MLB Player News

Garcia gained velocity on all five of his pitches during Sunday's outing against the Padres, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Garcia's four-seam fastball averaged 94.5 mph Sunday, slightly more than the 93.3 mph average for the season. The cutter, which averaged 86 mph all year, was up to 88.5 on Sunday. He's thrown a career-high 134 innings this season, 25.1 innings more than his previous high in 2019. The 24-year-old right-hander, who never pitched above A-ball prior to 2020, keeps chugging along. In addition to maintaining or increasing velocity, the rookie showed composure Sunday, not letting the Padres' three-run first inning get to him. He yielded just three baserunners following that first frame. The Astros will continue to limit his pitches per outing, capping him at about 80, which routinely limits Garcia to fewer than six innings in his starts.

Junk (0-1) allowed five runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out two across 3.2 innings, taking the loss to the Rangers on Sunday.

Junk surrendered a pair of home runs to DJ Peters. He struggled to get through the fourth inning, but the four runs in that frame came after a throwing error by Luis Rengifo and didn't count toward Junk's ERA. The 25-year-old isn't not a highly coveted prospect and shouldn't be on most radars for now.

Flexen didn't factor into the decision in Sunday's 10-4 extra-innings win over Arizona, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts in six innings.

Flexen was rolling through five innings but permitted three runs on three hits in the sixth to fall behind 3-2. Seattle eventually knotted the score and went on to win in extras while Flexen posted his fourth quality start in five turns. The 27-year-old has now allowed no more than three runs in any of his last seven starts and has a 2.93 ERA in the span.

Heaney (8-9) allowed four runs on four hits in one-third of an inning to take the loss Sunday versus Baltimore.

The southpaw was responsible for all four runs Baltimore hung on the board in the seventh inning. Heaney has made two appearances since shifting to a relief role, allowing six runs in 2.1 innings. He's also struggled as a starter this year, with a 5.81 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 142:40 K:BB across 122.1 innings between the Yankees and Angels. Until he can get things sorted out, he'll likely be limited to low-leverage work in the bullpen, although he could make a spot start if the Yankees' rotation gets thin.

Kluber allowed two runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 3.2 innings in a no-decision versus Baltimore on Sunday.

The right-hander surrendered a solo home run to Austin Hays in the second inning and a sacrifice fly to Jorge Mateo in the fourth to account for the runs. Kluber threw 46 of 78 pitches for strikes in his second start back from a shoulder strain. The right-hander has walked five in 7.2 innings since he returned, showing a lack of control likely due to his extended absence. He has a 3.69 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 66:28 K:BB across 61 innings overall. Kluber lines up for a road start versus the Mets in next weekend's Subway Series, but he's yet to handle a full starter's workload, and it's unclear how deep he'll be able to pitch in his next turn.

Wells pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Sunday's 8-7 win over the Yankees.

The 27-year-old has been excellent since returning from right wrist tendinitis in mid-August, as he's posted a 7.1-inning scoreless streak while allowing just one hit and one walk. Wells finally got a chance to close out a game, and he did so by throwing 10 of his 12 pitches for strikes. He's added a hold, a blown save and a 2-1 record while posting a 3.35 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 62:10 K:BB across 51 innings this year. Expect the right-hander to see more high-leverage spots down the stretch.

Garcia allowed three earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five across 4.2 innings against the Padres on Sunday. He did not factor into the decision.

Garcia surrendered all three runs in the first inning on three hits and a walk. He did not allow any further damage, but he was pulled with two outs in the fifth inning. The 24-year-old has a 2.80 ERA with 34 punchouts in 32.1 innings over his last five starts. On the season, he has a 3.29 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 10.4 K/9 over 134 innings.

Irvin (9-13) took the loss Sunday in Toronto. He allowed seven runs on eight hits and no walks with two strikeouts in 2.1 innings.

The southpaw's seven runs allowed all came on four extra-base hits, and he scattered another four singles that made those hits more devastating. He's now failed to get past the fifth inning in his last three starts, with one in that stretch shortened by a hip injury. Irvin has a 4.10 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 101:33 K:BB across 151.1 innings this season. He's projected for a more favorable home matchup versus Texas next weekend.

Ray (11-5) allowed one hit and three walks over 6.2 scoreless innings while striking out 10 to earn the win over Oakland on Sunday.

After the first two games between these teams were slugfests, Ray made sure the series finale was a lopsided affair. He posted his eighth straight quality start and his fourth outing in a row with double-digit strikeouts. The southpaw has produced plenty of gems lately, but this was one of his best. Ray has a 2.60 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 212:41 K:BB through 166 innings this year. He'll look to keep rolling in an extremely favorable road matchup versus Baltimore during next weekend's series.

Cease (11-7) allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and three walks over five innings Sunday, striking out nine and taking a loss against Kansas City.

Most of the damage against Cease came in the first inning when he allowed a three-run shot to Salvador Perez before recording an out. Since his last loss on July 21, Cease was 4-0 with a 2.85 ERA and 56 punchouts in seven appearances. The 25-year-old righty owns a 3.87 ERA and a 197:59 K:BB through 148.2 innings on the year. Cease is projected to face Boston at home next weekend.