MLB Player News

Rodriguez (back) threw three shutout, no-hit innings for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, walking one and striking out four.

The 27-year-old right-hander looked just about ready to rejoin the big-league staff, firing 29 of 43 pitches for strikes. According to MLB.com, he threw another 15 pitches in the bullpen afterward to get stretched out a little more. That extra work suggests Rodriguez will be a candidate to move back into the rotation once he's activated, but the Blue Jays have yet to determine if he'll need one more rehab start before coming off the IL.

Sears (4-5) took the loss Thursday against Seattle, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks across six innings. He struck out eight.

Sears turned in his fifth quality start of the season Thursday and tied his season high in strikeouts. However, the A's offense mustered up just two hits and didn't score, leaving the left-hander in the loss column for the third time in his last four appearances. While Sears missed plenty of bats, he located just 60 of his 101 pitches in the strike zone and hit a pair of batters. Overall, Sears owns a 3.93 ERA and 1.09 WHIP through 73.1 innings this season. He's scheduled to face the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday.

Woo (3-0) picked up the win Thursday, allowing two hits and no walks with six strikeouts across six scoreless innings against Oakland.

Woo threw a season-high 85 pitches Thursday, an encouraging sign for the 24-year-old after he missed all of April with elbow inflammation and exited his first start after his IL stint with forearm tightness. Even with a restricted pitch count, the right-hander has generated four consecutive quality starts and has fired 12 straight scoreless innings, giving him a 1.07 ERA and 24:2 K:BB through 33.2 innings. Woo's tentatively scheduled to face the White Sox on Tuesday.

Lopez (5-6) took the loss against the Yankees on Thursday, allowing seven runs on four hits and six walks while striking out four batters over four innings.

Lopez threw just 54 of 96 pitches for strikes and issued a season-high six walks -- more than he had handed out over his previous seven starts combined. Three of the free passes came to consecutive batters leading off the third frame, and all three of the recipients came around to score. The wildness was probably an aberration for Lopez considering his overall track record, but even when he's finding the strike zone, he's been struggling to get batters out. Over his past four starts, Lopez has allowed 21 earned runs over 20.2 innings, pushing his season ERA to a disappointing 5.45.

Stroman allowed five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two batters over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against Minnesota on Thursday.

Stroman was handed a 7-2 lead through four innings but couldn't go deep enough to qualify for the victory. He allowed two doubles and a walk while also hitting a batter in the fifth frame, retiring only two batters before he was pulled. This was a big letdown for Stroman after he notched four consecutive quality starts while posting a 1.01 ERA over his previous 26.2 innings coming into Thursday. He'll look to get back on track in his next outing, which tentatively lines up to take place in Kansas City next week.

Woodford (0-2) allowed seven runs on 10 hits and three walks while striking out three over four innings to take the loss Thursday versus the Red Sox.

Woodford has failed to pitch past the fifth inning in both of his starts for the White Sox so far. The Red Sox jumped on him right away Thursday, with Jarren Duran leading off the game with a solo home run. Enmanuel Valdez added a three-run shot in the fourth inning. Woodford doesn't have a great track record as a starter in the majors, but he could remain in the rotation for another turn, as Mike Clevinger (elbow) will require a rehab start before returning. Woodford is lined up for a road start in Seattle next week if the White Sox give him another outing.

Houck (6-5) allowed two runs on three hits and struck out nine over seven innings to earn the win Thursday over the White Sox. He did not issue a walk.

Houck carried a no-hitter through five innings, though the White Sox managed to tag him for one run in each of the sixth and seventh frames. The right-hander remains dialed in, having allowed just four runs over 27 innings across his last four starts. Houck is at a 1.91 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 84:15 K:BB over 85 innings through 13 starts this season. His next start is projected to be a challenging one at home versus the Phillies.

Irvin will start Friday's game against the Rays, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Irvin will start on regular rest, so it's not particularly notable that he will take the ball for Baltimore on Friday. However, that also moves Kyle Bradish back at least one more game, giving him multiple extra days of rest after Cade Povich took Bradish's original turn Thursday.

Povich (0-1) took the loss Thursday against the Blue Jays, allowing six runs on five hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out two.

Povich's debut started well, as he held Toronto scoreless through his first two innings. However, he'd give up a three-run homer to Vladimir Guerrero in the third frame before the Jays added two more runs in the fourth in an eventual 6-5 defeat. If the Orioles return to a five-man rotation, Povich figures to head back to Triple-A Norfolk where he pitched to a 3.18 ERA in 56.2 innings this year.

Kikuchi (3-5) earned the win Thursday over Baltimore, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out six.

Kikuchi held the Orioles scoreless through his first five innings, ultimately allowing a lone run on an Adley Rutschman solo home run in the sixth. It was an encouraging rebound effort from the 32-year-old left-hander, who'd given up 10 earned runs over just 8.1 innings in his previous two outings. Kikuchi lowered his ERA to 3.48 on the campaign with a 1.22 WHIP and 71:15 K:BB across 13 starts (72.1 innings). Kikuchi is currently scheduled to face the Brewers on the road in his next outing.