MLB Player News

White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana (7-4) turned in a solid outing as he bounced back with his seventh win of the season Friday night against the Twins. The left-hander yielded two earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven over 6 2/3 innings of a 5-2 victory.

Quintana has allowed seven earned runs over his last 11 2/3 innings pitched. He is scheduled to make his next start Thursday at Kansas City. He is 0-1 with a 3.63 ERA in three starts against the Royals this season.

Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been demoted to the bullpen, manager Terry Francona told The Plain Dealer Friday.

Carrasco allowed four earned runs over 4 1/3 innings in his previous start. He is 0-4 with a 7.82 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP in eight appearances (seven starts).

Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber played catch again Friday as he continues to work his way back from a sprained right middle finger. Manager Terry Francona told MLB.com that Kluber threw to 90 feet Friday and will increase to 120 feet on Saturday.

Orioles starter Jason Hammel resumed throwing Friday as he played catch, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Hammel received a cortisone injection in his injured forearm earlier in the week. He is scheduled to play catch again Sunday or Monday. He has been sidelined since July 28 with the injury. The Orioles have not established a clear timetable for his return.

In my most recent Fantasy Baseball Today live chat session Friday, the day after rookie Sonny Gray's eight-inning gem against the Astros (worth repeating: the Astros), a certain chatter took exception to my description of the Athletics' most recent call-up -- specifically, the part where I called him a third-tier prospect with iffy minor-league minors.

Look, I'm just stating facts. Depending on how you draw up your tiers, he is a third-tier prospect. Baseball America didn't even include him in its top 100 entering this season. I usually reserve the first tier for the prospects everybody rushes to grab when the come up, such as Christian Yelich or Xander Bogaerts, and the second tier for others who would fit into the top 100, such as Jedd Gyorko or Kolten Wong. The third tier is the best of what's left. No shame in that. I would have considered Tony Cingrani a third-tier prospect at this time last year even as I was scooping him up in long-term keeper leagues. But he had awesome minor-league numbers. Gray's are iffy. True, he had to pitch in the heavy-hitting Pacific Coast League this year, but he was even worse in the Texas League last year and allowed more than a hit per inning over his minor-league career.

But certainly, he's looked good so far, and as a former first-round pick, he bears watching. I'm just not ready to go gaga over him because of one great start against a bad opponent.

Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (12-9) turned in a strong performance but was not backed but enough run support as he took the loss in Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader against the Royals. The right-hander yielded two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six over eight innings of a 2-1 defeat.

Verlander has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three of his last four starts and owns a 2.48 ERA over that span. He is scheduled to make his next start Thursday at home against Minnesota. He is 2-0 with a stellar 0.75 ERA in two starts against the Twins this season.

Rays pitcher Alex Cobb (7-2) turned in a solid outing in his first start back from the disabled list Thursday night against the Mariners. The right-hander allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings of his seventh win of the season.

Cobb made his first start since June 15. He is 4-0 with a 3.21 ERA over his last nine starts. He is scheduled to make his next start at Baltimore.

Athletics starter Sonny Gray (1-1) turned in a dominant performance in only his second MLB start as he fired eight scoreless innings for his first big-league win Thursday afternoon against the Astros. The young right-hander yielded four hits and one walk while striking out nine in a 5-0 victory.

Gray has allowed four runs -- two earned -- through his first two starts (14 innings). He is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday at home against the Mariners. He owns a 1.00 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP in 18 innings of work.

Rays pitcher Alex Cobb has been activated for Thursday's start against the Mariners.

The move was expected, as Cobb has been penciled in for the start for quite some time. Prior to his injury, Cobb had a 3.01 ERA in 83 2/3 innings. 

Nine starts into his major-league career, Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson is starting to feel more confident on the mound, according to the Star Tribune.

Gibson said he's been able to fall into a comfortable routine in the majors. He said he's been able to relax, and is letting his stuff do the talking. Gibson has a 6.27 ERA in 47 1/3 innings.