MLB Player News

Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco tossed a 35-pitch bullpen session Friday and pitching coach Mickey Callaway said the right hander looked good but his jaw is still sore, reports MLB.com.

Carrasco was hit in the jaw with a line drive April 14 and left the game.

Carrasco's scheduled start for Sunday will be pushed back to Monday against the White Sox.

Twins starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco has reported no issues with his elbow as he is at the beginning of his throwing program, per the Pioneer Press.

"It’s been really good. I’m happy about that," Nolasco said about how his elbow is responding.

Nolasco threw from 150 feet Friday and will do the same Saturday. He scheduled to throw a bullpen session Sunday. 

Nolasco is eligible to come off the disabled list April 24.

White Sox starting pitcher Hector Noesi has been pushed back to Tuesday against the Indians after manager Robin Ventura decided to start Jose Quintana on Sunday against the Tigers, per MLB.com.

"If he can go every five days, I'd like our best guys going every five days," Ventura said of Quintana.

Quintana, who started Tuesday at Cleveland, is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in two starts. He has 10 strikeouts in 11 innings.

Noesi made his season debut last Friday against the Twins. He took the loss after allowing two earned runs on four hits and six walks in 4 2/3 innings. He also had six strikeouts. 

Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (triceps) will not be returning from the disabled list to start Tuesday against the Yankees, manager Brad Ausmus said Friday, per MLive.com. Kyle Lobstein will make his second start in Verlander's absence. 

Verlander was unable to complete his simulated game Wednesday due to shoulder fatigue. He also said his triceps were a bit "achy."

The Indians announced their rotation plans for their three-game weekend series against the Twins starting on Friday. Corey Kluber will square off against Mike Pelfrey, followed by Danny Salazar, who will be recalled from the minors to face Phil Hughes on Saturday. Southpaw T.J. House will close out the series against Trevor May, per MLB.com.

When the Twins and Indians open a three-game series Friday, Cleveland will be sending ace Corey Kluber to the mound. Twins DH Kennys Vargas and third baseman Trevor Plouffe have fairly good history against the 2014 AL Cy Young award winner.

Vargas went 4 for 11 (.364) with one double, one home run and two RBI against Kluber last season, while Plouffe is batting .360 (9 for 25) with one double, two home runs and seven RBI in his career against Kluber.

Kluber is 4-2 with a 4.01 ERA in 10 career starts against the Twins. He went 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts against the AL Central foe last season and is 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA in five starts at Target Field.

Red Sox left-hander Wade Miley put in his nomination for Understatement of the Year after his performance Wednesday against Washington.

"Really the whole outing wasn't very good," he told the Boston Herald.

Uh, yeah. Miley gave up seven earned runs in 2 1/3 innings in taking the loss. He gave up a cycle in the process, including two doubles, one triple and a home run.

"I never established the strike zone," he added. "I got behind in a lot of counts. ... I threw too many (sliders). I probably should have gotten away from that pitch sooner and I didn't. I kept trying to find it and kept trying to find it. They were just tattooing them. Overall it's just one of those outings you want to put behind you."

John Farrell wasn't ready to put it behind him. He criticized not only Miley, but the performance of other Red Sox starters recently.

"We have the capability from a starting standpoint to keep a game under control, and that needs to be more consistent than this turn through the rotation," Farrell said. "We have the capability of doing it. We've shown it. There's a track record of that being done."

Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco appears to be making steady progress in his recovery from elbow inflammation that landed him on the disabled list.

Manager Paul Molitor revealed that the next step would be a mound session Sunday if Nolasco continues to move forward, per MLB.com.

"His long toss went really well if you can put a lot of stock into that," Molitor said. "I didn't think he'd have any problems with that. He's just continuing to extend. Saturday, he'll back off from throwing, and Sunday, if things go well the next couple days, he'll throw off the mound."

Nolasco will seek to improve his performance greatly upon his return. He was rocked for six earned runs in three innings in his only start of the season before going on the DL.

Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco doesn't recall being hit by Melky Cabrera's line drive Tuesday night -- an injury that sent him to the hospital for X-rays and a CT scan, according tothe Associated Press.

"I remember James came to me and started talking," Carrasco said. "That's the part I remember. When I got hit, I saw everything blurry and I blacked out."

Carrasco, who signed a $22 million, four-year contract last week, told reporters he watched the replay of the incident once on Wednesday, and has no plans to watch it again.

"It's part of the game," Carrasco said Wednesday. "I got a scare, but everything came out OK."

Carrasco is dealing with soreness in both sides of his jaw. He will have his start pushed to Monday against the White Sox instead of Sunday against the Twins after the incident.

"It's already behind me. I'm getting ready for my next start," Carrasco said.

Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker surrendered five earned runs on six hits and four walks in four innings while striking out three to take the loss in his team's 5-2 defeat against the Dodgers Wednesday.

Walker (0-2) looked fantastic this spring, but the results haven't carried over to his first two starts of the year. He gave up three runs in the first inning before the Dodgers tacked on another in the second and one more in the third. Walker owns a 17.18 ERA and 6:6 K:BB ratio in 7 1/3 innings heading into Tuesday's scheduled start against the Astros.