MLB Player News

An MRI was not required for the ailing shoulder of Athletics starter Chris Bassitt, the San Francisco Chronicle has reported.

Bassitt has been scratched from his Tuesday start. He is hoping rest and strength work will allow him to return quickly.

Mariners left-hander James Paxton, who has been out for more than three months with a finger injury, is closing in on a return. He will start Wednesday for Triple-A Tacoma, then join the club when it comes home on Sept. 7, per MLB.com.

Paxton will return with a 3-3 record and 3.70 ERA.

Mariners starter Vidal Nuno got roughed up a bit by the Astros on Monday. Nuno allowed five runs on seven hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out two, en route to the 8-3 loss.

Nuno (0-3, 3.32 ERA) had trouble keeping the ball in the park in this one. He gave up a run in the first inning. And after the Mariners tied the game in the second, Nuno allowed fourth-inning solo home runs to Jed Lowrie and Hank Conger. He also served up a two-run shot to Carlos Correa in the fifth.

Nuno pitched an inning of relief on Wednesday, and thus hadn't started a game since August 22. In five August starts, Nuno went 0-2 with a 5.27 ERA.

Astros ace Dallas Keuchel was very ace-like in his start against the Mariners on Monday. The left-hander allowed one run on six hits over seven solid innings. He walked one and struck out eight, en route to the 8-3 victory.

Keuchel (16-6, 2.24 ERA) allowed a solo home run to Mark Trumbo in the second inning for the only damage against him. Otherwise, Keuchel as flat-out dominant against the Mariners.

The Cy Young Award candidate was absolutely brilliant in August. In six starts, he went 4-1 with a 1.95 ERA and a 41:8 K:BB ratio.

Red Sox rookie starter Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well and earned his eighth win of the season on Monday against the Yankees. Rodriguez allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits over five-plus innings. He walked three and struck out four, en route to the 4-3 victory.

Rodriguez (8-5, 4.25 ERA) gave up a run in the first inning, thanks in-part to a fielding error. Another run came across in the fourth, but the Red Sox scored three runs of their own in between. The bullpen made things interesting, but ultimately the Red Sox held on for the win.

The young right-hander pitched well in August, going 2-2 with a 4.06 ERA--which includes an eight-run meltdown back on August 12. 

A shoulder issue will cause Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt to skip his next start Tuesday, reports the Bay Area News Group. Bassitt has soreness in his shoulder and will receive an MRI on Monday.

With Bassitt out Tuesday, the A's will turn to reliever Cody Martin to start the contest. Martin is 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA over 21 2/3 innings.

White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana fanned eight of the Mariners he retired Sunday. That's impressive.

Other than that - not so much.

Quintana surrendered four runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 inning and would have lost if not for an error with two outs in the ninth that allowed his team to tie it. 

His struggles began immediately on a Kyle Seager two-run homer in the first and Austin Jackson two-run dinger in the second. He worked his way out of jams in the third and fourth before working his way out of the game in the fifth.

His effort marked only the second time he has not managed a quality start in his last eight outings.

It's hard to believe considering his team scored three touchdowns and a safety Sunday in Atlanta that Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi didn't have a victory wrapped up upon finishing his outing.

He led just 8-5 after five mediocre innings in which he allowed five runs on eight hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. The Yankees piled on late for a 20-6 thrashing of the Braves.

Eovaldi gave up two runs in the third on RBI singles by Freddie Freeman and A.J. Pierzynski and three more in the fifth on run-scoring hits by Andrelton Simmons and Jonny Gomes.

The five runs was the most Eovaldi has surrendered since June 16. He has received plenty of run support this season, as his 14-2 record despite a 4.17 ERA attests.

Astros starter Lance McCullers got off to a slow start, walking three of the game's first four batters and then couldn't get back on track in a loss to the Twins on Sunday. 

McCullers would allow only four hits and three runs before departing after six innings, but Houston was held off the scoreboard until the ninth inning. 

McCullers (5-5) went 0-2 in three August starts, allowing 11 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings. 

Boston starter Wade Miley had a chance to help the Red Sox sweep the Mets, but couldn't hold a lead in an eventual no-decision Sunday. 

Miley went six innings, giving up nine hits and four runs. He walked only one batter while striking out six, but squandered a 2-1 lead in the six by allowing three runs. 

Miley (10-10) finished August 2-1 with three no-decisions. His ERA this season is 4.57.