MLB Player News

McClanahan (6-0) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over six innings during an 8-1 win over Pittsburgh. He struck out nine.

McClanahan gave up a solo home run to Andrew McCutchen, but he got plenty of run support and recorded at least nine strikeouts for the third time this season en route to his sixth win. The left-hander has given up four homers over his past three starts after not allowing one through his first four outings, but he's yet to give up more than two runs in a game through his first seven appearances. McClanahan has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB thus far and currently sports a 2.03 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and a 51:16 K:BB through 40 innings.

Sears did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a 7-2 loss to Seattle. He struck out seven.

Sears turned in his first scoreless outing of the season, but he missed out on his first win as Oakland's bullpen couldn't maintain a 2-0 lead. It was excellent rebound game for the southpaw after allowing six runs over 4.1 innings during his previous start against the Angels last week. While the 27-year-old has an ugly 5.06 ERA with seven homers allowed, his 1.19 WHIP and 34:8 K:BB provide some small hope for a turnaround. Sears is tentatively slated to face the Yankees in his next start.

Gilbert did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over six innings against the Athletics. He struck out six.

Gilbert pitched as well as fantasy managers could've hoped for, keeping Oakland in the park and posting a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The right-hander has proven to be a solid option, sporting a 1.07 WHIP to go along with 40 strikeouts across 33.2 innings. The 25-year-old is tentatively slated to face the Rangers at home in his next start.

Gibson (4-1) took the loss against Kansas City on Wednesday, allowing six runs on 10 hits and no walks over 6.2 innings. He did not record any strikeouts.

Gibson's outing started well, as he gave up just one run over his first five frames. The Royals tagged him for another run in the sixth, but it was the seventh when things fell apart for the veteran right-hander. Gibson gave up four hits in that frame -- including a double and a triple -- and was charged with four runs by the time the inning was over. Meanwhile, the Orioles couldn't push over any runs against five KC pitchers, leading to Gibson's first loss of the campaign. The six runs and 10 hits he allowed Wednesday were both season-worst marks.

Greinke (1-4) earned the win over Baltimore on Wednesday, pitching five scoreless innings during which he allowed three hits and struck out three batters.

Greinke needed just 44 pitches to complete five frames, and it's unclear why he was pulled with such a low pitch count. Regardless, the veteran managed to pick up his first win of the campaign, becoming the first pitcher since Greg Maddux in 2003 to earn a win with 44 or fewer pitches, per Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts. Wednesday's performance was an impressive bounce-back for Greinke after he allowed seven runs over 3.2 frames against Minnesota in his previous start.

Varland pitched 4.2 innings against the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six batters. He did not factor in the decision.

Luis Robert tagged Varland with a three-run homer in the first inning, but Minnesota came back with four runs between the third and fourth frames to hand the righty hurler a lead. However, Varland gave up a run on three singles and a walk in the bottom of the fourth, and he was pulled after 89 pitches with two outs in the fifth. The 25-year-old's final line wasn't great, but he did show some good swing-and-miss stuff, racking up 15 whiffs and six strikeouts. With Tyler Mahle (elbow) and Kenta Maeda (triceps) both on the 15-day injured list and expected to miss more than the minimum, Varland will likely stick in the rotation for several more starts.

Cease didn't factor in the decision against Minnesota on Wednesday, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six batters over five innings.

Cease was spotted a three-run lead after the first inning, but he fell behind by allowing four runs between the third and fourth frames. However, Chicago came back to earn the victory and take Cease off the hook for a second straight loss. The right-hander continued to struggle with his control in Wednesday's outing, and he's now issued four or more walks in three of his seven starts this season. Cease has managed a strong 11.0 K/9 through 35.1 innings, but the walks have played a big part in his disappointing 4.58 ERA and 1.44 WHIP.

Manoah (1-2) took the loss against Boston on Wednesday, allowing five runs (two earned) on eight hits and one walk while striking out three batters over five innings.

Manoah clearly didn't have his best stuff Wednesday, as he induced just three swinging strikes and tied a season low with three punchouts. Still, he navigated through three scoreless frames before Toronto's defense let him down. Two errors in the fourth -- including one by Manoah himself -- helped lead to two runs, and another error in the fifth opened the door for Boston's three-run frame. This was the third time on the campaign that Manoah has given up at least five runs in a start, though only two were earned Wednesday. The right-hander holds a disappointing 4.71 ERA and 1.65 WHIP through 36.1 innings.

Battenfield will start Friday's game against the Twins, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

After recently moving to the bullpen to open up rotation spots for fellow rookies Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee, Battenfield will get a chance to pick up a start while the Guardians skip the struggling Zach Plesac's (7.59 ERA, 1.97 WHIP in 21.1 innings) turn through the rotation. Battenfield has given up at least three earned runs in both of his last two appearances and holds unremarkable ratios for the season (4.67 ERA, 5.89 FIP, 1.56 WHIP), but a solid showing against the Twins might be enough for him to stick in the rotation over Plesac.

Lorenzen (1-1) allowed one run on four hits across seven innings to earn the win in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Mets. He walked two and struck out one.

Outside of the low strikeout total, Lorenzen was great, and he was able to earn his first win of the year as the Tigers provided eight runs of support. The righty missed the first three weeks of the season with a groin injury and now has a 5.14 ERA across four starts. He's tentatively lined up to take the mound again Monday against Cleveland, where he'll look to build from this positive outing.