MLB Player News

Drake is slated to start Sunday's game against the Nationals in Washington, D.C.

Unsurprisingly, Drake earned himself another turn through the rotation after delivering a sterling performance in his MLB debut Tuesday. He took a no-decision, holding the A's to one run on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters across five innings in an eventual extra-inning win. Before receiving his promotion to the big leagues, the 26-year-old southpaw had submitted a 6.92 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 60:31 K:BB with Triple-A Reno across 66.1 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Lowder is slated to start Friday's game against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

After heading to the bullpen shortly before the All-Star break, Lowder shifted back into the rotation to open the second half of the season after Cincinnati placed Nick Lodolo (finger) on the injured list. Making his 14th start of the campaign this past Saturday at Coors Field, Lowder was roughed up for eight earned runs on 11 hits over 2.1 innings, inflating his ERA up to 5.75. He'll get a chance to right the ship Friday, but regardless of how he performs, he'll likely be headed back to the bullpen or to Triple-A Louisville once Lodolo is ready to come off the IL.

Littell is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Carson Palmquist in Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Littell served as a traditional starter in his last appearance Saturday in Sacramento, but he was blasted for eight runs on eight hits and four walks across six innings in a loss to the Athletics. The Nationals will look to coax better results from Littell by deploying him out of the bullpen, with the right-hander likely to take over once Palmquist covers the first inning or two. Littell has submitted a 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 11.3 K-BB% in 33.2 innings over seven bulk-relief outings this season.

McGreevy (4-8) took the loss Thursday against the Diamondbacks, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three over 6.1 innings.

He was undone by a three-run fourth inning that included Tyler Locklear's two-run homer. McGreevy would give up another run in the fifth after Corbin Carroll led off the frame with a triple. Despite the loss, the right-hander continued his recent run of durability, as he has now completed at least six frames in eight of his last nine starts while posting a 3.17 ERA during that stretch. Even with the consistency, he has only one win in his last seven decisions. McGreevy owns a 3.07 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 74:27 K:BB across 114.1 innings this season. He is scheduled to make his next start at home versus the Cubs.

Palmquist will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher for Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

Palmquist gave up four earned runs in 1.2 innings the last time he served as an opener Tuesday against the Rockies, but the Nationals will give him another chance to handle the opening frame or two during Friday's contest. Zack Littell is in line to pitch in bulk relief once Palmquist exits the game.

Canning (1-9) took the loss Thursday against Atlanta, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits across 2.2 innings. He struck out four.

The Padres elected to use an opener ahead of Canning on Thursday, but it didn't seem to help the right-hander. Canning gave up three homers in the loss -- two solo shots before Dominic Smith added a three-run blast in the fourth. Canning has now taken the loss in four consecutive outings while allowing eight earned runs across just 6.1 innings in his last two appearances. His ERA is up to 6.97 across 62 innings this season with a 1.63 WHIP and 63:32 K:BB.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Dobbins will remain with the major-league club for the time being, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Dobbins tossed six shutout innings Wednesday versus the Angels in what had seemed likely to be just a spot start. He will remain with the big club for now and could get another turn in the rotation next week, though that seems dependent on whether the Cardinals need to use Dobbins' roster spot for a reliever between now and then. A possible trade of Dustin May before the deadline would also open up a rotation spot for Dobbins, who has authored a 3.18 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 28:10 K:BB across 28.1 innings with St. Louis.

Sale (11-6) earned the win Thursday over the Padres, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk across six innings. He struck out 11.

All of the damage against Sale came with two outs in the second inning -- he issued a bases-loaded walk to Fernando Tatis before giving up a two-run single to Luis Rengifo. However, the veteran southpaw managed to settle in and turn in a quality start while striking out 11, matching a season high. Sale's ERA now sits at 2.19, the second-best mark in the majors, through 19 starts (111 innings), complementing that figure with a 1.05 WHIP and 134:26 K:BB. He's tentatively lined up to face the Mets on the road his next time out.

Chandler didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Yankees, allowing two hits and a walk over 6.1 scoreless innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander put together arguably his best outing of the season, firing 57 of 84 pitches for strikes in his third quality start of 2026, but he left the mound with the score tied 0-0 in an eventual 2-0 victory for New York. Chandler has given up two earned runs of fewer in five of his last seven trips to the mound, posting a 3.76 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 28:16 K:BB over 38.1 innings during that stretch. He'll look for his first win in July in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Diamondbacks.

Keller didn't factor into the decision in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Yankees, allowing three hits and two walks over five scoreless innings. He struck out six.

The Pirates needed 10 innings to win the matinee, denying Keller his seventh win of the season despite a strong performance. The veteran righty has given up three earned runs or fewer in five of his last six outings, posting a 4.31 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB in 31.1 innings over that stretch. He'll look to get back in the win column in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Diamondbacks.