MLB Player News

Nolasco took a no-decision after holding the Indians to two runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts over five innings Wednesday.

Nolasco pulled his second consecutive Houdini act, limiting another dangerous lineup to just two runs after tossing a quality start against the Astros in his previous outing. It wasn't pretty -- barely half of his 92 pitches were strikes -- but the veteran did just enough to scrape by with a passable stat line. This was the first time the 34-year-old didn't give up a home run in consecutive starts since July 1; all it took was facing a pair of offenses that rank in the top three in team slugging percentage. Despite his recent success and a favorable matchup on tap against the White Sox, fantasy owners should probably steer clear of Nolasco and his 5.06 ERA.

Musgrove allowed two hits and struck out two over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn his second save in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the White Sox.

Closer Ken Giles was unavailable after tossing 35 pitches over two appearances in three days, so it fell to Musgrove, who closed out a second save in five days.

Miley (8-14) was tagged for six runs on four hits -- including two homers -- and four walks over 4.1 innings in a 9-0 loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday.

This marks his second straight six-run outing, but at least he lasted four full innings longer than his last start, in which he recorded just a single out. Once upon a time, Miley was a promising starter, but he's putting the finishing touches on his second straight season with an ERA over 5.00, and his 1.70 WHIP is the second-worst mark among MLB pitchers who've thrown at least 100 innings.

Sale (17-7) shut the Orioles out over eight innings Wednesday, striking out 13 while allowing just four hits and no walks in a 9-0 victory.

The O's were simply overmatched in this one -- only one of their hits went for extra bases, and they never marshaled a serious threat against the dominating lefty. Sale has now recorded double-digit strikeouts a ridiculous 18 times in 31 starts, and he's hit exactly 300 on the season, leading second-place whiff artist Max Scherzer by an incredible 47. The 28-year-old's 2017 represents just the 35th 300-strikeout campaign in MLB history. He'll have a chance to to pile up a few more Tuesday against Toronto, but it's not clear whether Sale will make a second start next week or get rested ahead of the playoffs.

Eovaldi (elbow) has completed his rehab and is projected to compete for a rotation spot in spring training, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

In the words of manager Kevin Cash, Eovaldi has "put a check next to every box" in his rehab process, which has essentially gone off without a hitch following his August 2016 Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old right-hander had ideally wanted to take the mound before the end of the regular season, but the Rays want him to head into the offseason without taxing his arm further and then compete for a rotation spot next spring.

Severino allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three over three innings in a no-decision against the Twins on Wednesday.

He wasn't at his best in this one, and manager Joe Girardi ultimately pulled Severino after just 71 pitches. The Yankees had moved Severino up a day for this start -- it was an interesting decision, as the Yankees gave up the chance to keep Minnesota from seeing Severino until a potential wild-card game for the option to start him three times before the end of the regular season. The 23-year-old should have an easier go of it early next week against the Rays.

Perez allowed only one run on four hits and a walk over 6.1 innings Tuesday while striking out four but didn't factor into the decision in a 3-1 win over the Mariners.

The lefty was locked in an unlikely pitcher's duel with Mike Leake until the seventh inning, when both teams turned to their bullpens. Perez now has six quality starts in his last nine outings, posting a respectable 3.14 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over that stretch despite a 5.5 K/9 that significantly limits his fantasy value. He'll next take the mound Sunday in Oakland.

Clevinger (11-5) picked up the win over the Angels on Tuesday, allowing only one run on three hits and two walks over six innings while striking out six.

The right-hander's been dominant down the stretch for Cleveland, posting a 0.61 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 34:10 K:BB over his last five starts (29.2 innings). Clevinger is scheduled for a two-start week to close out the regular season, Tuesday at home to the Twins and then Sunday's finale at home against the White Sox, making him a must-start in any format.

Giolito was able to overcome lower-than normal fastball velocity with a stellar changeup in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Astros, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

Giolito has thrown a season-high 167 innings this season, so reduced fastball velocity is to be expected. He overcame that with a changeup he threw 18 times, with 11 going for strikes. "The changeup was a good pitch for me aside from a few I left up in the zone," Giolito said. "I had a lot of confidence in it and that was probably the offspeed pitch I was most comfortable going to in situations." This was another test for the young pitcher, being able to squelch a dangerous lineup without his best stuff. He's thrown four quality starts in six outings since his callup to Chicago and has been much better this season than during his introduction to MLB in 2016 while with the Nationals.

McCullers (arm) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

If all goes well Wednesday, McCullers will be a candidate to start Sunday's home game against the Angels.