MLB Player News

Kikuchi (2-4) took the loss to the Brewers on Saturday, allowing five runs on six hits while striking out five and walking one over two innings.

Kikuchi gave up five runs, two of which were earned, to the Brewers. He threw 43 of 69 pitches for strikes across just two frames. Kikuchi has not reached five innings pitched in a game since May 25 and has met that mark in only five of 14 games this season. The lefty allowed at least two earned runs for the 11th time this season and will take a 5.08 ERA into his next appearance.

Keller (2-9) took the loss to the Athletics on Saturday, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking two across 3.2 innings.

Keller struggled to keep the Athletics off the board Saturday, allowing five runs, four of which were earned. It was a stark difference from Keller's previous outing, also against Oakland, when he allowed no runs on only one hit. The righty was inefficient Saturday, throwing 55 of 93 pitches for strikes over 3.2 innings. The outing raised his ERA to 4.56.

Lynn (1-1) gave up five earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight over 6.2 innings against the Orioles on Saturday. He was tagged with the loss.

Lynn's struggles continued in his third start since returning from the IL, and he has now given up 11 earned runs over those starts. The silver lining is that Lynn struck out a season-high eight batters and went fairly deep into the game while throwing 109 pitches. Three of his earned runs came in to score on a bases-loaded hit off Jose Ruiz, who was pitching in relief of Lynn in the seventh. Lynn appears to be completely healthy after suffering a meniscus tear during spring training, so there is reason to believe that the 35-year-old veteran will pitch closer to his career norms once he gets more starts under his belt.

Watkins (1-1) threw five scoreless innings, giving up five hits and one walk while striking out four, in a 6-2 win over the White Sox on Saturday.

Watkins' scoreless appearance on 78 pitches lasted just long enough for him to earn his first win of the season. It was a nice bounce-back performance after a very rough start his last time out against the Rays when he gave up three earned runs without recording an out. The Orioles' defense made two sloppy errors behind him in the third inning Saturday, but Watkins maintained his composure and was able to limit the damage to one unearned run. Watkins remains one of the least-effective pitchers in the league and has a poor 18:16 K:BB ratio over 35 innings this season. He is expected to make his next start at Minnesota on Friday.

Bieber (3-4) took the loss against Boston on Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four over seven innings.

Bieber held the Red Sox scoreless for five innings in the contest, but he surrendered a three-run home run off the bat of Alex Verdugo in the sixth that saddled him with the loss. The right-handed hurler tossed his third straight quality start, but he has failed to record a win in that span. Despite Bieber's 3-4 record on the campaign, he has put together a strong season, posting a 3.07 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 88:20 K:BB over 85 innings.

Houck earned the save against the Guardians on Saturday with a perfect inning of work.

Houck needed only seven pitches -- six of which were strikes -- to set the side down in order in the ninth inning. For the first time in 10 contests, the right-hander failed to record a strikeout, but that's of little concern given the results. Houck has notched a save in six of his past seven appearances and has gained a stranglehold on Boston's closer role with a 1.69 ERA and 14:1 K:BB over 10.2 innings since the start of June.

Sandoval allowed a run on eight hits and two walks with six strikeouts in five innings, taking a no-decision versus the Mariners on Saturday.

Sandoval let the second batter of the game, Julio Rodriguez, hit a solo home run, and that accounted for all of the damage on the southpaw's line. The 25-year-old was able to pitch around the other nine baserunners, throwing 62 of 95 pitches for strikes in a solid outing. Sandoval's submitted four straight starts where he's allowed two or fewer runs, lowering his season ERA to 2.63. He's added a 1.37 WHIP and 65:30 K:BB across 65 innings in 12 starts. He's projected for a tougher road start versus the Astros next weekend.

Gilbert (8-3) earned the win Saturday over the Angels. He allowed three runs on nine hits, two walks and a hit batter with seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

The nine hits were a season high, and two of them left the yard, making this only the second time Gilbert's given up multiple homers in a game this year. He fell one out shy of extending his streak of quality starts to eight, but he was still good enough to pick up his fourth win in his last six outings. The right-hander continues to impress with a 2.44 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 89:25 K:BB across 88.2 innings in 15 starts overall. Gilbert lines up for a favorable home start versus the Athletics next week.

Faedo allowed three runs on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts across four innings in a no-decision versus the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

After going at least five innings in his first seven starts, Faedo has taken a step backward with three consecutive outings falling short of that mark. The fourth inning was his problem Saturday, as he gave up a two-run home run to David Peralta and an RBI double to Daulton Varsho. Faedo now has a 4.84 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 39:17 K:BB across 48.1 innings. Two off days next week should help the Tigers' understaffed rotation, with the rookie expected to make his next start during the weekend series at home versus the Royals.

Kluber pitched 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out six in Saturday's win over the Pirates. He did not factor into the decision.

Kluber was effective in this one, tossing 47 of his 63 pitches for strikes. Diego Castillo took him deep for a solo shot in the top of the third and Bryan Reynolds singled in another run later in the frame, accounting for all the damage against him. Kluber has now surrendered three or fewer runs in eight straight outings, producing a 2.70 ERA over those contests. The 36-year-old now owns a 3.45 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 66 strikeouts over 73 frames through 14 starts in 2022.