MLB Player News

Houck (2-1) picked up the win Friday, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out four over three scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over Baltimore.

A well-rested Houck piggy-backed on top of starter Rich Hill, who threw four perfect innings before giving up a hit to the first batter faced in the fifth and was removed with Boston holding a 3-0 lead. Houck, whose unvaccinated status caused him to miss two starts, is expected to slip back into the rotation during the series against the Angels next week. With a day off coming, the right-hander's fifth day will be Wednesday.

Bubic (0-2) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs on four hits over five inning as the Royals got routed 12-2 by the Yankees. He struck out three without walking a batter.

Three of the four hits off Bubic went for extra bases, including back-to-back jacks by Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning. This was arguably the best outing of the season so far for the southpaw, but Bubic's 10.50 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and 8:9 K:BB through 12 innings will mark him as an unappealing fantasy option until he can show some consistency.

Civale registered a no-decision during Friday's 9-8 win against Oakland, allowing six runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in four innings.

Civale settled down a bit after permitting four runs in the first inning, three of them coming on a Sean Murphy home run, but faltered again in the fourth when he allowed two more runs to cross the plate. The 26-year-old has now surrendered at least four runs while going no deeper than four innings in each of his four starts this season, though he only has two losses thanks to some big offensive showings. He'll carry a 10.67 ERA into his next start, most likely to come against Toronto next weekend.

Cortes (1-0) picked up the win Friday in a 12-2 rout of the Royals, allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits over five innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The Yankees scored three runs in the top of the first inning and slugged four homers in total on the night, giving Cortes more than enough run support. The southpaw tossed 56 of 82 pitches for strikes before hitting the showers, and he continues to completely baffle hitters. Cortes sports a stunning 35.9 percent strikeout rate and 3.8 percent walk rate through his first 20.2 innings in 2022.

Kluber (1-1) picked up the win in Friday's 6-1 victory over the Twins, allowing one run on one hit over six innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The right-hander fired an efficient 71 pitches (48 strikes) before exiting the game with his first quality start of the season. Kluber isn't the ace he was at his peak in Cleveland, but the 36-year-old has had a solid start to 2022, posting a 3.05 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB through 20.2 innings.

Bundy (3-1) took the loss Friday, coughing up six runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings as the Twins fell 6-1 to the Rays. He struck out seven.

A pair of homers -- off the bats of rookie Josh Lowe in the first inning and Mike Zunino in the third -- accounted for most of the damage off Bundy. The veteran right-hander did set season highs in innings and strikeouts, however, salvaging a little value out of his first poor outing of the year. Bundy will carry a 2.95 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 19:2 K:BB through 21.1 innings into his next start.

Urquidy (2-1) allowed four runs on one walk and seven hits over five innings Friday, striking out six and earning a win over Toronto.

Urquidy coughed up an RBI double to Raimel Tapia in the second inning but most of the damage against him came via Vladimir Guerrero's three-run shot in the third. The 26-year-old saw his ERA climb to 5.95 through 19.2 innings on the year. On the bright side, he struck out a season-high six batters after entering Friday with just seven in three starts. Urquidy is expected to host the Tigers next week.

Giolito (0-1) allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings Friday, striking out seven and taking a loss against the Angels.

Giolito struggled out of the gate Friday, coughing up a pair of solo homers to Taylor Ward and Shohei Ohtani in the first inning. He managed to settle in and toss four shutout frames before Anthony Rendon tagged him with a run-scoring double in the sixth. Giolito is now sporting a strong 22:6 K:BB with a 2.57 ERA through 14 innings on the year. He's projected to get a road start against the Cubs next week.

Kikuchi scrapped his cutter in Friday's start against the Astros, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports. He gave up four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four in 2.2 innings.

Manager Charlie Montoyo confirmed that Kikuchi's command just hasn't been right, but acknowledged that it's a tough for him to make adjustments while facing the same opponent (Houston) in back-to-back starts. At this point it's tough to deploy Kikuchi while he is clearly experimenting with different approaches in hopes of solving his strike-throwing issues. He has walked 13 in 14.2 innings this season.

Bradish (0-1) allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk over six innings Friday, striking out two and taking a loss against the Red Sox.

All three runs scored against Bradish came in the second inning, including Christian Arroyo's two-run blast. After the rough start, he tossed four scoreless innings while yielding just one hit. This performance was likely enough to earn the 25-year-old another turn in the rotation. Bradish is tentatively lined up to face the Twins at home next week.