MLB Player News

Carrasco (7-3) was nearly perfect, as he allowed no runs on one hit, struck out six and walked two over six innings in a victory over the Royals on Wednesday.

It was the third time this season he threw at least six shutout innings in a start. In the first five innings, he allowed just one base runner, which was a double to Cheslor Cuthbert. The strong outing dropped his ERA down to 2.31; he also has a 1.03 WHIP and 81 strikeouts in 85.2 innings. His next start will be Wednesday against the Nationals.

Verlander pitched a gem, allowing one run on two hits, striking out nine and walking two over eight innings, but took a no-decision against the Twins on Wednesday afternoon.

The right-hander seems to have regained his strikeout mojo. Verlander had 13 swing-and-miss, and he has 19 punchouts in his last 15.0 frames. He now has 139 strikeouts in 132.1 innings. Verlander is also 9-6 with a 3.74 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. His next start will be Monday against the Red Sox.

Blackburn and Dan Vogelbach were traded from the Cubs to the Mariners on Wednesday in exchange for Mike Montgomery and Jordan Pries, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

While Blackburn hasn't displayed big swing-and-miss stuff in the minors (just 72 strikeouts in 102.1 innings this season), he's managed to post a sub-3.50 in every level of his minor league climb thus far. He's spent all of 2016 with Double-A Tennessee, and could be bound for the same level with the Mariners.

Ramirez was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.

Ramirez was removed from the 40-man roster as a result. He struggled with the Twins after being claimed from the Brewers in June with a 6.14 ERA and 10 walks against 11 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.

Hill (blister) is unlikely to be ready for his next scheduled start Sunday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The A's options are limited, as putting Hill on the DL would prevent him from pitching again before the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline. Jesse Hahn and Zach Neal are believed to be the most likely options to slot in for Sunday's turn in the rotation against the Rays in Oakland, but their availability will hinge on their workload at Triple-A Nashville in the coming days.

Smyly will remain in the starting rotation despite his ongoing struggles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 27-year-old southpaw is now sporting an unsightly 2-11 record and 5.64 ERA that ranks as the highest among all pitchers who've thrown at least 90 frames this season. However, despite those numbers and the fact that he's given up at least four earned runs in five consecutive starts, Smyly is not a candidate for demotion at this time according to manager Kevin Cash. "Actually we talked to Drew (Tuesday), checked in, we had a good conversation," Cash said. "Drew is trying to work through this. He knows he's in a funk. At different parts of the season, I think different things have kind of left him, different pitches that he hasn't been able to find. ... We're excited to get his work in and to see him back out there Saturday in Oakland."

Keuchel allowed two runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 6.1 innings in a no-decision Tuesday against Oakland.

Keuchel has really figured things out over the past month. All of his past six starts have been quality starts, and he has now gone two straight starts without allowing a home run for the first time since April 26 and May 2. His season ERA is still underwhelming at 4.70, and he hasn't looked like a Cy Young contender, but things are moving in the right direction.

Snell (2-4) allowed just one hit and three walks over six shutout innings and struck out nine in a win Tuesday over the Rockies.

This was by far the best start of Snell's career, as he set a new career high in strikeouts and posted his first shutout outing in the major leagues. He was downright nasty, as Rockies hitters swung and missed 16 times in 96 pitches. And not only did Snell dominate, he did so at Coors Field, an impressive feat for anyone, much less a rookie.

Miley (6-7) allowed three runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts over 6.1 innings in a loss Tuesday to the White Sox.

Miley has now taken five straight losses even though two of his past three starts have been quality starts. Still, it's hard to say Miley deserved much better Tuesday night -- he gave up a pair of home runs, and considering he allowed nine baserunners, things could have been much worse. He hasn't struck out more than four batters since June 12, and his inability to miss bats is a big reason why his ERA sits at 5.36.

Quintana (8-8) allowed one run on six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts over six innings in a win Tuesday against Seattle.

The only run Quintana allowed came on a solo home run, which marks the 10th home run he has allowed in just his past seven starts. While that's a disconcerting statistic, he has also struck out 45 batters in 51.2 innings in that span. Quintana has a 3.13 ERA in large part because of that strikeout ability -- his current 8.2 K/9 is the highest of his career.