MLB Player News

Springs struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save against the Yankees on Sunday.

Springs has been dominant for the Rays to begin the season, and he earned his first career save Sunday. Although Diego Castillo came on in the seventh and eighth innings and earned the hold while Springs got the nod in the ninth frame, Castillo has earned four saves this year and still appears to be the Rays' top option for ninth-inning duties. Springs has now recorded a 1.29 ERA with nine strikeouts in seven innings to begin the season.

Perez (0-1) picked up the loss against the White Sox on Sunday, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out four over 3.2 innings in the second game of the doubleheader.

It didn't begin well for Perez, who ceded three consecutive singles in the first inning, but he managed to limit the damage to one run. The left-hander survived a two-on, one-out situation in the third, which included his fourth hit batter in three games, before the White Sox chased him in the fourth. First, Yermin Mercedes opened the inning by unloading on a 431-foot home run to center, then three more hits plated to two runs. Perez will look to bounce back in his next start Thursday at home against the Mariners.

Odorizzi (0-2) allowed four earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out seven across 4.1 innings, taking the loss to the Mariners on Sunday.

Odorizzi cruised until he couldn't get himself out of the fifth inning Sunday. The 31-year-old has struggled in two appearances as an Astro with a 10.57 ERA in 7.2 innings. While teams have been hitting consistently against him, he still has a 13.75 K/9 rate. Odorizzi will look for his first win of the season in an upcoming start Friday against the Angels.

Kopech allowed one run on one hit and one walk while striking out four over three-plus innings in a 5-1 win over the Red Sox in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader.

Kopech set down the first nine batters before Enrique Hernandez walked and Alex Verdugo singled to lead off the fourth inning. That ended Kopech's night at 41 pitches. Manager Tony La Russa said Kopech would pitch at most three innings, pending his pitch count, but trotted him out to start the fourth given his efficiency over the first three frames. An obvious leap following the game is that Kopech could get another start for Lance Lynn (back), who was placed on the injured list Sunday and will miss at least one start, but La Russa put a damper on that notion. "Down the road he'll be in the rotation," La Russa told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. "But [first] he's going to be a force coming out of our bullpen."

Houck was returned to the alternate training site after Sunday's doubleheader against the White Sox, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Houck was called up as the 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader and took the loss in the matinee against Chicago. Since the Red Sox don't have an opening in the starting rotation on a more permanent basis, Houck will now return to the team's alternate camp until a role opens up.

Bassitt allowed two runs on five hits and two walks over six innings in Sunday's win over Detroit. He struck out eight and did not factor in the decision.

Bassitt got himself in trouble right out of the gate Sunday, loading the bases with one out in the first inning. He managed to escape the threat unscathed and retired 10 straight Tigers. The 32-year-old then coughed up a two-run single to Harold Castro in the sixth. He was in line for a loss before Sean Murphy tied the game with a solo shot in the eighth and Oakland eventually walked off. Bassitt will carry a 4.43 ERA into Saturday's contest in Baltimore.

Boyd allowed two runs on four hits across 7.1 innings and did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Athletics. He walked one and struck out five.

That's now three straight quality starts for Boyd, who narrowly missed another one on Opening Day when he didn't allow a run across 5.2 innings. The good stretch has translated to a 2.03 ERA and 0.98 WHIP for the lefty, and the only thing missing has been strikeouts, as Boyd has only 19 through 26.2 innings. He may need to start missing more bats to sustain this level of success moving forward, but fantasy managers aren't complaining about the performance so far. Boyd will look to keep it rolling Saturday against the Royals.

Houck (0-2) allowed three runs on six hits and struck out two over 4.1 innings, taking the loss in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the White Sox.

Houck was called up as the 27th man for the doubleheader and started the opener. He barely had time to settle in when Tim Anderson took the first pitch of the game out of the yard. Houck was serviceable after that and was victimized by some timely Chicago hitting. He's lost both of his starts but hasn't pitched poorly. Unfortunately, there are no openings in the rotation nor has any existing starter pitched himself out of a job. That means Houck is expected to head back to the alternate site.

Keuchel (1-0) won for the first time in four starts, holding the Red Sox to two runs on six hits for a victory in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader. He struck out one over five-plus innings.

Keuchel was in command for much of the game and didn't walk a batter for the first time in four starts. He retired the first seven in a row and was pulled after Enrique Hernandez led off the sixth inning with a home run. It was an opposite-field job that curled in around the right-field foul pole and had an expected batting average of .070. It was a typical Keuchel day, as eight of his 15 outs were on groundballs (one flyout). The left-hander brings a 5.68 ERA into his next start Saturday at home against the Rangers.

Means pitched seven scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Sunday. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out nine.

Means and Rangers starter Kyle Gibson engaged in a pitchers' duel for much of the low-scoring game. Sunday's outing will go down as Means' second quality start in four appearances this year. He has a 1.52 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 23:6 K:BB and a 1-0 record across 23.2 innings. The southpaw's next start is scheduled for Friday at home versus Oakland.