MLB Player News

Cantillo (0-3) took the loss Wednesday as the Guardians fell 8-1 to the Yankees, surrendering seven runs on six hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out five.

Two-run homers by Juan Soto in the first inning and Aaron Judge in the third accounted for most of the damage off the rookie southpaw. Cantillo got the hook after 88 pitches (50 strikes), and he's now served up six long balls while walking nine batters in his first 17 big-league innings, highlighting how much work he'll need to do to improve his control and command before he'll be a viable fantasy option. With Alex Cobb (finger) out until the end of the month, Cantillo is likely to get at least one more start, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Royals.

Spence (7-9) was charged with the loss against the Rays on Wednesday, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk over seven innings. He struck out 10.

Spence looked sharp early, shutting out the Rays over the first four innings while allowing just two singles in that span. The right-hander would begin to struggle in the fifth, however, allowing back-to-back hits to open the frame, along with an RBI double with two outs from Yandy Diaz as Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead. Spence would also cough up a two-run shot to Jose Siri in the seventh, marking the third consecutive start in which he's given up at least one home run. On a positive note, Spence generated 16 whiffs in the contest en route to tallying a season-high 10 strikeouts. It also marked only the second time this season that he was able to make it through seven innings, with the previous one coming back on June 9 against Toronto.

Pepiot (7-5) picked up the win over the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk over six innings while striking out five.

Pepiot left a cutter up in the zone with two outs in the first and watched on as JJ Bleday launched it into the stands for a solo shot to put Oakland on top 1-0. However, the right-hander looked sharp from that point on, hurling four consecutive shutout innings before surrendering a second run in the sixth. Pepiot induced 18 whiffs on the night, and he's now won his last three decisions (spanning four starts). In two starts since returning from the injured list, he's posted a 1.59 ERA to go along with a 10:2 K:BB.

Cueto (0-1) took the loss against the Royals on Wednesday, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks over 6.1 innings while striking out one.

Cueto retired the first five batters he faced on the night before allowing four consecutive men to reach in the second, leading to two runs coming home for Kansas City. The veteran right-hander would then allow a solo homer off the bat of MJ Melendez in the sixth after hurling three consecutive scoreless innings, and he was later relieved by Roansy Contreras with one out in the seventh. Though he ended up taking the loss, Cueto held his own in his first outing of the season, logging a quality start while getting through 6.1 innings on 84 pitches. Of course, only one strikeout leaves much to be desired for fantasy owners.

Lorenzen (7-6) picked up the win over the Angels on Wednesday, allowing four hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings while striking out five.

Lorenzen allowed baserunners in each of the first three frames but was able to work his way out of each jam unscathed as the Royals put two runs on the board early. The right-hander would then go on to allow just one hit over his last four innings as he cruised to his second straight win. Lorenzen had failed to make it through six innings in each of his previous 10 starts coming in, but he's now gone at least five frames in three of his last four since being acquired by Kansas City. Over that stretch he carries a 1.99 ERA to go along with a 16:9 K:BB.

Woods Richardson (5-3) earned the win over San Diego on Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over five innings.

Woods Richardson kept the Padres off the scoreboard until Donovan Solano got to him for a solo homer in the fifth inning. The righty hurler didn't pitch beyond that frame since he racked up 101 pitches, but he cruised to an easy victory with Minnesota's offense supplying 10 runs of support while he was in the game. Woods Richardson has notched a win in consecutive starts for the first time as a big leaguer, and he's given up just five runs across 17 frames across his past three outings. He's projected to face Atlanta at home in his next start.

Crochet allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four batters over four innings in a no-decision against San Francisco on Wednesday.

White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore announced Wednesday that Crochet will be be on a workload limit for the rest of the campaign, so it's no surprise that he was pulled after four innings and 57 pitches. The left-hander may have gone a bit longer, though, if he hadn't faded in his final frame, allowing a pair of runs on three hits after beginning his outing with three scoreless, one-hit innings. Crochet managed a healthy 11 whiffs despite his low pitch count, and his four punchouts pushed him to 180 on the campaign. He still has a good chance to reach 200 strikeouts by the end of the season, but even that's not a given since Sizemore said Wednesday that Crochet's workload could "slowly decrease" as the season winds down.

Povich is scheduled to start Friday's game against the Astros at Camden Yards, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The Orioles recalled Povich from Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday as a replacement on the 26-man roster and in the rotation for Zach Eflin (shoulder), who was placed on the injured list. Povich has been largely ineffective over his nine starts with the big club this season (5.77 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 4.0 K-BB% in 43.2 innings), but he delivered one of his better performances in his most recent outing with Baltimore this past Saturday. Though he was handed a loss against the Red Sox, he held a potent lineup to two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out six batters over a career-high 6.1 innings.

The Rangers list Gray as their scheduled starter for Saturday's game in Cleveland.

Gray returned from the injured list Tuesday after missing nearly a month with a groin strain, but because he didn't go out on a minor-league rehab assignment beforehand and wasn't fully stretched out, the Rangers opted to bring him back in a relief role. After Gray tossed two innings and 27 pitches out of the bullpen in Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Pirates, the Rangers are ready to welcome him back in the rotation this weekend, though he could be on a somewhat limited pitch count. Gray will be taking over the rotation spot that had previously belonged to Tyler Mahle (shoulder), who was placed on the IL on Tuesday.

Schmidt (lat) is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Friday at Double-A Somerset, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The Yankees are targeting 50 pitches for Schmidt in the rehab outing, which comes after he gradually raised his pitch count over four live bating practice sessions. Schmidt looks like he'll be given the opportunity to get stretched back out for a starting role, but it's not clear if the Yankees will be able to open up a spot in the rotation for him once he eventually makes his way back from the 60-day injured list. Luis Gil (back) looks on track to return from the 15-day IL slightly before Schmidt, and Marcus Stroman has bounced back from a rough start to the second half with two straight strong starts to help solidify his spot at the back end of the rotation.