MLB Player News

Bello allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over 6.1 innings in a no-decision against Seattle on Wednesday.

Bello allowed a run in the fourth and fifth frames but nothing more. The right-hander notched his fifth quality start over his past eight outings after recording just two quality starts across his initial 12 appearances of the season. Bello's strikeout numbers have been up of late as well -- he's posted at least seven punchouts in four of his past six starts after reaching that mark just three times through his initial 14 appearances.

Valdez (10-5) allowed four runs on six hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter to earn the win Wednesday over the Pirates.

All of the damage came in the second inning, as Joey Bart tagged Valdez for a two-run home run and the Pirates put up another two runs before he could escape the frame. The southpaw bounced back well, allowing just one single over his last four innings, and the Astros' offense picked him up. Valdez finished July with a 2.90 ERA and 40:9 K:BB over 31 innings, winning four of his five starts for the month. Overall, he has a 3.56 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 108:38 K:BB through 116.1 innings over 19 starts. He's projected to make his next start on the road versus the Rangers.

Heaney (4-11) took the loss against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 4.1 innings.

Heaney yielded a tolerable seven baserunners, but six of them came around to score. The southpaw surrendered three runs on three hits and a walk in the second inning, then gave up a hit to three of the four batters he faced in the fifth, with each of those baserunners eventually coming around to score. The six total runs tied a season-worst mark for Heaney, who had been pitching pretty well coming into Wednesday, posting a 2.78 ERA over his previous six starts. The veteran hurler will look to bounce back in his next start, which is tentatively slated to be at home against Houston.

Mahle (elbow) struck out four over 4.2 innings and gave up two earned runs on three hits and one walk in his rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Round Rock.

Making what could be his final rehab start before being activated from the 60-day injured list, Mahle tossed 74 pitches (48 strikes) and sported a four-seam fastball that sat around 92-93 mph for most of the night before dipping into the upper 80s in the fourth and fifth innings. Though Mahle's most recent two rehab starts weren't as sharp as his first four, he's likely done enough to prove that he's healthy again coming off Tommy John surgery and ready to join the big-league rotation. Mahle, who signed a two-year, $22 million contract this winter, could make his Rangers debut as soon as Monday versus the Astros in Arlington.

Estes is scheduled to start Friday's game against the Dodgers in Oakland.

Estes had started in each of his first 13 appearances with the Athletics this season before he was deployed for 2.2 innings of relief this past Friday against the Angels behind starter Paul Blackburn, who was lifted after five innings in his first outing back from the 60-day injured list. The Athletics traded Blackburn to the Mets on Tuesday, so Estes' brief run in the bullpen will come to an end as he reclaims the vacated rotation spot.

Kikuchi is scheduled to make his first start with the Astros on Friday versus the Rays in Houston, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros didn't need to open up a spot in their rotation for Kikuchi, as fifth starter Jake Bloss was sent back to Toronto along with outfielder Joey Loperfido and infielder Will Wagner in Monday's trade that landed the veteran southpaw in Houston. Kikuchi had cruised to a 2.64 ERA and 1.12 WHIP while delivering quality starts in six of his first 10 outings with Toronto this season, but aside from a career-best 13-strikeout effort July 9 in San Francisco, he had often been knocked around by opposing lineups over the past two months before being traded. He posted a strong 69:17 K:BB in 57.2 innings in his final 12 starts with Toronto but he also gave up 13 home runs during that stretch, which led to an inflated 6.87 ERA and 1.56 WHIP.

Rodriguez will start Sunday's road game against the Yankees, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

After posting a 2.01 ERA and 0.76 WHIP over his first four starts of July, Rodriguez unraveled in his latest outing Monday. Taking the hill for Game 1 of a doubleheader with the Orioles, Rodriguez failed to escape the first inning while exhibiting a complete loss of control. He spotted just 21 of his 43 pitches for strikes and recorded two outs while allowing four runs (three earned) on four walks and one hit. Toronto optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo following the outing, only to recall him Tuesday as a replacement for Yusei Kikuchi, who was traded to Houston. Despite the rough outing Monday, Rodriguez will stick in the rotation for another turn, though he might have a shorter leash. Bowden Francis started the second game of Monday's doubleheader and tossed 5.2 innings of three-run ball, and while he's not in line to start this weekend against the Yankees, the Blue Jays could elect to have him piggyback with Rodriguez if the latter struggles to find the strike zone early on in Sunday's contest.

Thorpe (3-3) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up six runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings as the White Sox were downed 10-3 by the Royals. He failed to strike out a batter.

The rookie right-hander got tagged for at least one run in each of the first three innings, with a two-run shot by Freddy Fermin in the second being the biggest blow. Thorpe reeled off five straight quality starts at one point, but over his last two outings he's been crushed for 14 runs in only 5.2 innings, sending his ERA soaring from 3.03 to 5.48. He'll try to turn things around in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in Oakland.

Singer (8-6) picked up the win Wednesday, giving up three runs on six hits over seven innings in a 10-3 rout of the White Sox. He struck out four without walking a batter.

The right-hander gave up three straight hits to lead off the bottom of the second inning, with all three Chicago runners eventually coming around to score, but otherwise Singer held the opposition in check as he collected his third straight win and fourth in his last five outings. The 27-year-old has allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his last nine starts, posting a 2.33 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 43:15 K:BB through 54 innings over that stretch. Singer will look to extend his win streak in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come early next week at home against the Red Sox.

Lopez (10-7) picked up the win Wednesday in an 8-3 victory over the Mets, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out seven.

The right-hander delivered his 11th quality start of the season on 103 pitches (66 strikes), and his only real mistake on the afternoon got driven down the right-field line by Mark Vientos in the second inning for a two-run homer. Lopez has allowed two runs or less in six of his last seven starts, posting a 2.86 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 55:10 K:BB through 44 innings over that stretch. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week against the Cubs.