MLB Player News

Tigers right-hander Drew Smyly lasted only three frames in his first start of the season Friday night against the Angels.

Smyly, making his first appearance since April 9, allowed two runs in the second, including a run-scoring triple to Ian Stewart before serving up a solo home run to Howie Kendrick in the following frame. He was charged with four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two over three innings pitched.

Smyly owns a 4.00 ERA through his first nine innings pitched to start the season. He'll make his next start Wednesday at home against the White Sox.

Indians pitcher Justin Masterson tossed a quality start but was not backed by enough run support Friday night against the Blue Jays. The right-hander surrendered two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out nine over 6 1/3 innings.

Masterson owns a 4.98 ERA, a 1.57 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB ratio over 21 2/3 innings pitched. He will make his next start Wednesday against Kansas City.

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale bounced back with a dominant outing on Thursday, but was not backed by enough run support and was forced to settle for a no-decision in a 3-1 defeat to Boston.

Sale tossed five no-hit innings before surrendering a solo home run to Xander Bogaerts in the sixth. He was charged with one run on one hit and three walks while striking out 10 over seven innings pitched. He tossed 127 pitches, 77 of which were strikes.

Sale has permitted only four runs over his last 20 innings pitched. He'll look for his fourth win of the season Tuesday in Detroit.

Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander showed some command issues and issued for walks on Thursday. However, he still managed to escape with his second win of the season in a 7-5 victory over Cleveland.

Making his fourth start of the season, Verlander (2-1) permitted a run-scoring single to David Murphy in the fourth and a two-run single to Michael Brantley in the following frame. He surrendered three unearned runs on six hits and four walks while striking out seven over five innings. He tossed 113 pitches, 74 of which came for strikes.

Verlander has struck out at least seven in each of his last two starts. He owns a 2.08 ERA and 1.35 WHIP along with 20:10 K:BB ratio over 26 innings. He'll make his next start Tuesday at home against the White Sox.

Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish had an issue with a cut on his right thumb for the second straight start Wednesday against the Mariners. However, manager Ron Washington said it's not an issue, per MLB.com.

Darvish has posted a 1.20 ERA and 0.73 WHIP in his last two starts. He has 17 strikeouts to three walks in 15 innings in those starts.

Twins starter Kyle Gibson turned in the finest start of his major-league career Thursday against Toronto.

Gibson cruised through the game. After a first inning walk to Jose Bautista, Gibson didn't have any other issues with his control. Of the eight innings he pitched, he faced the minimum of three batters in four innings. Gibson gave up just four hits during the appearance, striking out four. 

Gibson moved to 3-0 with the win. He lowered his ERA to 0.93 after the start.

Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel pitched well enough to win Wednesday against the Royals, but the bullpen couldn't hold onto his lead in a 6-4 loss.

Keuchel allowed just two runs in six innings of work for his second quality start in a row, and he left the game holding on to a 4-2 lead. He fell behind early on a second-inning solo home run, but limited the damage to just the two runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out five barters.

Keuchel is just 1-1 despite holding a 3.50 ERA after three starts. He will go for his second win in his next start, set for Monday in Seattle. 

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish was finally scored upon by the opposition Wednesday, giving up two earned runs on seven hits and two walks in seven innings while striking out eight in his team's 3-2 win over the Mariners.

Darvish entered play Wednesday having thrown 15 scoreless innings in his two starts, and he extended the streak to 16 before giving up two runs in the second inning. He locked down after that, but the Rangers offense could get nothing going against Felix Hernandez. However, he avoided taking the loss when the Rangers won the game in the bottom of the ninth. Darvish owns a 0.82 ERA and 23:4 K:BB ratio in 22 innings. He's on track to take on the A's Monday.

Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker will be shut down for two weeks after an MRI Wednesday revealed an impingement in his shoulder, MLB.com reports.

If Walker looks good after the time off, the team will begin the progression of his rehab again. He was scratched from Tuesday's scheduled rehab start due to stiffness in the pitching shoulder.

Rays starter Jake Odorizzi has had a Jekyll-Hyde start to the season, following a sensational first start with a terrible one. He was merely mediocre in a loss to Baltimore on Wednesday.

Odorizzi struggled with his control, walking three in giving up three runs in five innings. He began with three shutout innings in retiring nine in a row before surrendering three runs on four hits and three walks in the next two innings combined. His season ERA now rests at 5.63.

He will seek more consistency in his next start, which is slated for Tuesday against Minnesota.