MLB Player News
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Joe Ryan SP | MIN
Twins' Joe Ryan: Fans five in ninth win Friday
Ryan (9-4) earned the win Friday against the Pirates, giving up one run on five hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out five.
The 29-year-old right-hander continues to provide length for the Twins, having now worked at least five innings in each of his 19 outings this season. Ryan has also proven to be a fairly high-floor fantasy option during the first half of the year, fanning at least four in all of his appearances. He holds a 2.72 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 121:23 K:BB across 109.1 frames, which helped Ryan make his first All-Star team in 2025.
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Carlos Rodon SP | NYY
Yankees' Carlos Rodon: Dominates for win No. 10
Rodon (10-6) picked up the win Friday over the Cubs after giving up four hits and a walk while striking out eight batters over eight scoreless innings.
After giving up seven runs to the Mets in his last start, Rodon looked like a completely different pitcher Friday. He terrorized the Cubs' lineup for eight innings, generating 17 whiffs in the process. A trio of home runs from Cody Bellinger highlighted a Yankees offense that gave Rodon more than enough support, and a couple of web gems from Aaron Judge helped keep the shutout intact. Although Rodon fell just short of his first complete game as a Yankee, his brilliant conclusion to the first half will give him a 3.08 ERA headed into the break.
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Luis Severino SP | ATH
Athletics' Luis Severino: Skid continues Friday
Severino (2-11) allowed five runs (one earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight over 4.2 innings to take the loss versus the Blue Jays on Friday.
Severino was cruising until he gave up a run in the fourth inning. He found more trouble in the fifth, which ultimately led to his exit from the game and his fifth consecutive loss. He's fallen short of completing five innings in each of his last three starts, and he's given up at least five runs in six of his last eight outings, though it wasn't all his fault when things fell apart Friday. Severino now has a 5.16 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 81:38 K:BB through 113.1 innings across 20 starts this season. The Athletics don't have the depth nor the competitive need to replace the veteran in their rotation, so expect him to continue starting every fifth game in the second half.
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Dean Kremer SP | BAL
Orioles' Dean Kremer: Fires seven scoreless
Kremer (8-7) earned the win Friday over Miami, giving up three hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings while striking out seven batters.
It's hard to ask for a better bounce-back performance than the one Kremer delivered after giving up five runs in 4.1 innings during his previous outing in Atlanta. He never allowed more than one baserunner in an inning Friday, and only one of the four Marlins who reached base against him made it to third. The 29-year-old righty has been fairly inconsistent this year, but with his latest showing, he now owns a 2.17 ERA and 1.00 WHIP alongside a 27:6 K:BB across 29 innings over his last five starts. He's also collected three wins in that span.
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Max Scherzer SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Max Scherzer: Earns win with quality start
Scherzer (1-0) allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out eight over six innings to earn the win over the Athletics on Friday.
Scherzer threw a season-high 90 pitches (59 strikes) to secure his first win and first quality start of the season. He was sharp through five innings before serving up a two-run home run to Nick Kurtz and a solo shot to Tyler Soderstrom in the sixth. Scherzer is now at a 4.70 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 24:7 K:BB through 23 innings over five starts this year. He's dealt with inflammation in his thumb throughout the year and will likely have to manage the issue in the second half as well, which could limit his effectiveness and ability to pitch deeper into games if the issue flares up.
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Michael Wacha SP | KC
Royals' Michael Wacha: Strikes out five in five frames
Wacha earned a no-decision after throwing five innings, alllowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out five, during Friday's 8-3 loss to the Mets.
After allowing 21 hits combined over his last three starts spanning 15 innings, Wacha surrendered just two hits and one run in his five innings against the Mets. It's the seventh time the 34-year-old has surrendered one run or fewer in his 19 starts, and he'll enter the All-Star break on a high note. He ends the first half with a 3.74 ERA,1.27 WHIP and a 84:33 K:BB in 106.0 innings
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Tarik Skubal SP | DET
Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Hit hard in uncharacteristic loss
Skubal (10-3) took the loss Friday, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings in the 12-3 defeat to the Mariners.
Skubal kept the Mariners in check early but ran into trouble in the fifth, surrendering a two-run homer to Julio Rodriguez as part of a three-run frame that ended his day. It marked the ace's shortest outing since April 20 and just the fourth time all season he's allowed more than three earned runs. Despite the setback, the left-hander still owns a stellar 2.23 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 153 strikeouts through 121 innings this season.
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Lance McCullers SP | HOU
Astros' Lance McCullers: Lasts just three innings in defeat
McCullers (2-4) took the loss after throwing three innings, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five, during Friday's 7-3 loss to the Rangers.
McCullers' struggles on the season continued as he failed to make it through five innings for the sixth time in 10 starts. He needed 83 pitches to get through three innings, an alarming level of inefficiency, The 31-year-old has a 6.48 ERA on the season, well off the eighth-year pro's career 3.60 ERA. With 49 strikeouts in 41.2 innings this year, he's still striking out batters at a decent rate, but he must bring down his allowed walks (26) and home runs (nine) if he's to find his form again after the All-Star break.
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Luis Castillo SP | SEA
Mariners' Luis Castillo: Picks up win in one-sided victory
Castillo (6-5) earned the win Friday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks over five innings while striking out six in the 12-3 victory over the Tigers.
Castillo shined early, yielding just one earned run through the first five innings before running into trouble opening the sixth, allowing back-to-back hits and another run before being removed with a runner on third. The 32-year-old entered the matchup coming off his best start of the season and has now posted a 3.60 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 11 walks over his last six outings.
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Jack Leiter P | TEX
Rangers' Jack Leiter: Strikes out six in win
Leiter (5-6) picked up the win after throwing 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six, during Friday's 7-3 win over the Astros.
Leiter did enough to pick up the win Friday, aided by five runs of support during his outing, but struggled with his control again. The right-hander walked four batters to bring his season total up to 38 in 80.1 innings. On the flip side, the 25-year-old has struck out 18 batters over his last three starts, his most over a three-start stretch at any point this season. He enters the All-Star break with a 4.37 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 1.8 K/BB this season.