MLB Player News

Lynn (10-5) was tagged with the loss Saturday against Texas, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out five.

The right-hander was very effective in the outing, holding the Rangers without an extra-base hit over 5.1 frames. A fourth-inning infield error contributed to the first run against him, and the second was tallied after he had exited the contest in the sixth. Lynn has completed at least six innings only once over his past six starts, but he has nonetheless held opponents to one or zero earned runs in four of those outings. He'll carry an excellent 2.47 ERA into a road start against Cleveland next week.

Civale (11-4) threw six shutout innings Saturday against the Yankees, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four to earn the victory.

Civale quickly put last Sunday's rocky outing in the rearview mirror, limiting New York to just one extra-base hit, a DJ LeMahieu double to lead off the game. Civale has now spun two quality starts in three outings since returning from the injured list in early September, although Saturday's performance marked his first win during that stretch. He lines up for a home start next week against the White Sox.

Bassitt (face) threw a simulated game Saturday and is expected to throw a bullpen session Monday, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Manager Bob Melvin said the right-hander looked good against live hitters, as Bassitt continues to progress nicely in his return from facial surgery. Assuming he avoids any setbacks over the next few days, Bassitt could rejoin the rotation sometime next week now that he's seen live action off a mound.

Gil (1-1) was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Saturday's game against Cleveland. He was charged with the loss after giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits while tallying six strikeouts and four walks over 4.1 innings.

The 23-year-old struggled with his command and threw only 50 of 88 pitches in the zone, though he still induced 13 swinging strikes. Gil still has a strong 2.88 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 32:15 K:BB across 25 innings this season, but he'll head back to the minors since the Yankees need only four starters for the near future thanks to having two scheduled off days in the next nine days.

Baz will have his contract selected by the Rays to start Monday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 22-year-old originally lined up to make his MLB debut Friday before being scratched due to back spasms, but he'll end up being pushed back by only a few days. Baz, Tampa Bay's top pitching prospect, posted a 1.76 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 64:11 K:BB over 46 innings at Triple-A after opening the season at the Double-A level.

Matz (13-7) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts through 5.2 innings, picking up the win in Saturday's 6-2 victory over the Twins.

Matz gave up a two-run homer to Josh Donaldson in the first inning but settled in to blank the Twins for the remainder of his outing. He did leave the game with runners on the corners, but Trevor Richards closed the book on the southpaw with no further damage. The 30-year-old Matz pushed his streak of going at least five innings to seven straight starts and has struck out at least five batters in four consecutive appearances. For a player who finished 2020 with a 9.68 ERA, Matz's 2021 has been nothing short of resurgent. He'll look to keep the good vibes going in his next start, which is tentatively set for Thursday against these same Twins in Minneapolis.

Ober (2-3) allowed four runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts through four innings, taking the loss in Saturday's 6-2 defeat to the Blue Jays.

Ober couldn't contain a hot Blue Jays lineup Saturday, allowing a solo shot to Marcus Semien and a three-run homer to Teoscar Hernandez before being yanked after four innings. Minnesota's deployment of Ober has been interesting, as it has used the rookie as more of an extended opener rather than a true starter this season. The 26-year-old has thrown over 85 pitches just once in 19 starts and has never gone beyond the sixth inning. If the Twins take the training wheels off Ober next season and allow him to pitch deeper into games, the 6-foot-9 right-hander's ability to rack up strikeouts could make him a fantasy sleeper.

Kaprielian will start Saturday's game against the Angels, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Manager Bob Melvin announced earlier in the week that Kaprielian was shifting to a bullpen role, but his replacement in the rotation, Daulton Jefferies, landed on the injured list Saturday with an elbow injury. Kaprielian will end up making his previously scheduled turn through the rotation, though he may need a strong performance to receive additional starts given that he has an 8.10 ERA across his past four outings.

Bielak was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bielak would likely have been unavailable for a few days after he was called upon to throw 2.2 innings in a spot start Friday. The Astros elected to swap him out for a fresh arm, calling up Peter Solomon to take his place.

Bieber (shoulder) will make a rehab start for Double-A Akron on Sunday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Bieber has been out with a shoulder strain since mid-June. He threw 2.2 innings in a rehab start Tuesday and is expected to throw four in his second rehab appearance. If that's the final rehab start he needs, he could return on a reduced pitch count near the end of next week. It doesn't look as though he'll have time to make more than two major-league starts before the end of the season.