MLB Player News

Stroman struck out nine and allowed two earned runs on eight hits and two walks in a no-decision against the Mariners on Saturday.

It was a sharp performance for Stroman, but his offense couldn't get it going until after his departure. This was his second straight quality start after being tagged by the Yankees on May 3, a promising sign for fantasy owners who have been frustrated by the 26-year-old's inconsistency. Stroman lowered his ERA to a respectable 3.33 after this latest outing. He will look to keep the momentum going Thursday at Atlanta.

Snell was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

This is a surprising development on its surface, but the fact of the matter is that Snell has struggled through his eight starts with the Rays this season. He routinely fell behind in the count in his start Saturday, which allowed the Red Sox to sit on certain pitches and push six runs across. Snell will need to work on his command in Durham before rejoining the big-league club. He notched an 0-4 record with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP prior to his demotion.

Sale (4-2) struck out 12 and allowed three earned runs on two hits and a walk over seven innings in Saturday's win over Tampa Bay.

It was another dominant performance for the lefty, as a pair of home runs were the only knocks against him in this one. Sale's K/9 of 13.0 and K:BB of 85:13 through eight starts don't suggest that he's slowing down anytime soon. It's the seventh consecutive start in which he's notched double-digit strikeouts, one shy of the Major League record. He'll make his next start on Friday in a favorable matchup at Oakland.

Snell (0-4) allowed six earned runs on six hits and three walks over 5.2 innings in a loss to Boston on Saturday. He struck out five.

Boston's bats made Snell work hard in this contest, forcing him to throw a season high in pitches (113) over only 5.2 innings. Efficiency has been a problem all season long for the 24-year-old southpaw, as he's only worked his way into the sixth inning twice. The potential to be a front-of-the-rotation starter still exists for Snell, but he's going to have to find a way to put away hitters before it is realized. He'll take another crack at earning his first win of the season next Friday at home against the Yankees.

Kluber (back) has resumed throwing, but remains without a timetable for returning to MLB action, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Prior to Friday's game against Minnesota, Tribe manager Terry Francona said that Kluber had begun playing catch on flat ground. The skipper added that the team will have a better idea of when Kluber will return once he's cleared to throw off a mound. "He's making some really good strides," Francona said. "We're pleased about that."

Manning has been struggling to fully let loose his fastball in extended spring training, as he is gearing down to guide the ball into the zone, Baseball America reports.

Not only has Manning not been pitching with a full-season affiliate, thus failing to improve his stock since the end of last season, but he is apparently struggling in extended spring training, so his stock has legitimately taken a hit. He still has impressive raw stuff, but it sounds like he will be a slow mover through the minor-league ranks.

Severino's scheduled start Saturday has been postponed, and he will start Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Yankees on Sunday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

This affords Severino an extra day of rest, but does not change the fact that he will square off against Mike Fiers and the Astros this weekend. Both teams have an off day next week, so neither rotation will need a tweak because of the doubleheader.

Sale's start Saturday against the Rays has been moved up from a night game to a 1:05 pm start, Julian Benbow of The Boston Globe reports.

Heavy rains and winds are expected for the New England region beginning late Saturday afternoon, so the teams agreed to move up the starting time.

Bundy (5-1) gave up two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings but did not factor into the decision in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Royals.

His impressive run to begin 2017 continues, as Bundy has now provided a quality start in all eight of his outings so far. He'll take a 2.26 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 36:12 K:BB in 51.2 innings into his next start Thursday at Detroit.

Cobb (3-3) allowed four runs (none earned) on four hits and three walks over 6.1 innings in a win over Boston on Friday. He struck out five.

Cobb was cruising in this contest until a couple of defensive miscues in the seventh inning led to his exit. After not having a single quality start in his first five outings, Cobb has now thrown three straight and has lowered his ERA to a very respectable 3.10. The 29-year-old righty will take the mound again Wednesday at Cleveland.