MLB Player News

Povich will rejoin the Orioles this weekend and is likely to make a start against the Brewers, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Povich had been slated to start for Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, but he was scratched from that scheduled outing and could take the ball for the Orioles as soon as Friday. The left-hander has logged a 4.05 ERA and 25:13 K:BB over 33.1 frames covering six starts and one relief outing with the big club this season. With Kyle Bradish (sports hernia) done for the season, Povich could make an additional start next week.

Eovaldi improved to 11-9 on the season after allowing one hit and no walks while striking out one batter over four scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Red Sox.

Eovaldi made his second relief appearance since coming off the injured list last weekend and shut down the Red Sox. He was needed for length as starter MacKenzie Gore battled muscle spasms in his shoulder and was limited to four innings. After tossing 46 pitches Wednesday, Eovaldi could be built up enough to make an abbreviated start or bulk-relief appearance at some point during the final week of the regular season. The Rangers could have some openings in the rotation, as Gore and Cal Quantrill (back) are battling injuries, while Cody Bradford has gone 0-5 with a 4.72 ERA in his seven starts since returning from the 60-day IL in early August.

Pecko is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Miguel Ullola in Thursday's game against the Royals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros will go back to an arrangement that yielded strong results in last Friday's 3-1 loss to the Rays. In that contest, Ullola started and tossed a scoreless inning, while Pecko entered the game in the midway through the third. The 24-year-old Pecko proceeded to deliver his best MLB performance to date, limiting the Rays to one run on one hit and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings.

Kikuchi (1-6) allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and five walks while striking out four over 4.1 innings to take the loss Wednesday versus the Mariners.

The five walks were a season high for Kikuchi, who has issued 12 free passes over his last 14.1 innings. He has at least kept the ball in the yard in that span, but the Mariners were able to pick him apart with singles and walks in Wednesday's game. For the season, Kikuchi is at a 5.02 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 58:28 K:BB through 57.1 innings over 12 starts. The southpaw is projected to make his next start on the road versus the Athletics.

Kirby allowed two runs on five hits and five walks while striking out five over 4.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Wednesday.

Kirby's five walks were a season high, and it underscores his step back in the command department this season. The right-hander has issued 44 walks this year, already 15 more than in any other campaign of his career, though his 2.3 BB/9 is still pretty good in the general context of the majors. The walk rate has been creeping up lately -- he's issued 19 free passes over 49.2 frames since the start of August. Through 169.2 innings this season, Kirby has a 4.24 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 143 strikeouts. His next start is projected to be at home versus the Astros.

Javier (2-6) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two over 5.1 innings to take the loss versus the Royals on Wednesday.

Javier dealt with a lot of traffic on the basepaths, but all the damage against him came via a John Rave two-run homer in the fourth inning. This start continued a strong September for Javier, who has a 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB across 16.1 innings through three starts this month. A matchup with the Mariners in Seattle is likely up next for the right-hander.

Manager Skip Schumaker said after Wednesday's game against the Red Sox that Gore is dealing with spasms in his back/shoulder, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gore gave up three earned runs over four innings on just 69 pitches during his start Wednesday, and his spasms help to explain why his outing was cut short. It's unclear whether the left-hander will be able to make his next start -- tentatively scheduled for Tuesday against the Mets -- but the Rangers will likely have a better idea of his availability after monitoring him for a few days.

Bennett took a no-decision Wednesday against Texas, allowing three runs on eight hits and one walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out seven.

Bennett kept the ball in the park after serving up five homers in his prior two starts, but he was instead tagged for a trio of doubles Wednesday. The rookie southpaw is showing signs of fatigue late in the season, surrendering at least three runs in all but one of his last 10 outings. He'll take a 3.78 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 90:20 K:BB over 109.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance against Cleveland, which will be a key matchup in the American League playoff race.

Gore took a no-decision Wednesday against Boston, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks in four innings. He failed to record a strikeout.

The Red Sox were hardly fooled by Gore on Wednesday, as the hurler induced a mere two whiffs on the evening. The southpaw appears to be losing his effectiveness quite a bit down the stretch, fanning four or fewer in five consecutive starts while yielding at least three runs in three straight abbreviated outings. He'll look to right the ship when he carries a 4.67 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 172:69 K:BB over 165.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance against the Mets.

Bassitt (8-5) earned the win against the Mets on Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and a walk in 6.2 innings. He struck out six.

Bassitt gave the Orioles great length in Wednesday's start, which the team needed after using eight pitchers in Tuesday's extra-inning contest. The veteran right-hander tossed 95 pitches (61 strikes) to efficiently get through 6.2 frames and improve his record to 4-1 in his last five starts. During that span, Bassitt has a 3.64 ERA with a 26:11 K:BB over 29.2 innings. The 37-year-old is scheduled to face his old team, the Blue Jays, next week in what could be his final start of the campaign.