MLB Player News

Gibson gave up three runs over 5.1 innings with one strikeout and three walks, in a no-decision against Kansas City on Friday.

Gibson has been terrible to start the season as he had a 9.00 ERA and 12:7 K:BB in 17 innings over his first four starts. He wasn't as bad in Friday's outing, which should keep him in the rotation a while longer, but he'll need to improve soon or he could be sent to Triple-A.

Stroman (2-2) gave up two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out 10 over 7.1 innings in a no-decision against the Rays on Friday.

The Toronto bullpen once again unraveled in the late innings, denying Stroman a victory despite his second career start with double-digit strikeouts. His 2.97 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 28:7 K:BB through 36.1 innings all suggest the 25-year-old righty is poised for a breakthrough campaign, but he faces a tough test Wednesday on the road against the surging Yankees.

Snell (0-2) struck out three and gave up two runs on six hits and three walks over five innings in a no-decision against the Blue Jays on Friday.

After tossing 6.2 innings in his first start of the season, Snell hasn't lasted longer than five frames in any outing since. His 3.42 ERA and 1.48 WHIP aren't terrible, but the 24-year-old lefty's 18:18 K:BB through 26.1 innings indicates how thin his margin for error has been. His next start will come Wednesday at home against the Marlins.

Dunning was promoted to High-A Winston-Salem, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Dunning cruised through the South Atlantic League with a 0.35 ERA, two walks and 33 strikeouts over 26 innings for Low-A Kannapolis. He's the forgotten third pitcher in the Adam Eaton trade that brought the more heralded Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez back to Chicago, but has been the best performer of the bunch. Dunning isn't going to light up the radar gun, but he can locate the fastball, has a three-pitch mix and pounds the zone (69.5 percent of pitches are strikes).

Gausman (1-2) was tagged for five runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three over six innings but escaped with a no-decision in Friday's 14-11 extra-inning loss to the Yankees.

The 26-year-old has now given up at least five runs in each of his last three starts, and his 7.50 ERA is fully supported by his 6.0 K/9, 5.1 BB/9 and 1.8 HR/9 through 30 innings. Despite Gausman's upside, his current form makes it impossible to trust him in a fantasy lineup in even the deepest of leagues. Things won't get any easier for him in his next start Wednesday on the road against the Red Sox.

Morton (2-2) allowed four runs on five hits without a walk while striking out 12 in Friday's 9-4 win over Oakland.

Morton overcame trouble in the first inning, when he allowed a three-run homer to Khris Davis, with the help of Houston's resilient bats. The right-hander eventually settled down to log a season high in innings and a career high in strikeouts. Morton's next scheduled start is Wednesday at home against the Rangers.

Boyd (2-1) allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over seven innings in a no-decision against the White Sox on Friday.

It was the left-hander's longest outing of the season so far. Boyd pounded the strike zone, throwing 70 of 97 pitches for strikes, but still walked multiple batters for the fifth time in five starts, and his 19:13 K:BB through 25.2 innings is far from impressive. His next start will come Wednesday at home against Cleveland.

Kluber (3-1) dished seven innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out 10 Astros in Thursday's win.

Houston didn't shy away from Kluber early, plating three runs on seven hits before the right-hander could escape the third inning. However, Kluber settled in and held the Astros scoreless over his last four frames. Through five starts, the ace owns an uncharacteristically high 3.2 BB/9, while at the same time posting an admirable strikeout rate (9.7 K/9). Kluber will take on the Tigers in his next start Tuesday.

Verlander credited a mechanical adjustment for his boost in velocity during his seven-inning, eight-strikeout shutout effort Thursday against the Mariners, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports. He's also ignoring his changeup.

Verlander wouldn't go into specifics of what he recently changed, but he said he watched video of how he pitched during his pre-injury seasons, and it seemed to help Thursday. "Even last start ... I knew pretty much right as soon as I started throwing that my arm felt cleaner," he said. MLB's Statcast data website, Baseball Savant, said 55 of the lanky hurler's 118 pitches came out at 95 mph or harder. He touched 98.5 mph twice and averaged 95.6 mph on his fastball, which he threw 70 times. The veteran also has thrown only 17 changeups in 525 total pitches this year and avoided the pitch altogether Thursday. Thursday's outing marked a promising sign for the ace's immediate future. Fantasy owners may have missed their window to buy low after Verlander's brief struggles, but it's still worth a try.

Nolasco (2-2) gave up an earned run on three hits and two walks over 5.2 innings in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Athletics. He struck out four.

Nolasco saw his turn delayed by a couple of days as he worked through reported mechanical issues, and the extra time to hone his craft appeared to pay off. The 34-year-old fired 61 of 98 pitches for strikes and recorded 11 swings-and-misses overall, notching a second consecutive strong start. The veteran righty also avoided the long ball altogether for the first time in five trips to the mound this season, while the sole earned run he surrendered marked his lowest figure in that category thus far this season. Nolasco will look to keep the momentum going in a road start against the Mariners next Tuesday.