MLB Player News

Gray did not factor into the decision Saturday against the Orioles, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five and walking three over five innings.

The Orioles got out to an early lead after Gray allowed three runners to cross the plate, but his offense would save him later as Baltimore came back to win the game. Gray threw 53 of 87 pitches for strikes across five frames. The Twins seem to be cautious with the righty as he has yet to surpass 100 pitches in a game and has thrown more than five innings four times in 11 appearances this season. Gray will take a 2.47 ERA into his next appearance.

Lyles did not factor into the decision against the Twins on Saturday, allowing a run on four hits while striking out seven and walking one over 6.1 innings.

Lyles gave the O's a chance to win, lasting at least six innings for the third straight game, but the bullpen was unable to hold onto the lead. He threw 64 of 100 pitches for strikes and limited the damage to just one run. Though Lyles did not win, he pitched well after limping through June with a 6.28 ERA for the month. The righty will take a 4.70 ERA into his next start.

Perez (7-2) earned the win over the Mets on Saturday, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four over 6.2 innings.

Perez was tagged for two homers in the contest, but those were the only hits that produced any runs for the Mets. He continues to go deep into games regularly -- this was the 13th time in 16 starts this season that he has completed at least six innings. Perez has tallied 12 quality starts among those outings, tied for fourth in the majors. The veteran southpaw has been one of the game's most pleasant surprises on the mound this season, posting a 2.34 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 7-2 record over 100 innings.

Sandoval (3-3) took the loss against Houston on Saturday, allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out nine batters.

Sandoval had his swing-and-miss stuff working in the contest, as he racked up 18 whiffs and tied a season high with nine strikeouts. However, Houston got to him for five runs in the first two innings, creating a deficit that the Los Angeles offense couldn't overcome. To Sandoval's credit, he hung around for five frames and allowed only two hits over his final three innings, but the early damage resulted in his third loss of the campaign. This was the second time that the left-hander has allowed five earned runs in a game this season, but he's been good overall with a 3.09 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 74 strikeouts over 70 innings. His biggest issue has been walks -- his 4.1 BB/9 ranks in the bottom 10 percent among pitchers who have tossed at least 50 innings.

Urquidy (7-3) earned the win over the Angels on Saturday, pitching six innings and allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out eight batters.

Aside from a Taylor Ward solo home run in the third inning, Los Angeles was unable to put any runs on the board against the Houston hurler. Urquidy walked three but also racked up 17 swinging strikes and posted eight punchouts -- his most since May 22. The fourth-year pitcher has given up exactly one run in each of his past three contests, lowering his ERA to 4.15 on the campaign.

Kirby didn't factor in the decision against Oakland on Saturday despite allowing just one run over seven innings. He gave up three hits and one walk while striking out nine.

Kirby fell behind by a run in the first inning but held Oakland scoreless the rest of the way, retiring 16 of the final 17 batters he faced. The right-hander racked up 15 swinging strikes and tied his career high with nine punchouts, but he had to settle for a no-decision since Seattle wasn't able to get on the scoreboard until the eighth frame. This was a strong bounce-back outing for Kirby after he allowed a career-worst seven runs over four innings in his previous start. He is putting together a standout rookie campaign, posting a 3.75 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 58:8 K:BB over 60 frames.

Blackburn pitched 6.1 scoreless innings against Seattle on Saturday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out five. He did not factor in the decision.

Blackburn stranded three runners in scoring position over the first two innings before settling in and retiring 14 straight batters. The right-hander was pulled while ahead by a run with one out and one on in the seventh, but he had to settle for a no-decision when the Mariners tied the score in the following frame. This was Blackburn's first quality start since June 10 and only his second such performance over his past nine outings. He's slowed down a bit after a remarkable start to the campaign, but the veteran still has a strong 2.90 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 67:22 K:BB over 87 frames overall.

Rasmussen (hamstring) did not factor into the decision in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out two.

In his return from the injured list, Rasmussen did fairly well to keep the Blue Jays' high-powered offense at bay. However, he issued two walks in the fifth inning and manager Kevin Cash would not let Rasmussen face Bo Bichette a third time. With that, Rasmussen fell short of qualifying for the win, but he should be available to add to his workload gradually in his subsequent starts after throwing 68 pitches (41 strikes) Saturday.

Civale (2-5) allowed four runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six-plus innings, taking the loss in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader versus the Yankees.

Civale received one run of support in the first inning. The Yankees covered that when Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton went back-to-back in the fourth, and they added some more production in the seventh after Civale put two on with no outs. Enyel De Los Santos couldn't stop the rally, taking away Civale's chance at a quality start. The 27-year-old has struggled mightily this year with a 7.04 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 45:15 K:BB through 46 innings across 10 starts. He's given up home runs at a 1.6 per nine innings rate, while his velocity is down just a bit at 90.8 mph. He lines up for a road start in Kansas City next week.

Cortes (7-3) allowed a run on three hits and no walks while striking out six over six innings to earn the win in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader versus the Guardians.

Cortes gave up a solo home run to Amed Rosario in the first inning and just a pair of singles in his last five frames. This was the first time in a month that Cortes has completed six innings after a shaky June saw him post a 4.15 ERA in 26 innings across five starts. The southpaw has a 2.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 91:19 K:BB in 85 innings through 15 starts overall, and he's projected for a road start in Boston next week.