MLB Player News

Flexen (13-6) earned the win over Oakland on Wednesday, pitching seven innings and allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight.

The right-hander allowed only one extra-base hit in the contest -- a fifth inning Matt Chapman solo homer that also accounted for Oakland's only run. Flexen tied his season high with eight strikeouts and completed seven frames for the first time since Aug. 19. He lowered his ERA to 3.56, which ranks fourth among qualified pitchers in the American League. Flexen is scheduled to face the Athletics again early next week.

Junk allowed three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out one across four-plus innings in a no-decision versus Houston on Wednesday.

The rookie fell behind early, as Yordan Alvarez tagged him for a first-inning two-run home run. Junk recovered with three consecutive scoreless frames, but he departed after giving up a pair of hits -- including a solo home run -- to begin the fifth. This was certainly a step back after the right-hander allowed just two combined earned runs in his first two starts, though he was far from dominant in either outing. He has registered an equal number of strikeouts (five) as home runs allowed through 12 big-league innings, which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for his fantasy viability moving forward. Junk's next start is tentatively slated for Wednesday at Texas.

Ryan (2-1) allowed two earned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out 11 across five innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Cubs.

Ryan was making his first start since Sept. 14 after dealing with a sore wrist. However, he showed no signs of rust by punching out 11 hitters on the strength of 13 swinging strikes across 86 total pitches. Though Ryan's sample in the major leagues is small, he has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his four outings and has allowed zero or one earned run in each of his last three appearances. The result has been a 2.45 ERA backed by a 25:3 K:BB across 22 innings.

Garcia settled for a no-decision against the Angels on Wednesday despite pitching six innings of shutout ball. He allowed three hits and three walks while striking out one.

Garcia wasn't flawless in the outing, as he threw only 42 of 79 pitches for strikes and induced just six swings-and-misses. However, the right-hander kept Los Angeles off the scoreboard for six innings and departed with a 3-0 lead. Houston's bullpen quickly let that lead evaporate, however, as the Angels put up five runs in the seventh frame. Though Houston ultimately pulled out the win, Garcia was left with a no-decision despite the strong performance. He did, however, notch his first quality start in nearly a month, and Garcia will look to build upon this performance in his scheduled start at home against the Rays next week.

Sale (5-0) allowed two runs on six hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over five innings, picking up the win in Wednesday's 12-5 victory over the Mets.

Sale was staked to a sizeable lead early on Wednesday and cruised through five solid innings. He matched his season high with eight strikeouts, including one where he got Javier Baez to swing at a slider that ended up hitting him in the back foot. If you won the race to the waiver wire to add Sale after he spent the first four months of the season on the injured list recovering from Tommy John surgery, congrats. The lanky left-hander has not allowed more than two earned runs in any single outing this season and seems to be just warming up.

Kluber tossed 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and striking out four in the win over the Rangers on Wednesday.

After tossing a no-hitter in his last start against them, the 35-year-old struggled to keep the Rangers off the bases in this one, ultimately surrendering three separate RBI singles. The eight hits allowed were his highest total of the season, while he went without giving up a walk for the first time. Overall he has posted a 5.73 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over 22 innings since returning from the 60-day injured list Aug. 30. Kluber is expected to face the Blue Jays on Tuesday in his next start.

Stripling (5-7) allowed five runs on five hits and a walk in 1.1 innings, taking the loss Wednesday versus Tampa Bay.

The right-hander was expected to serve as the primary pitcher in the contest, but he made a mess of the third inning and only ended up recording four outs. Stripling now has a 4.89 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 94:30 K:BB across 99.1 innings this year. He's still building up his pitch count after returning from an oblique injury nearly two weeks ago. If Hyun Jin Ryu (neck) isn't ready to return next week, Stripling could serve in a piggyback role during the three-game series versus the Yankees.

Bieber (shoulder) will start Friday's game against the White Sox, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Bieber threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is in line to make his first major-league appearance since June 13. He recently made a pair of rehab appearances and allowed four runs in six innings. The right-hander tossed 57 pitches at Double-A Akron on Sunday and is expected to be limited to approximately 75 pitches in Friday's outing.

Severino pitched two scoreless innings against the Rangers on Tuesday, allowing two hits and striking out two.

In his first major-league game action since 2019, Severino gave up a double and a single but no runs while covering the final two frames of a New York victory. The right-hander registered five swinging strikes among his 30 pitches and averaged 94 mph on his fastball, per Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. The velocity was a few ticks below his norm prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery, but that isn't necessarily a concern considering Severino's long layoff. He's expected to continue working out of the bullpen for the remainder of the campaign as he gets re-acquainted with pitching to big-league hitters.

Dunning (5-9) was the pitcher of record in Tuesday's 7-1 loss to the Yankees after giving up two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three in 2.2 innings.

Dunning picked up his first start since Aug. 20, after he had previously made two relief appearances earlier this month following a three-week stint on the COVID-19 injured list. Because he didn't get fully stretched out for starting duty while working out of the bullpen, Dunning was pulled Tuesday after 57 pitches, but his poor showing up to that point likely wouldn't have resulted in manager Chris Woodward keeping him in the game much longer. Kolby Allard covered 4.1 innings in long relief Tuesday, and the two could continue to work in a tandem when Dunning's next turn in the rotation comes up Sunday in Baltimore.