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Jordan Montgomery RP | TEX
Rangers' Jordan Montgomery: Collects win in Texas debut
Montgomery (7-9) picked up the win Friday, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk over six-plus innings in a 6-2 victory over the Marlins. He struck out six.
The veteran southpaw gave up single runs in the first and second innings in his debut for the Rangers, but Montgomery settled in after that and cruised to his eighth quality start in his last 10 trips to the mound. He holds a 2.51 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 54:18 K:BB through 61 innings over that stretch, and with a potent Texas offense at his back, he could be headed for double-digit wins for the first time in his career. Montgomery lines up for a very juicy matchup in his next start, which is likely to come next week in Oakland.
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James Paxton SP | BOS
Red Sox's James Paxton: Hit hard in Friday's loss
Paxton (6-3) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on nine hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over five innings as the Red Sox fell 7-3 to the Blue Jays. He struck out four.
The southpaw was catching too much of the strike zone to begin the night, and Toronto hit three solo shots in the first two innings before Paxton was able to settle in. After an impressive run to begin the season after his mid-May debut, the 34-year-old has seen his numbers slip -- over five starts since the beginning of July, Paxton's stumbled to a 5.40 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB through 25 innings. He'll try to get back on track in his next outing, which is likely to come at home next week against the Royals.
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Nestor Cortes SP | PHI
Yankees' Nestor Cortes: Activated ahead of Saturday's start
Cortes (shoulder) was activated from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start Saturday against the Astros.
Cortes' rehab assignment was initially expected to include one more start before he joined the big-league rotation next week, but he will instead slot in this weekend. His most recent rehab start was July 28, in which he threw 49 pitches over four innings, so Cortes will probably need to be pretty efficient to go deep enough to qualify for the win in this one. He was expected to throw only 60 pitches in the rehab start that got nixed.
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Alek Manoah RP | LAA
Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Snags third win
Manoah (3-8) picked up the win in Friday's 7-3 victory over the Red Sox, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out five.
The right-hander continues to battle his control and consistency -- he hit another batter with a pitch, his fourth HBP in his last three starts, and he's issued multiple free passes in four straight outings -- but Manoah has at least looked a little more confident and aggressive on the mound since being sent down to the minors to reset. In five starts since his early July return, he's posted a 4.26 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, numbers that represent a vast improvement on the 6.36 ERA and 1.90 WHIP he stumbled to over his first 13 trips to the mound in 2023. Manoah will continue his efforts to regain his old form on the road next week in Cleveland.
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Dean Kremer SP | MIN
Orioles' Dean Kremer: Falls short of quality start
Kremer wound up with a no-decision in the Orioles' 10-3 win over the Mets on Friday, giving up two runs on two hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out four.
The right-hander was handed an early 2-0 lead, but after five scoreless frames New York was able to get to Kremer in the sixth and he missed a chance to collect his 11th win or 11th quality start of the year. The four free passes also tied his season high, and he's walked multiple batters in five straight outings, posting a 4.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 23:14 K:BB through 27 innings over that stretch. He'll try to get back in the win column in his next start, likely to come at home next week against the Astros.
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Jon Gray SP | TEX
Rangers' Jon Gray: Starting Saturday
Gray will start Saturday against the Marlins.
This will be Gray's first time pitching since July 24, a span of 11 days in between outings. Since he last pitched, the Rangers acquired two new starters at the trade deadline, which altered the rotation pattern and may have resulted in the long layoff. Gray had a leg injury entering the previous start, so perhaps that was involved in the decision to give him so much time off. Gray has not won a game since June 2 and sports a 5.36 ERA over the eight starts since.
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Bailey Ober SP | MIN
Twins' Bailey Ober: Tosses five innings
Ober yielded two runs on six hits over five innings in Friday's win against Arizona. He struck out three and did not factor in the decision.
Ober coughed up a solo homer in the second inning and another run in the fourth. While the three strikeouts were his fewest since June 2, he's turned in four straight starts without issuing a walk. Ober lowered his ERA to 3.21 to go alongside a 98:18 K:BB across 103.2 frames. He's projected to take the mound in Detroit next week.
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Jordan Lyles RP | KC
Royals' Jordan Lyles: Earns third win
Lyles (3-12) earned the win Friday, allowing five runs on eight hits and zero walks over 5.2 innings against the Phillies. He struck out two.
After a four-run sixth put Kansas City up by two, Lyles was pulled following a Trea Turner single that cut the Royals' lead to one. The bullpen proceeded to blank the Phillies the rest of the way, earning Lyles his third victory of the season. It wasn't pretty, but Lyles has now earned the victory in his last two starts after securing just one win in his previous 18 outings. His next start is likely to come next week in Boston.
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Reid Detmers SP | LAA
Angels' Reid Detmers: Struggles versus Mariners
Detmers allowed seven runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.
Detmers has gone five straight outings without a win, and he's failed to complete five innings in three of those appearances. The southpaw was tagged for a trio of home runs Friday, which accounted for six of the seven runs against him. Detmers is at a 4.78 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 131:41 K:BB through 105.1 innings over 20 starts this season. He's projected for a tough road start in Houston next week.
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Luis Severino SP | ATH
Yankees' Luis Severino: Struggles continue
Severino (2-6) took the loss Friday, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks over four innings in a 7-3 loss to the Astros. He struck out four.
Severino allowed a three-run home run to the Astros' Yainer Diaz, and the Yankees were never able to recover. He came into the game with a 7.49 ERA on the season and has now allowed 32 earned runs in 25.2 innings since the start of July. With the Yankees' playoff hopes dwindling by the day, it would be surprising if Severino continues in his role as a starter for much longer.