MLB Player News

The Orioles are considered the leader for Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija, according to CBSChicago.com.

The two sides have mutual interest in a deal. Baltimore would acquire Samardzija, who is under team control through next season. The Cubs are scouting the Orioles top pitching prospects, including Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy. Samardzija has done everything possible to boost his trade value. Through 75 innings, he has a 1.68 ERA. 

Indians pitcher Justin Masterson had his start cut short by a rain delay Tuesday, finishing with one earned run allowed on four hits and two walks in three innings and three strikeouts in his team's 2-1 loss to the White Sox.

Masterson (2-4) threw just 65 pitches before exiting. He appeared on his way to a redemptive performance after giving up 17 earned runs in his previous three starts combined, but the weather had other ideas. Masterson owns a 5.21 ERA and 58:33 K:BB ratio in 67 1/3 innings. He'll take on the Red Sox Monday.

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale pitched three no-hit innings Tuesday before being removed after a lengthy rain delay in his team's 2-1 win over the Indians.

Sale struck out four and walked one while cruising through three innings, but the rain got to him before the Indians could. He owns a 1.73 ERA and 43:8 K:BB ratio in 36 1/3 innings, and he's allowed just one hit in nine scoreless innings since returning from the DL while striking out 14. Sale is slated to face the Dodgers Monday.

Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray didn't factor into the decision Tuesday, giving up four earned runs on eight hits and one walk in six innings while striking out five in his team's 6-5 loss to the Tigers.

Gray failed to deliver a quality start for the first time this season Tuesday, allowing a pair of runs in the first inning before Miguel Cabrera homered in the third inning. The fourth run of the game came on a fourth-inning double, and he was in line for the win before the bullpen squandered the lead. Gray owns a 2.31 ERA and 60:24 K:BB ratio in 74 innings. He'll take on the Angels Sunday.

An MRI has revealed that Mariners pitcher James Paxton is dealing with shoulder inflammation, the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Paxton will be shut down from throwing for at least five days before the team re-evaulates his recovery. He had been working his way back from a lat injury and was also dealing with triceps soreness after his rehab start Saturday.

Rays pitcher Alex Cobb was tagged with a loss Tuesday after surrendering six earned runs on nine hits and one walk in five innings while striking out seven in his team's 9-6 loss to the Blue Jays.

Cobb (1-2) coasted through three innings before running into trouble in the fourth, when the Blue Jays scored a pair of runs on three singles and a walk. He came unglued in the fifth, giving up an RBI single and back-to-back home runs in succession.

Cobb hadn't given up an earned run in his previous three outings before Tuesday's dud. He owns a 2.93 ERA and 27:8 K:BB ratio in 30 2/3 innings. Cobb is slated to face the Marlins Monday.

With a 5-1 record, 1.99 ERA and 1.09 WHIP heading into Tuesday's contest with the Tigers, Sonny Gray has been a pretty extraordinary Fantasy pitcher, but his skills ratios have been nothing special. He's been something short of dominating (7.3 K/9, 9.6 percent swinging strike rate), and his control (61 percent strikes thrown) leaves something to be desired.

What Gray does exceptionally well is get ground balls, which he has done at a 60 percent rate this season. And as I noted in a recent blog post, the Athletics have been unmatched at preventing base hits on ground balls, holding opponents to a .197 batting average on grounders. Even though Gray has walked 3.0 batters per nine innings, he has been helping owners with WHIP, as he has held hitters to a .181 ground ball batting average. As low as that is (the major league mark is .240), it's not too far off the norm for the A's pitching staff.

Unless he improves his control or gets more strikeouts, Gray is due to regress, but he may not fall off his current pace by much. With Josh Donaldson, Eric Sogard and Jed Lowrie backing him up in the infield, Gray could remain among the Fantasy pitching elite, even without the benefit of elite peripherals.

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish received some positive news Tuesday when the results of his MRI were deemed "unremarkable," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Darvish also revealed that he was feeling better after being scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday earlier in the day due to a stiff neck. Despite the positive news, the Rangers haven't determined when Darvish will make his next start.

Mariners pitcher James Paxton is still dealing with lingering triceps soreness, the Seattle Times reports.

Paxton will meet with a team doctor later Tuesday to ensure he hasn't suffered a setback. He's on the disabled list with a lat injury.

For Justin Verlander, it's only getting worse. As if the rising walk rate and falling strikeout rate weren't bad enough, now he's getting knocked around as well, giving up 11 hits in back-to-back starts.

As I mentioned in my latest post to the Fantasy Baseball Today blog, assessing this latest version of Verlander is tricky because of both his track record and the fact he overcame a similarly discouraging start to post a 0.26 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 13.6 strikeout per nine innings over his final five starts, including the playoffs, last year. It wasn't enough to salvage his final numbers, but it was enough to remind everyone that, when at his best, nobody else comes close.

But here he is performing at far from his best again. In his last 45 regular-season starts spanning two seasons, he has a 3.60 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings. That's a large enough sample to take seriously, especially since it coincides with a reduction in velocity.

And although those numbers are mixed-league caliber, they're nowhere close to what you expected from Verlander when you drafted him. They don't suggest he's an ace or even a must-start option. It's a frightening admission, but I don't think I can continue to value him like a top-25 starting pitcher. My rankings will soon reflect that.