MLB Player News

Indians pitcher Corey Kluber threw 107 pitches Friday in his outing against the Diamondbacks. Kluber, the AL Cy Young award winner in 2014, reached the seventh inning, but was pulled before recording an out.

"I felt good," Kluber said to MLB.com. "I feel like I'm getting stronger each time out. I was able to get the pitch count up to where I wanted to today. For the most part, I executed pretty well."

Kluber allowed six hits with nine strikeouts in the outing.

"He wanted to get out there pretty good," manager Terry Francona said of Kluber's high pitch count. "So, the next outing, if he wanted, if he feels like scaling it back, he can. But, he feels like he's ready. I thought he did a really good job. He's in such good shape. Most guys, when they get out to that point, they're kind of pushing to get through it. He's strong."

With the start of the season getting closer and closer, the Tigers did not want to see starting pitcher Justin Verlander leave his spring start Friday against the Blue Jays early. Unfortunately, that is what happened.

The 32-year-old right-hander left Friday's start in the third inning due to injury after he was visited on the mound by manager Brad Ausmus, pitching coach Jeff Jones and the trainer.

The Tigers announced Verlander left the game with cramping in his right triceps. He will be re-evaluated Saturday, but the Tigers don't anticipate him missing his next spring start.

Verlander allowed one run on one hit and one walk in 2 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays got their lone run off Verlander on Dalton Pompey's solo home run in the second inning. He struck out two. Verlander has a 5.63 ERA through five spring starts.

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale (foot), who threw a short bullpen on Wednesday, threw a 75-pitch simulated game on Friday, according to Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Sale is rehabbing from a broken foot, and called his outing a "big confidence builder." He could start in a minor-league game in approximately five days.

Although Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman could be in line to start the season in the bullpen, manager Buck Showalter told reporters he'll make another start on Tuesday, per MLB.com. Gausman is tentatively scheduled to pitch five innings against the Rays. He has allowed two runs in four innings this spring.

If a game gets rained out from Friday until his next start, Gausman could be bumped Tuesday in favor of Ubaldo Jimenez, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced Friday starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka will start Opening Day (April 6) against the Blue Jays. It will be his first Opening Day start.

Girardi added Tanaka will be followed in the rotation by Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia and Nathan Eovaldi. Sabathia has started the last six openers for New York.

“We feel that’s the way it works the best. We feel that gives everybody a chance to be pretty ready,” Girardi said, per the New York Post. “Tanaka will be on a little bit of a pitch count the first time. We just like the way it works for our guys.”

The Yankees have not yet officially announced a fifth starter, but general manager Brian Cashman indicated earlier this week Adam Warren is the favorite to land the final spot in the rotation.

Tanaka and Sabathia were considered the top two candidates to start Opening Day. However, Girardi held off in making the decision as he wanted to see how both pitchers responded this spring coming off injury-plagued campaigns in 2014. While Sabathia is coming off knee surgery, Tanaka did not undergo surgery last season for a partially torn UCL. Although, he did miss a few months due to the elbow injury.

Tanaka is 1-1 with a 1.74 ERA in three spring starts. He also has 12 strikeouts to just one walk in 10 1/3 innings.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Friday he still hasn't decided on which order Jake Odorizzi and Nathan Karns will pitch in the season-opening series against the Orioles (April 6-8).

Chris Archer has been tabbed to start Opening Day in place of Alex Cobb (forearm), but Cash is mulling the starters for the next two games because he is still looking at matchups in the next few series after Baltimore.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters he may shorten Kevin Gausman up in case he's assigned to the bullpen to start the season, per MASN Sports.

"Might bring Gaus back shorter until everything shakes out," Showalter said. "I want him to be ready to do both things."

Gausman allowed a two-run home run to Victor Martinez in the eighth inning of Thursday's 6-4 loss to Detroit in Grapefruit League play. He allowed two runs on two hits and no walks while striking out two in one inning of work. He has allowed two runs in four innings this spring.

Rays starting pitcher Drew Smyly completed a bullpen session without any issues on Thursday, according to MLB.com.

"Smyly was all good," manager Kevin Cash told reporters.

Smyly is working his way back from shoulder tendinitis. At this point, it remains unlikely that he'll pitch in a game this spring.

Rays manager Kevin Cash indicated that Alex Cobb could start a throwing program as early as this weekend, according to the Tampa Tribune.

"Possibly," Cash said. "I wouldn't count on that for sure."

Cobb, who is not expected to be ready for the start of the season due to forearm tendinitis, was evaluated by doctors on Tuesday and said that everything checked out OK.

"I think it was pretty standard, but I think we're all excited about the progress," Cash said. "So a couple of more days and kind of see where we're at."

Rays manager Kevin Cash named Chris Archer his Opening Day starter on April 6 against the Orioles at Tropicana Field, per Tampa Tribune.

Archer will be replacing the injured Alex Cobb, who is not expected to be ready for the start of the season due to forearm tendinitis. Cash revealed that he's not ready to publicly announce the next two starters in his rotation.

Archer, 26, went 10-9 with a 3.33 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and 173:72 K:BB ratio over 32 starts (194 2/3 innings). This will be his first career Opening Day start in the majors. Archer, who has made an Opening Day start at Triple-A in 2013, has downplayed his assigned role, per MLB.com.

"Maybe that's why I wouldn't treat it differently. Because it's just a baseball game. it's the first one of the year, but the first one's no more or less important than the last one," Archer said.