MLB Player News

Means allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and no walks while striking out five across seven innings Wednesday against the Rays. He did not factor into the decision.

Means worked efficiently by pounding the strike zone, with 71 of his 98 pitches going for strikes. After throwing only 84 pitches and working five innings in his first start after being activated off the injured list June 28, Means posted his longest start since May 6 -- a span of eight outings. Though his 7.5 K/9 isn't particularly impressive, Means has limited mistakes by maintaining a 1.0 HR/9 and 2.4 BB/9 across 82.2 innings. As a result, he currently holds a 2.50 ERA and 1.08 WHIP for the campaign.

Miley (7-4) picked up the win in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over the Rockies, giving up one run on five hits and two walks over six innings while striking out six.

The veteran southpaw had no difficulty navigating an assignment at Coors Field, delivering his second straight quality start and 10th of the season. Miley will take a 3.28 ERA and 86:33 K:BB through 101.2 innings into the All-Star break.

Clevinger (2-2) recorded nine strikeouts and gave up four hits and no walks through six innings to secure the win over the Royals on Wednesday.

Clevinger bounced back after a seven-run outing in his last appearance to deliver a masterful performance. The right-hander was pulled after 79 pitches, suggesting the Indians are being cautious with him just two starts removed from the 10-day stay on the injured list. Clevinger continued his career-long dominance of the Royals, a team against which he now owns a 7-0 record and a 2.03 ERA. The 28-year-old has a 2-2 record with a 4.44 ERA through five starts this season.

Sale (3-8) allowed five earned runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out five across 5.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Sale was taken deep three times to account for all five of his earned runs on Wednesday. Despite his velocity being at its typical 94 mph mark, Sale wasn't able to rack up strikeouts at his usual prolific rate and generated just 12 swinging strikes on 104 total pitches. After going on a strong run for four starts in June, Sale has allowed five earned runs in each of his last two starts. He'll head into the All-Star break with an uncharacteristic 4.04 ERA, though he still has 153 strikeouts in 107 innings for the season.

Luzardo (lat) underwent an MRI on Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The results of the test are not yet clear. Luzardo was pulled from his start Tuesday for Triple-A Las Vegas with lat tightness. He's had an injury-filled season in what was supposed to be a breakout campaign, as he also battled a strained rotator cuff previously.

Canning's next start will be pushed back to Thursday against the Rangers, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Jaime Barria has been recalled and will get the start Wednesday. Fortunately, it seems there are no health issues to report with Canning; apparently the team just wanted to build in an extra rest day. Canning has enjoyed quite a bit of success so far at the big-league level, though the estimators are less favorable on account of his 1.8 HR/9.

Cease (1-0) recorded six strikeouts and allowed three runs on four hits and four walks across five innings while earning a victory against the Tigers during the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday.

The right-hander received his first taste of the big leagues as part of the first half of a doubleheader. While he struggled a bit with control, Cease received plenty of run support, and he lasted the minimum five innings to earn the win. Cease was added as the 26th man on the roster for the doubleheader Wednesday, but he is expected to remain in the rotation after the All-Star break.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Stroman (pectoral) is still "day-to-day" and not a lock to make Thursday's start against Boston, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports. "We'll see how he feels," Montoyo said.

The skipper said after Saturday's game that Stroman wouldn't miss a start, but it sounds like the team may reverse course and skip the right-hander after all as a precaution. Stroman said Wednesday that his pectoral is "fine," but added that he's thinking long term and feels the extra rest might come at the perfect time. If Stroman is indeed scratched, Thomas Pannone would likely be recalled to make the start.

Urquidy will start Sunday's game against the Angels, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

He did about as good as could be expected in his big-league debut in Coors Field, giving up two runs while striking out four and walking one in 3.2 innings. Urquidy has a nice four-pitch mix and is now a very legitimate pitching prospect after experiencing a significant uptick in velocity this year. When he is going well, he has a plus fastball, plus changeup and two quality breaking balls, which all play up thanks to good command. There is no reason he can't stick in the rotation in the second half, especially if Sunday's outing goes well.

Whitley posted a video on his personal Twitter account Friday of him throwing off a mound at the Astros' spring training complex.

The game's top pitching prospect has not pitched in a game since May 23 due to shoulder fatigue, but he has been ramping up his throwing program of late. The hope is that Whitley can return to the Triple-A rotation in the coming weeks. He will need to pitch much better this time around in the Pacific Coast League in order to earn a promotion to the majors in the second half.