MLB Player News

Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander turned in another strong performance on the mound as he picked up win No. 2 during Saturday's contest against the A's.

Verlander, who made his third start of the season, permitted a run-scoring single to Derek Norris in the third inning for his only damage of the afternoon. The left-hander yielded one run on three hits over six innings of work in a 7-3 victory. He also struck out six and walked three on 111 pitches, 75 strikes.

Verlander has a 1.96 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP through three starts. He'll try to keep things going Friday on the road against the Angels. He allowed six runs in six innings of work in his previous meeting with the Angels last season.

Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish will be pushed back two days in order to avoid the cold temperatures of Wrigley Field. Instead, he'll make his next start Friday against the Mariners at the Ballpark in Arlington, MLB.com reports.

Darvish struck out eight in six innings of three-hit ball against the Mariners in his last start, as his finger held up without any issues. He is 2-3 with a 6.21 ERA in five career starts against Seattle.

Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish revealed to reporters after Friday's game that his wildness was a mechanical problem rather than an issue with his previously irritated finger.

"I know what the problem is, but I don’t want to say because I still have to make the adjustment," Darvish told the Dallas Morning News.

If Darvish truly avoided issues with his finger, he seems likely to make his next scheduled start.

Rangers starter Yu Darvish battled control issues early in Friday's game against the Mariners while surrendering three earned runs in the first inning, but he rebounded to retire the final 12 batters he faced, ending the game with a quality start. He didn't allow a hit after this first inning but did hit Jason Bay twice during the game while also walking a batter.

Darvish moved to 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA after the three-run, six-inning loss, and his eight strikeouts give him 27 Ks in 19 innings this season. He will be evaluated to determine the status of a bothersome finger on his pitching hand before the team decides whether he'll make his next scheduled start.

Twins starting pitcher Vance Worley has not been sharp this season, but the wheels came completely off Friday against the Mets.

Worley struggled immediately in the game, allowing three runs before recording his first out in the first inning. He allowed two more in the first inning, and was unable to record even a single out in the second inning before being pulled from the game. He took the loss, as the Mets continued to pour it on in a 16-5 game.

Worley was charged with two more runs in the second, finishing with nine runs allowed -- seven earned -- in one inning. He surrendered seven hits and walked a pair of batters while striking out one. Worley's ERA rose from 5.73 to 10.50.

Worley is scheduled to make his fourth start of the season Wednesday against the Angels. Pitching in the National League for three years prior to this one, Worley has never faced the Angels in his career. 

White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana pitched one of the best games of his career Friday against the Indians, but the bullpen and offense let him down in a 1-0 loss.

Quintana allowed just one hit, a harmless two-out double to Michael Brantley in the second inning, but was otherwise flawless over seven shutout innings. Quintana struck out seven batters and retired the final 10 batters he faced, after hitting Nick Swisher with a pitch in the fourth inning.

Unfortunately for Quintana, he got no run support, and the bullpen came apart for him in the bottom of the ninth inning, leading to the 1-0 final score. Quintana has a pair of no-decisions to begin the season, with a 4.09 ERA in two starts.

Quintana will look to build on his strong start and get his first win of the season in his next outing, scheduled for Wednesday in Toronto. Quintana went 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts against the Blue Jays a year ago. 

Indians starting pitcher Justin Masterson topped himself again, following up seven shutout innings in his last start with a complete-game shutout win Friday against the White Sox. 

Masterson was masterful, allowing just two extra-base hits among five total hits. He struck out seven batters and walked just one, while picking up 14 of his 27 outs via the groundball.

Masterson had little margin for error in picking up his third win in three starts, with the Indians offense providing just one run of support in the game. Masterson was not in line for a win when he left the mound, despite his dominating performance. The Indians were scoreless heading into the bottom of the ninth, before winning, 1-0, on a walkoff single by Nick Swisher. 

Masterson threw 81 of 113 pitches for strikes, his second time in three starts topping the century mark in pitches. Masterson pushed his record to 3-0 and lowered his ERA to 0.41, having allowing just one earned run in 22 innings.

Masterson next start comes Thursday against the Red Sox. The Red Sox tagged him for six runs in six innings in his lone outing against them last season. The longest Masterson has gone into a season unbeaten is five starts, a feat he accomplished in 2011. 

Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco has an eight-game suspension to serve when the team recalls him from Triple-A Columbus, meaning they would have to play with a shortened roster while he is up. To avoid that issue, general manager Chris Antonetti told reporters Friday that they might just leave Carrasco in Triple-A until rosters expand in September.

Carrasco was hit with the suspension Friday, for throwing at Kevin Youkilis in his start Tuesday. Carrasco allowed seven runs in 3 2/3 innings in the game. Antonetti said if Carrasco's performance in Triple-A is worthy, the team might opt to call him up and deal with a shortened roster to get his arm in the rotation sooner.

The Indians have optioned Corey Kluber to Triple-A, the club announced.

Kluber was scheduled to start Thursday but the club's game was rained out. With Jason Giambi ready to come off the disabled list, Kluber was sent back to Triple-A. He could be up and down as a spot starter or long reliever all year.

The Rays have shuffled up their starting rotation in the wake of a rainout Thursday against the Red Sox, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

David Price will be moved to Saturday's game, with Alex Cobb moved back to Sunday and Jeremy Hellickson on Monday.