MLB Player News

Cease (6-11) earned the win Thursday against the Giants, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out seven.

Though the six hits were his most allowed since July 2 in Philadelphia, Cease produced 13 whiffs en route to fanning at least seven for the fourth time in his last five starts. The right-hander continues to offer fantasy managers plenty of strikeout upside, as he has 178 punchouts over 137.2 innings, but he's been unable to reach his top form consistently with a 4.71 ERA for the season. Cease will be aiming for better run prevention his next time out, which is slated for next week at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park against the Mariners.

Verlander (1-10) took the loss Thursday against the Padres, allowing seven runs on seven hits and one walk in 4.1 innings. He struck out four.

Following a season-best outing in innings and strikeouts against the Rays on Aug. 16, Verlander surrendered a season-worst seven runs Thursday. The veteran right-hander made it through three spotless frames before the Padres got to him, and it was the sixth time this year that he couldn't last at least five innings. Verlander has a shaky 4.64 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 99:37 K:BB over 110.2 frames, and he'll remain difficult to trust from a fantasy perspective in a tough matchup against the Cubs next week.

Gore didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Mets, allowing three runs on six hits and four walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out five.

It was just the third time all season that Gore was unable to make it through five innings, and each of those instances have come following the All-Star break. The All-Star left-hander is showing signs of fatigue since the second half began, submitting a 7.88 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 32:18 K:BB over his last seven outings (32 innings). Things are unlikely to get much easier for Gore in next week's scheduled appearance against the Yankees, who have a robust .990 OPS versus left-handed pitching since the beginning of August.

Manaea (1-2) took the loss Thursday against the Nationals, allowing four runs on three hits and one walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out eight.

Manaea fanned a season-high eight, but he permitted at least four runs in his fourth consecutive start after giving up four runs across his first four appearances of 2025. The left-hander has yet to pitch at least six frames in any of his first eight outings, and he's watched his ERA for the season soar from 2.08 on July 28 to 5.15 following Thursday's showing. Manaea does have a strong 1.12 WHIP and 45:8 K:BB across 36.2 innings, which do offer some reasons for optimism ahead of a difficult assignment against the division-rival Phillies next week.

Imanaga (8-6) took the loss Thursday against the Brewers, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks across seven innings. He struck out five.

Imanaga was sharp Thursday, holding Milwaukee to just two runs on a Brice Turang homer in the second inning. However, the Cubs failed to generate enough run support to back the left-hander in an eventual 4-1 defeat. Imanaga has turned in four straight quality starts, allowing just seven runs across 27 innings in that span. Overall, his ERA sits at 3.03 with a 0.94 WHIP and 90:21 K:BB across 19 starts (110 innings) this season.

Dollander (2-10) took the loss Thursday against the Dodgers, allowing seven runs on nine hits and two walks in 3.2 innings. He struck out five.

The nine hits given up matched a season high for Dollander, who also set a season worst in runs allowed. The rookie right-hander has now walked multiple batters in six straight major-league starts, and he's failed to get through at least five innings in 10 of his 18 big-league outings in 2025. Dollander has a dreadful 6.91 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 68:40 K:BB over 82 frames, so he should likely be avoided in most fantasy settings next week in Houston.

Kershaw (8-2) earned the win Thursday against the Rockies, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out three.

It was Kershaw's fourth straight outing of at least five innings, though he yielded greater than one run for the first time during that stretch and fell one out short of qualifying for a quality start. The veteran southpaw has conceded greater than three runs on just three occasions among his 16 starts this season, although he's fanned at least five just three times. Kershaw has a steady 3.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 52:21 K:BB across 83.1 frames, and he's next set to draw a favorable home matchup against a Reds team with a .627 OPS versus left-handed pitching since the beginning of July.

Priester did not factor into the decision in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Cubs. He allowed a run on three hits and five walks while striking out four over 4.1 innings.

While Priester held the Cubs to a lone run, he failed to make it out of the fifth inning after throwing 95 pitches and issuing a season-high five free passes. The 24-year-old Priester has struggled of late, allowing nine runs over 14 innings in his last three starts after posting a 2.47 ERA in his previous 16 outings (91 innings). He'll look to get back on track in his next start, tentatively scheduled for next week at home against the Diamondbacks.

Strider is no longer scheduled to make a start during Atlanta's series with the Mets this weekend, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

After claiming Cal Quantrill off waivers from Miami, Atlanta has reconfigured its rotation and will have Joey Wentz, Quantrill and Bryce Elder make starts against the Mets from Friday through Sunday. Strider most recently pitched Monday against the White Sox, taking his 11th loss of the season while allowing seven earned runs over three innings. The right-hander has fallen short of the standards of a quality start in each of his last five outings, turning in a 10.38 ERA and 2.31 WHIP over 21.2 innings during that stretch. Strider tentatively lines up to make his next start during Atlanta's series in Miami early next week.

Gusto will be recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville to start Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Craig Mish of FanDuel Sports Network Florida reports.

He's taking the spot in the rotation that belonged to Cal Quantrill, who was claimed off waivers by Atlanta on Thursday. Gusto was acquired from the Astros in the Jesus Sanchez deal at the trade deadline will be making his second start with the big-league club. He spun six innings against Atlanta on Aug. 9, allowing three earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight. The rookie right-hander has a combined 4.89 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 95:30 K:BB across 92 innings with Houston and Miami this season.