MLB Player News

Astros rookie starter Lance McCullers saw mixed results in his outing against the Red Sox on Thursday. The young right-hander allowed two runs on six hits over five innings of work. He struggled with his control, as he walked three and struck out two. He threw 52 of his 89 pitches for strikes.

McCullers was down early, as he gave up a run in the first inning. The Astros would tie the game in the bottom half, but McCullers surrendered a solo home run to Mike Napoli in the second inning.

The youngster was able to keep the Red Sox off the board from there, but the bullpen coughed up the lead. The Astros were able to capture the 5-4 win in walk-off fashion however, leaving McCullers with a no-decision.

McCullers owns a 2.79 ERA over his last five starts.

Red Sox starter Wade Miley battled, but ultimately pitched well in his outing against the Astros on Thursday. The left-hander allowed one run on four hits over six innings. He did have control issues, as he walked five and struck out four. He threw 107 pitches, with just 55 going for strikes. But he was able to avoid any major damage against him.

The only run Miley allowed came on a solo home run by Marwin Gonzalez in the first inning. Miley would be left with a no-decision however, as the bullpen coughed up the lead. The Red Sox would go on to lose the game 5-4 in walk-off fashion.

Thursday's performance lowered Miley's ERA to 4.33. He has posted quality starts in three of his last four outings, including each of the last two. But he has failed to earn a win in any of those games. 

The Red Sox have laid out the rotation plans for their weekend series against the Tigers. Rick Porcello will open the series on Friday. He has a hefty 7.32 ERA over his last seven outings.

Porcello will be followed in the series by Steven Wright and then Eduardo Rodriguez. 

The Indians have claimed that they will not part with any of their starting pitchers, but the Blue Jays have expressed interest in right-hander Carlos Carrasco, according to Yahoo Sports.

That interest was confirmed by Fox Sports MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal, who added that it would take "quite a haul" to land Carrasco.

The 28-year-old Carrasco has proven inconsistent this season, following strong starts with poor ones. The result is a mediocre 3.94 ERA to go along with a 10-7 record.

But Carrasco has 128 strikeouts in just 114 1/3 innings and is under team control through 2020 with two club options and no annual salary above $9.5 million, which will make him tough for the frugal Indians to trade.

With the addition of left-hander Scott Kazmir in the rotation, the Astros have altered their rotation heading into the weekend series with the Royals. 

Kazmir will open the series on Friday with Scott Feldman going on Saturday. 2015 All-Star Dallas Keuchel will wrap-up the series on Sunday.

Vincent Velasquez, who was originally scheduled to pitch on Saturday, will be available out of the bullpen, according to manager A.J. Hinch.

Twins pitcher Ricky Nolasco is now wearing a walking boot on his injured ankle, reports MLB.com. Nolasco recently underwent ankle surgery and he remains without a timetable for his return.

The Indians are willing to listen to offers for pitcher Carlos Carrasco, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Carrasco is 10-7 with a 3.94 ERA in 19 starts this season. He signed a four-year, $22 million contract extension this spring.

Despite producing a quality start in Wednesday's start, Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray received a no-decision during the 4-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Gray allowed two runs on nine hits over seven innings of work. He also struck out three and walked two while giving up a solo home run to Danny Valencia. Gray was in line to get the win, but Tyler Clippard failed to convert the save.

Gray is now winless in his last two starts. He has earned a quality start in four of his last five outings.

The Astros will open their three-game series at Kansas City on Friday with pitcher Scott Feldman on the mound, reports the Houston Chronicle.

Feldman will be followed by Dallas Keuchel on Saturday and Vincent Velasquez on Sunday.

"We are going to mix and match over the next couple of weeks," manager A.J. Hinch said. "Right now, I think everyone is going to get an extra day with the off day. We can reset it and give some of our younger pitchers another day. Right now the Kansas City series is set."

Rangers southpaw Martin Perez wasn't exactly lights-out Wednesday in Colorado, but he certainly appeared destined for his first victory since after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Then his bullpen blew it.

Perez allowed three earned runs on six hits in six innings with four walks and two strikeouts. He has issued six free passes in 12 innings over two starts.

He nearly let a 5-0 lead to slip away against the Rockies. A Nick Hundley single in the second inning began to taint his performance before three singles and an error in the fourth cut his lead to 5-4. He retired the last seven batters he faced.