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Zebby Matthews SP | MIN
Twins' Zebby Matthews: Promoted for 2025 MLB debut
The Twins recalled Matthews from Triple-A St. Paul ahead of his start against the Brewers on Sunday.
The right-hander is taking the rotation spot of Simeon Woods Richardson, who was demoted earlier in the week due to his 5.02 ERA through eight appearances. Matthews struggled in his first taste of the majors last year with 28 earned runs and 11 homers allowed across 37.2 innings, but he's been dominant so far in 2025 for St. Paul with a 1.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 38:9 K:BB over 32.2 frames.
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Rhett Lowder SP | CIN
Reds' Rhett Lowder: Chased early from rehab start
Lowder (forearm) allowed four runs on four hits and one walk while recording one out in his rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Louisville.
Lowder made the third start on his rehab assignment, moving up a couple of levels from High-A Dayton, but he was pulled after just 29 pitches. After striking out the first batter he faced, Lowder allowed the next five batters to reach base before he was done for the day. Per MLB.com, Lowder covered three simulated innings in the bullpen after being pulled Saturday, so he was still seemingly able to push up his pitch count. The rehab assignment has been rocky thus far for Lowder, who has given up 11 runs (10 earned) on 13 hits (two home runs), two walks and a hit batsman while striking out 11 over 6.1 innings.
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Chase Petty RP | CIN
Reds' Chase Petty: Doesn't pitch Saturday
Petty didn't pitch in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Guardians after being expected to operate as the primary pitcher.
The right-hander was initially listed as Cincinnati's probable starter for Saturday, but the Reds made a late pivot and had Brent Suter open the game. Suter tossed three scoreless frames to lead off the game, but rather than turning to Petty after that, manager Terry Francona opted to have five other relievers finish out the win. The Reds will continue to have an opening in the rotation until Hunter Greene (groin) returns from the injured list, but Petty may not receive another start after getting lit up for 13 earned runs with a 7:8 K:BB in his first 5.1 big-league innings.
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Slade Cecconi SP | CLE
Guardians' Slade Cecconi: Fans eight in season debut
Cecconi (0-1) struck out eight but took the loss Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and no walks over five-plus innings in a 4-1 loss to the Reds.
Cecconi was activated from the injured list Saturday after missing the beginning of the campaign due to an oblique issue, and he started off with four scoreless frames before running into any real trouble. The right-hander gave up a solo homer in the fifth and allowed the first two batters to reach in the sixth before being pulled, with both runners coming around to score after his exit. Cecconi served as a swingman for Arizona last season with 13 starts in 20 appearances, and he stumbled to a 6.66 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 77 innings. His career in Cleveland is off to an intriguing start despite the loss Saturday, but he'll likely need to keep the ball in the yard to find sustained success after allowing a 1.9 HR/9 last year.
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Tyler Mahle SP | ATL
Rangers' Tyler Mahle: Allows one run in fifth win
Mahle (5-1) earned the win Saturday against the Astros, giving up one run on five hits and two walks across six innings. He struck out three.
Mahle surrendered a run on two hits during the opening inning but blanked Houston for the following five frames for his sixth quality start of the campaign. The right-hander has yet to allow more than two runs in any of his 10 starts and has been one of the best starters in baseball early in 2025 with a 1.47 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 40:18 K:BB over 55 innings.
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Ronel Blanco SP | HOU
Astros' Ronel Blanco: Takes loss despite quality start
Blanco (3-4) was charged with the loss Saturday, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks over six innings in a 5-1 loss against the Rangers. He struck out five.
The right-hander came out for the sixth inning with the game tied 1-1, but a Joc Pederson two-run homer put him on the hook for the loss. It's the third straight quality start for Blanco, and he hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in an outing since April 6. He has a 3.24 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 39:14 K:BB across 41.2 innings during that stretch.
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Miles Mikolas RP | WAS
Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Fires six scoreless frames
Mikolas (3-2) earned the win Saturday, allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings against Kansas City. He struck out four.
Mikolas generated just three whiffs but worked efficiently, as he needed only 76 pitches (50 strikes) to get through six innings. It's the second quality start of the year for the right-hander, and he's gone 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB across 27.2 frames in his past five starts. A home matchup with the Diamondbacks likely waits for him next weekend.
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Noah Cameron SP | KC
Royals' Noah Cameron: Handed tough-luck loss
Cameron (1-1) took the loss Saturday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks over 6.1 innings against the Cardinals. He struck out three.
The left-hander was called up to start Saturday in place of Seth Lugo (finger), and the rookie limited St. Louis to a Jordan Walker solo homer, which was enough to saddle him with the loss as the Royals were shut out. It was initially expected to be a spot start for Cameron, but he now appears poised to receive at least a couple turns through the rotation with Lugo and Cole Ragans (groin) placed on the injured list Saturday. Cameron has pitched exactly 6.1 frames in each of his first two MLB starts and has given up just one run on three hits with a 6:5 K:BB.
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Clayton Kershaw SP | LAD
Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Shows rust in season debut
Kershaw allowed five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two over four innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Saturday.
Kershaw struggled in his major-league season debut after a largely successful five-start rehab stint while recovering from left knee and left toe surgeries. The Angels got three of their runs on three hits and two walks in the first inning, marking a rough opening frame for the southpaw. Kershaw ended with 83 pitches (48 strikes) in the contest. Assuming he feels fine coming out of Saturday, he is tentatively projected for a road start versus the Mets next weekend. Even if he has to ease his way back to full fitness, Kershaw's presence is a welcome sight for a Dodgers rotation that has been hammered by injuries early in 2025.
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Zac Gallen SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen: Rocked by lowly Rockies
Gallen allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out five batters over five innings in a no-decision against Colorado on Saturday.
Gallen fell behind early, as a pair of Rockies homers resulted in three first-inning runs. The right-hander went on to give up two more long balls before his outing came to an end, though an explosive Arizona offense saved Gallen from taking a second straight loss. Gallen has had an up-and-down season so far -- he's collected four quality starts but has also surrendered four or more runs in five different outings. Overall, he's pitched to an uncharacteristically poor 5.14 ERA, which is on pace to be the worst mark of his career by a wide margin.