MLB Player News

Indians pitcher Justin Masterson endured a rough outing on Friday against the Red Sox, lasting only two innings in a 10-3 defeat. The right-hander was shelled for five runs on three hits and four walks with no strikeouts, dropping to 4-5 on the year.

Over his last two starts covering 7 2/3 innings, Masterson has allowed seven earned runs. He owns a 5.05 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP through 14 starts (94 1/3 innings). He will look to get back on track Wednesday at home against the Angels.

Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson remained sharp on Friday against the Tigers in Detroit, improving to 6-5 on the year. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out three over seven shutout frames of a 2-0 victory.

Of his 110 pitches, 66 were strikes. GIbson owns a 3.55 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP through 13 starts (76 innings). He will make his next start Wednesday at Boston.

Tigers starter Drew Smyly tossed a quality start but was not backed by any run support on Friday against the Twins. The right-hander permitted one run on four hits and three walks while striking out two over six innings of a 2-0 defeat, dropping to 3-5 on the year.

Over his last two starts covering 12 innings, Smyly has allowed only two earned runs. He owns a 3.58 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 60 1/3 innings of work. He will make his next start Wednesday at home against the Royals.

Rays righty Alex Cobb has detected via video a flaw in his delivery that he believes has caused his problems since recovering from an oblique strain and coming off the disabled list. He noticed that he began rushing his body toward the plate in an attempt to increase velocity.

"Then your arm starts dragging and everything's elevated, your off-speed pitches flatten out and you give up seven runs and you're walking off the mound," he told the Tampa Bay Times.

Cobb indeed yielded seven runs on 10 hits in just 4 1/3 innings against Seattle in his last start. He has given up 16 runs in 15 1/3 innings since returning from the DL.

Mariners pitcher James Paxton (lat) threw at a 60-foot distance for seven minutes and will throw off flat ground again on Saturday, according to MLB.com. Paxton is hoping to increase his workload to begin throwing off a mound soon.

"He's improving every day," said manager Lloyd McClendon. "The doctors are pleased with where he is. I'm not sure when he'll throw off the mound, but he's getting close."

White Sox starter Chris Sale had a dominant outing but was outdueled by Max Scherzer and the Tigers at home on Thursday, dropping his first decision of the year. The left-hander surrendered one run on five hits and no walks while striking out 10 in seven innings of a 4-0 defeat.

Sale has struck out 10 in three of his last six games played. He owns a 1.97 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP in nine starts (59 1/3 innings). He will look to get back in the win column Wednesday at home against San Francisco.

Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman made a solid impression with a quality start, improving to 2-1 on the year Thursday night against the Blue Jays. The right-hander permitted one run on five hits and three walks while striking out three in six innings of a 4-2 victory.

Gausman owns a 3.71 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP through three starts (17 innings). It remains to ve seen if he'll stay in the rotation.

"I feel good about what I've done. Not my decision, so whatever happens will be for the club's best interest," Gausman said after the game, per MASN Sports.

Marcus Stroman wasn't at his best Wednesday against the Twins, but after serving up a two-run homer to Josh Willingham in the first inning, he did his best to limit the damage over the next five, picking up a quality start despite allowing nine hits.

No doubt, his stellar control played a part in his recovery. He didn't walk a batter for the second time in three starts, making the surplus of hits easier to pitch around. Still, not every pitcher in his third major-league start would have pitched around them or would have resisted nibbling when the hits began to pile up. It may not have been his best work, but Stroman showed us something with this start.

That "something" is along the lines of "grit" or "determination," which is of course a sabermetricians' nightmare and hardly the most imporant evaluation of a pitcher. But when you get past the fundamental questions of role, control and does it fly or does it roll, intangibles still have their say. Mike Minor has always credited them for his breakthrough midway through 2012, when, to paraphrase, he stopped spazzing out every time he got into a jam.

If this is the way Stroman pitches at less than his best at this stage of his career, he'll quickly become a fixture in Fantasy.

Justin Verlander summed up his latest disaster Wednesday at the White Sox by calling it "really frustrating."

And I agree, but with one addendum: It's really, really frustrating.

The biggest frustration for Fantasy owners is not knowing what to do with him. Sitting him for now is obvious, but what else? He is Justin Verlander, after all, and the Pitch F/X data suggests his stuff hasn't diminished as much as some have been led to believe. His numbers certainly have, though, and while his last six starts are as bad as it's gotten, it actually started last year with a not-so-ace-like 3.46 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. If not for his track record and his final five starts last year, playoffs included, you wouldn't have drafted him where you did this year.

Even if we assume he bounces back to last year's numbers, since that's about what he was doing before this six-start stretch, he'll fall well short of expectations, which makes trading him now not the craziest idea if you can find someone eager to buy low.

But I'll admit I've hesitated to offer him up in leagues where I own him. He'll barely be a top-30 starting pitcher for me when I adjust my rankings later today, but he may have the best chance of those 15 and up to perform like a top-10 option the rest of the way.

If you've succeeded in spite of his struggles so far, you might want to hang on to him, but if you're falling out of the race, an offer of Alex Cobb and, say, Carlos Santana is one to take seriously.

Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman is pitching for a rotation spot Thursday, according to MASN.

Miguel Gonzalez, who Gausman replaced in the rotation, is getting close to being activated, which could signal Gausman being kicked out of the rotation. Manager Buck Showalter left some reason for optimism, though, saying Gausman could remain a starter if he "pitches next time like he pitched last time." 

In his last start, Gausman held the Athletics to one run over seven innings. The Orioles haven't exactly made it easy on him. Gausman has faced the Tigers and Athletics in his first two starts, and will take on the Blue Jays Thursday. All three teams boast top-10 offenses this season.