MLB Player News

Littell (5-8) took the loss Friday against the Orioles, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out five.

After surrendering a home run to Colton Cowser to lead off the game, Littell managed to settle in and keep Baltimore off the board until the fifth, when Ryan O'Hearn drove in two more runs with a two-out single. The 28-year-old Littell had won back-to-back starts prior to Friday, allowing just one run in 12.2 innings. Overall, the right-hander sports a 4.11 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP and 113:24 K:BB across 124.2 innings this season. Littell's currently slated for a home matchup with the Astros in his next outing.

Berrios (10-9) earned the win against the Athletics on Friday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk with eight strikeouts over seven innings.

Berrios allowed a solo home run in the third inning but was otherwise fantastic, limiting hard contact and generating 12 swinging strikes on 103 pitches. He has been inconsistent since the All-Star break, posting two seven-inning victories but also yielding eight earned runs across 9.2 frames in his other two outings. On the season, the 30-year-old owns a 3.97 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 111:43 K:BB across 142.2 innings and lines up for a road matchup with the Angels next week.

Eflin (8-7) earned the win Friday over the Rays, allowing four hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

It was a dominant performance from Eflin against the club that shipped him north just before the trade deadline. The right-hander has won all three of his outings with Baltimore with three quality starts, allowing just five runs in 19.1 innings in that span. Eflin's ERA is down to 3.83 with a 1.15 WHIP and 104:15 K:BB in 22 starts (129.1 innings) between the Orioles and Rays. He's lined up for a home matchup with the Red Sox his next time out.

Cobb (hip/shoulder/finger) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start in the second game of Friday's doubleheader versus Minnesota.

Cobb has been on the shelf all season while recovering from a left hip procedure he underwent in the offseason as well as various other injuries he suffered during rehab. He's now set to make his season debut for the Guardians after being traded from San Francisco ahead of the trade deadline. The 36-year-old righty posted a 3.52 ERA and 1.26 WHIP while striking out 29 batters across 23 innings during his rehab assignment, and he was able to throw 69 pitches (4.2 innings) during his most recent minor-league outing. Anthony Gose was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Cantillo (0-2) took the loss in the opening game of Friday's doubleheader with the Twins, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out two.

Cantillo allowed a run in the first inning before Minnesota added solo homers in the second and fourth. The 24-year-old has allowed three runs in each of his three starts in the majors this year, posting a 6.23 ERA with a 1.62 WHIP and nine strikeouts over 13 innings. The left-hander figures to return to Triple-A following Friday's outing, where he has a 2.79 ERA in seven starts.

Giolito (elbow) was throwing in the field at Fenway Park on Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Giolito joined the Red Sox in the offseason to be part of Boston's starting rotation. However, he never had the chance to suit up in the regular season after suffering a partial UCL tear and flexor strain in his right elbow during spring training, which required an internal brace procedure in March and a trip to the 60-day injured list. That type of procedure carries a 10-12 month recovery window, so the fact that Giolito is throwing just five months after surgery shows how well the 30-year-old is progressing in his rehab. Barring any setbacks, he could begin throwing off a mound before the end of the season.

Ober (12-5) earned the win in the first game of Friday's doubleheader with the Guardians, allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out nine.

It's the ninth straight quality start for Ober, who's posted a stellar 1.76 ERA in that span (61.1 innings) while logging eight or more strikeouts in six of those outings. The 29-year-old Ober's ERA is down to 3.52 on the year with a 0.97 WHIP and 137:31 K:BB across 128 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start, currently scheduled for next week at home against the Royals.

The Red Sox placed Criswell on the COVID-19 injured list Friday.

Criswell will be sidelined for at least seven days due to the sickness. He was slated to start Saturday's game against the Astros, but the Red Sox will now have to look elsewhere and could turn the contest into a bullpen game. Since moving to the bullpen July 28, Criswell has made four appearances, allowing three runs over 6.2 innings. Brad Keller was recalled from Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move.

The Red Sox placed Bello on the paternity list Friday, but he will return in time for his scheduled start Monday against Texas, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Bello will spend his weekend away from the team for personal reasons, but the expectation is he'll be back for Monday's start. In his last six outings, Bello has a 2-0 record, though he's logged a 5.08 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 33.2 innings. Cam Booser will temporarily join the 26-man roster and supply the bullpen with an additional arm.

Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said Friday that Paddack (forearm) could begin a throwing program soon, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Paddack has been out since July 14 due to a right forearm strain. It's going to take him a little while to get built back up, so a return before the end of August doesn't seem likely. However, Falvey expressed optimism that Paddack would be able to rejoin the Twins' rotation before the end of the season.