lefty looked great the first time through the order, retiring the first nine batters he faced, but Baltimore jumped on Sears for three runs in the fourth inning and back-to-back solo shots by Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle in the fifth, before Gunnar Henderson chased him from the game in the seventh with a two-run blast. Sears did set a new season high in strikeouts and generated 33 called or swinging strikes among his 98 pitches, but he was made to pay when he missed his spots in the strike zone. He'll carry a 4.64 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB through 33 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Marlins.

Kikuchi (2-2) took the loss Saturday, giving up four runs on nine hits over six innings as the Blue Jays fell 4-2 to the Dodgers. He struck out three without walking a batter.

While the southpaw managed to keep the ball in the yard, he still gave up some very loud contact, including three extra-base hits and an RBI single by Shohei Ohtani in the second inning that left his bat with a stunning exit velocity of 119.2 mph. Kikuchi saw his quality start streak end at three, but he'll take a strong 2.94 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 36:8 K:BB through 33.2 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next weekend against the Nationals.

Pivetta (elbow) is pencilled in to make a rehab start Thursday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

He threw 50 pitches in a live batting practice session Saturday, so Pivetta may only need one rehab outing before rejoining the big-league rotation. If he does return after Thursday's rehab start, Pivetta would line up to start in the two-game series in Atlanta on either May 8 or May 9.

The Astros removed Valdez (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Saturday, per the MLB transaction log.

Valdez is set to start in Sunday's game against the Rockies as part of a two-game series in Mexico City. The 30-year-old southpaw landed on the Astros' 15-day IL on April 9 due to left elbow inflammation. Valdez threw a 40-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, and he will likely be on a pitch count over his first few outings.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Saturday that Bradish (elbow) is poised to return from the 15-day injured list during the upcoming week and will reclaim a spot in the Baltimore rotation, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Bradish's return can't come soon enough for an Orioles rotation that remains without John Means (forearm) and Tyler Wells (elbow). The right-hander made three rehab starts while recovering from a right UCL sprain that cropped up early in the spring and forced him to the IL to begin the season. His his most recent rehab outing Friday with Triple-A Norfolk was Bradish's sharpest yet, as he struck out six while allowing one run on five hits and one walk over five innings on 77 pitches (49 strikes). Since Bradish had been pitching every fifth day during his rehab assignment, he could slot into the Baltimore rotation as soon as Wednesday, but the Orioles are more likely to give him an extra day to recover and have him take the hill for Thursday's series finale with the Yankees at Camden Yards.

After throwing a 50-pitch live batting practice session Saturday, Pivetta (elbow) noted that he was able to throw all his pitches and was happy with his outing, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Pivetta continues to make progress in his rehab from a right elbow flexor strain that landed him on the 15-day IL on April 9. Before landing on the IL, Pivetta went 1-1 over two starts, allowing one run on eight hits while striking out 13 over 11 frames.

Allen (3-1) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks over 4.2 innings as the Guardians were downed 6-2 by Atlanta. He struck out five.

The 25-year-old southpaw was able to keep the ball in the park after serving up four homers across his last two starts, but there weren't many other positive takeaways from this performance. Allen tossed only 48 of 91 pitches for strikes, and he's been tagged for at least three runs in five of his six outings to begin the season. He'll carry a 5.46 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 26:11 K:BB through 31.1 innings into his next start, which lines up to come on the road next week in Houston.

Gil surrendered five earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six batters across five innings during Friday's loss to Milwaukee. He didn't factor into the decision.

Though he was able to limit his struggles with walking batters, Gil's five runs and six hits allowed represented season highs for the 25-year-old, who now owns a 4.01 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through five starts. He's lined up to face another high-octane offense in Baltimore on Wednesday, and he could be at risk of getting hit around again if his command doesn't improve.

Eovaldi didn't factor into the decision during Friday's victory over Cincinnati, giving up one earned run on three hits and five walks while striking out eight batters across six innings.

Coming off back-to-back losses, the 34-year-old righty found himself working from behind early after Elly De La Cruz walked and later stole home to score the first run of the game in the first inning. Eovaldi was able to regroup quickly and stifle the Reds' bats for the next five frames, though his struggles with limiting walks carried over from his previous start. He now owns a 3.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP alongside a 36:17 K:BB through 36 innings in six games, and he'll look to pick up his second win of the season Thursday against the Nationals.