MLB Player News

Kopech did not factor into the decision Friday when he allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one over three scoreless innings in a 6-1 win over the Red Sox.

For the second time in three starts, the young right-hander was forced to leave a start due to rain. Kopech was wild to start the night, hitting Mookie Betts with his first pitch and issuing a four-pitch walk to Andrew Benintendi, but he settled in after picking off Betts. Kopech is next scheduled to pitch Wednesday at home against the Tigers.

Valdez (2-1) allowed one run on two hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings, taking the loss against the Angels on Friday.

Valdez was effective against an Angels lineup that was seeing him for the second time in six days. The left-hander threw five scoreless innings and was pulled in the sixth after a leadoff walk that came around to score while Collin McHugh was pitching. It was just the second run Valdez has allowed in 14.1 innings with the Astros. His walks are on the high side, but the 24-year-old has held his composure and worked around basepath traffic with the help of a groundball-inducing sinker. Three appearances into his stint as the replacement for the injured Lance McCullers (forearm), and it's starting to look like more than just beginner's luck for Valdez, who is next scheduled to start Wednesday at home against the Twins.

Severino didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Tigers, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out 10 across six innings.

Severino was impressive aside from a couple of hiccups -- a Niko Goodrum solo homer in the fourth inning and a two-run triple from Jim Adduci in the fifth -- racking up double-digit strikeouts for the first time since June 4. It was just his second quality start in eight appearances since the All-Star break, though he still owns a solid 3.32 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 199:41 K:BB through 171 innings (28 starts) this season. Severino will look to keep the momentum going as he faces the A's on the road in his next start.

Mejia (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Friday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

This is simply a bookkeeping move, as Mejia has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with nerve irritation in his elbow. The move frees up a spot on the team's 40-man roster.

Kluber (17-7) picked up the win Friday against the Rays, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out eight across seven scoreless innings.

It was a nice bounce-back effort from Kluber, who took the loss after allowing five runs across 5.1 innings his last time out. He's now registered five quality starts in six August appearances, posting a shiny 2.81 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 41:8 K:BB over that stretch (41.2 innings). Next up is a home start against the lowly Royals.

Glasnow (1-4) took the loss Friday against the Indians, allowing one run on two hits and one walk across seven innings. He struck out six.

It was an unfortunate result for the right-hander, who turned in his best outing of the season but was ultimately outdueled by Corey Kluber's seven scoreless frames. Glasnow hadn't completed seven innings in his big-league career prior to Friday, and now owns a solid 3.23 ERA and 38:10 K:BB in six starts (30.2 innings) since being traded from the Pirates to the Rays at the end of July. He'll look to keep things rolling in his next start, which will come on the road against the Blue Jays.

Montas was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Friday.

Montas will head back to the minors after getting tagged for seven runs across six innings in a spot start against the Mariners on Thursday. The A's only need a fifth starter once over the first half of September, allowing them to send Montas down for an additional position player for the time being. The right-hander should rejoin the A's once he's eligible, though it's unclear if he'll return to the starting rotation or be utilized out of the bullpen when he does.

Sale (shoulder) threw from flat ground again Friday, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

Sale said he gave it everything he had and felt fine afterwards, a solid indication that he could be cleared for mound work soon. Seeing as the southpaw suffered a setback following his first DL stint, the Red Sox figure to handle him with extra caution this time around.

Blackburn (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Friday.

Blackburn's progression has been slow since being shut down in early July, but his move to the 60-day DL doesn't prevent him from returning before the end of the regular season. The 24-year-old remains without a timetable for his return as his throwing program advances slowly. The Athletics needed to create space on the 40-man roster for the acquisition of right-hander Cory Gearrin, prompting the move.

Whitley (lat) will be heading to the Arizona Fall League, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

That the Astros are planning on Whitley playing this fall is a sign that his right lat injury is not a major concern. The right-hander has missed a lot of development time in 2018 due to a suspension and two stints on the disabled list, so he should make up for some of that in the AFL.