MLB Player News

Morton (7-0) allowed two earned runs on five hits while walking three and striking out five across six innings to earn the win Thursday against the Indians.

Morton stumbled in the third inning, allowing the Indians to jump out to a 2-0 lead on three hits and a walk in the frame. However, he limited them for the next three innings and the Astros' offense exploded in the meantime, helping Morton earn his American League leading seventh win. He continues to rely heavily on his curveball -- with excellent results -- as it generated eight of his nine swinging strikes Thursday.

Giolito (3-5) allowed seven earned runs on six hits and three walks across 1.1 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Orioles.

Nothing went right for Giolito as he struggled to find the strike zone throughout his short start and was ultimately pulled after allowing back-to-back home runs to Adam Jones and Trey Mancini. Control has been a major issue for him all season, and after Thursday's start he is now carrying a 6.8 BB/9. After a horrendous start to the season, Giolito had put together two decent starts prior to this disaster, so he'll look to get back on track in his next start, which is likely to come against the Indians on Tuesday.

Rodon (shoulder) was removed from his rehab outing Thursday for precautionary reasons after being hit in the forehead by a comebacker, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

It was a scary moment for Rodon, but fortunately, he was able to avoid any serious injury after being hit by a line drive. Prior to his exit, Rodon had fanned six batters over 2.2 scoreless innings. He figures to remain on turn for his next rehab start, but the organization will surely do its due diligence before giving him the green light.

Bundy (3-6) allowed three earned runs on two hits while walking one and striking out 14 in a complete game to earn the win Thursday against the White Sox.

Bundy was given a nine-run cushion by the third inning and he took advantage by pummeling the strike zone, throwing 85 of his 121 pitches for strikes. He generated 20 swinging strikes, aiding him to a career-best 14 strikeouts. The sole blemish on his line came on a three-run home by Jose Rondon in the fourth inning. In three starts since allowing seven earned runs without recording an out in his May 8 start, Bundy has given up only seven earned runs across 22 innings while striking out 29 batters.

Eovaldi (elbow) will rejoin the Rays' rotation Monday or Tuesday against the Athletics, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Eovaldi allowed eight runs on 10 hits over four innings in his most recent rehab start with Triple-A Durham, but he struck out six and manager Kevin Cash said he felt fine afterwards, so his next start will come for the big club. The right-hander, who has been sidelined all season with an elbow issue, most recently pitched in the majors in 2016, when he posted a 4.76 ERA across 124.2 innings with the Yankees.

Nicasio was credited with his 14th hold in Wednesday's win over the Athletics, allowing a hit and recording a strikeout over a scoreless eighth inning.

Wednesday's pitching breakdown couldn't have been scripted any better from manager Scott Servais' perspective, as Nicasio gave him a strong eighth inning and played his setup role ahead of closer Edwin Diaz to perfection after starter Marco Gonzales had delivered seven scoreless frames. After a rough first half of May, Nicasio has bounced back to produce three straight scoreless efforts, grabbing two holds in the process.

Eovaldi (elbow) allowed eight earned runs on 10 hits over four innings in Triple-A Durham's loss to Gwinnett on Wednesday. He struck out six and threw 71 pitches overall.

This was slated to be Eovaldi's final rehab start, and if so, it certainly did nothing to build momentum heading into what would be his 2018 big-league debut. The veteran right-hander was transferred to the 60-day disabled list earlier in the day as a procedural move, but he's eligible to be activated as soon as next Monday. Despite the rough outing Wednesday, there's been no indication that it will derail plans to have Eovaldi return to action next week.

Perez (elbow) has been cleared to throw a bullpen session Friday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

That was the good news for Perez, who is on the disabled list with inflammation in the nerve near his right (non-pitching) elbow. The bad news is that he's not allowed to catch the ball, which means he's not close to a return.

Gonzales (4-3) struck out six and held the Athletics to just two hits and two walks through seven shutout innings in a winning effort Wednesday night.

Gonzales threw each of his four pitches for strikes with regularity Wednesday, as he threw at least 50 percent strikes on his fastball, sinker, changeup and curve -- and threw each at least 20 times. That ability to change speeds and rely on each different pitch for strikes in different counts is critical to Gonzales' success, as his fastball sits in the low-90s and can't be a swing-and-miss threat without breaking and off-speed pitches to keep hitters off balance. His next start will come Monday against the Rangers.

Cobb was hammered for six runs on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts over just 3.2 innings Wednesday against the White Sox.

Cobb just couldn't miss bats, as he mustered just four swinging strikes in 81 pitches and was touched up for a three-run home run by Yoan Moncada. Cobb has now surrendered four home runs in his past three starts, giving him eight allowed in as many outings this season. Since coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2016, Cobb has had a home run issue, as he has now allowed 28 homers in 204 innings since his return, a 1.2 HR/9 that sits at nearly double the 0.7 HR/9 he owned in his first four major-league seasons.