MLB Player News

Cortes (11-4) earned the win during Sunday's 2-0 victory over Boston, allowing one hit while walking two and striking out five in six scoreless innings.

Cortes pitched the whole game as rain forced the contest to go final after six frames and encountered trouble only in the fourth, when a two-out Rob Refsnyder double put runners on second and third. However, he was able to strike out Triston Casas to end the inning. The 27-year-old pitcher's game score of 72 is his highest mark since May 26, as he's continued to pitch well but hasn't gone as deep into games, averaging just under 5.2 innings during 10 second-half starts. Cortes carries a 2.56 ERA and 0.97 WHIP into his next start, scheduled against Baltimore.

Castillo allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five in 5.1 innings during Sunday's loss to the Royals. He didn't factor into the decision.

Castillo gave up just two runs over the first five innings of Sunday's matchup and appeared to be in good shape to pick up a win since the Mariners' offense put up eight runs in the top of the fifth inning. However, he allowed five innings in the bottom of the sixth inning, and the Royals' offense ultimately combined for 11 runs during the frame. The right-hander has been inconsistent since the start of September, posting a 3.90 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 27.2 innings over five starts. He projects to make his next start at home against the Athletics on Saturday.

Stripling (9-4) allowed one run on six hits over five innings Sunday, striking out three and earning a win over Tampa Bay.

The only damage against the 6-foot-1 righty was Randy Arozarena's RBI sacrifice fly in the third inning. Stripling is back on track after he was charged with five runs in his last outing. He's now given up three or fewer runs in 11 of his last 12 starts, lowering his season ERA to 3.16 through 128.1 frames. Stripling is expected to make his last start of the regular season at home against Boston.

McClanahan (12-7) yielded four runs on six hits and two walks over five innings Sunday, striking out two and taking a loss against Toronto.

McClanahan was taken deep three times Sunday, including twice by George Springer. The 6-foot-1 southpaw had allowed just two home runs over his previous 38.2 frames. After producing two straight scoreless starts, McClanahan has been tagged with nine runs over his last two, raising his season ERA to 2.51 through 27 starts. He's projected to make his final start of the regular season next weekend in Houston.

Cease allowed four hits and three walks while striking out five in six scoreless innings during Sunday's loss to the Tigers. He didn't factor into the decision.

Although Cease was in line for the win when he exited Sunday's matchup, he didn't get much support from the White Sox's offense and was forced to settle for a second consecutive no-decision. The right-hander has been dominant since the start of September, posting a 1.13 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 32 innings over five starts. He projects to make his nest start on the road against San Diego on Saturday.

Javier allowed one hit over six scoreless innings against Baltimore on Sunday. He struck out eight and did not factor in the decision.

Javier retired the first 13 batters he faced and gave up just one single in the dominant outing. Unfortunately for him, the Astros didn't secure the win until the 11th inning, preventing him from improving to 11-9. Javier has now turned in three straight scoreless outings; he's produced a 22:4 K:BB through 17 innings and lowered his season ERA to 2.65 during that span. The 25-year-old righty is projected to make his final start of the regular season next weekend at home against the Rays.

Sears (6-3) took the loss during Sunday's 13-4 defeat at the hands of the Mets, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 3.2 innings.

Sears limited New York to one run through two frames before permitting two runs on four baserunners in the third and three runs on three baserunners in the fourth. The 26-year-old has experienced an erratic September that features two successful starts, during which he's surrendered two runs across 11 combined innings, but a more concerning three poor starts with 17 runs permitted across 9.2 innings. The culmination is an 8.27 September ERA after posting a 2.53 mark in his first four starts with Oakland. He'll look to get back on track next weekend against Seattle.

Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Montas (shoulder) has yet to resume a throwing program, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

The 29-year-old landed on the injured list last week with shoulder inflammation and received a cortisone injection, and the fact he has yet to resume throwing makes it increasingly unlikely he'll be able to return before the end of the regular season as previously hoped. Montas remains without an official return timeline, and Boone also said the right-hander likely won't be built up beyond 40 pitches before the first round of the playoffs.

Ragans (0-3) took the loss Sunday, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk over five innings against the Guardians. He struck out three.

After facing the minimum through two innings, Ragans ran into trouble in the third. The Guardians recorded four singles in the inning, which along with a throwing error, led to Cleveland scoring four runs. Ragans made it through the next two innings with relative ease, but it wasn't enough to avoid taking his third loss. Sunday marked his first start of at least five innings since Aug. 17, a trend he will try to continue in his next start, which will likely come against the Angels this weekend.

Civale (3-6) earned the win against the Rangers on Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and no walks over five innings.

In his second start since returning from the injured list, Civale worked his pitch count up to 75 on his way to his third win of the season. He fanned seven batters on the day for the fourth time this season and did not walk a batter for the first time since Aug. 10. He will take a 5.19 ERA into his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for this weekend against Kansas City.