MLB Player News
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Nolan McLean P | NYM
Mets' Nolan McLean: Remains undefeated
McLean (4-0) picked up the win in Tuesday's 12-5 victory over the Tigers, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out seven.
The rookie right-hander wasn't quite as sharp as he'd been over his last two starts, when he dazzled with a 13:0 K:BB over 15 innings, but McLean got stronger as the game went on and retired the final 14 batters he faced. He's won all four of his big-league starts, posting a 1.37 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 28:7 K:BB through 26.1 frames and injecting serious life into the Mets' playoff hopes. The team's rotation is potentially in flux, but McLean likely lines up to make his next trip to the mound on the road early next week in a huge NL East clash with the Phillies.
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John Means SP | CLE
Guardians' John Means: Another rehab start scheduled
Means (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday followed by a rehab start for Triple-A Columbus on Friday, MLB.com reports.
Friday's outing will be the fifth rehab start for Means, who logged four innings and 58 pitches in his previous outing Sunday. His pitch count will bump up to 75 on Friday, after which the left-hander could rejoin Cleveland's staff. Presumably, Means would join the rotation, but the Guardians are moving to a six-man rotation this week that currently doesn't include Means, per Molly Burkhardt of MLB.com. Joey Cantillo will start Wednesday's series finale against Boston at Fenway Park, joining the existing five-man rotation. Of the six current starters, Slade Cecconi and Gavin Williams have already passed their career highs in innings pitched, while Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee are nearing theirs. That suggests Means could be a replacement for one of the starters at or past their previous career high in innings.
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Cade Cavalli SP | WAS
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Bounces back with win
Cavalli (2-1) earned the win Tuesday over the Marlins, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six in five innings.
Cavalli had a strong bounce-back outing after getting pummeled for eight runs (seven earned) by the Yankees in his previous start. He tossed three scoreless frames before the Marlins pushed a pair of runs across in the fourth and he was eventually pulled after tossing 75 pitches through five. Cavalli's fastball topped out at 99 mph and he tied his season high in strikeouts despite the quick hook. Cavalli is over 100 innings pitched for the season between the majors and minors, so it wouldn't be surprising to see some restrictions as the season winds down. He's currently lined up to face Miami again on the road next week.
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Adam Mazur P | MIA
Marlins' Adam Mazur: Allows 10 hits in loss
Mazur (0-2) took the loss Tuesday against the Nationals, allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits and no walks while striking out five in six innings.
Mazur set a career-worst mark with 10 hits allowed, and five of the 10 hits went for extra bases. The biggest hit of the night against him was a two-run blast in the fourth by James Wood. Mazur was able to finish strong with two scoreless frames and tied his career high with six innings. He's tentatively lined up to complete a two-start week with a tough matchup against the Phillies.
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Tyler Mahle SP | SF
Rangers' Tyler Mahle: Done after three outs
Mahle (shoulder) allowed five runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one over one-plus innings for Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.
Mahle reached his pitch count before getting anyone out in the second inning after throwing 36 pitches (23 strikes) in an outing that was planned to go two full innings. He retired the first two batters faced before allowing three consecutive hits and two runs in the first inning. The right-hander came back out for the second inning and gave up a three-run home run. The Rangers had hoped Mahle could rejoin the pitching staff after one rehab outing, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, who noted Mahle's velocity across all pitches was down about one mph for the night compared to his season averages. The team's decision-makers may want to reconsider the pitcher's next step.
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Yu Darvish SP | SD
Padres' Yu Darvish: Loses again Tuesday
Darvish (3-5) allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out six over four-plus innings to take the loss versus the Orioles on Tuesday.
Darvish gave up a solo home run to Jeremiah Jackson in the first inning and a two-run single to Emmanuel Rivera in the third. Darvish found more trouble in the fifth and was pulled from that frame after walking Jackson to lead off the inning. This was the third time in four starts Darvish fell short of the five-inning mark, and he's allowed 13 runs (12 earned) over 18 innings in that span. For the season, he's at a 5.75 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 48:17 K:BB through 51.2 innings across 11 starts. Darvish has had a few flashes of his talent, but he hasn't been able to sustain success from one start to the next very often. He's projected for a home matchup versus the Reds early next week.
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Tyler Wells SP | BAL
Orioles' Tyler Wells: Wins in return to majors
Wells (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out four without walking a batter over five innings to earn the win Tuesday over the Padres.
Wells missed nearly 15 months while recovering from his June 14, 2024 UCL revision and internal brace augmentation procedure. He had a fairly normal workload in his return to a big-league mound, throwing 65 of 85 pitches for strikes while keeping a strong offense under control. Luis Arraez's two-run home run accounted for the runs on Wells' line. Wells posted a 2.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB over 25.1 innings across six outings during his rehab assignment, and he appears to be stretched out enough to remains in the Orioles' rotation over the final month of the season. His second start is projected to be at home versus the Pirates.
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Max Fried SP | NYY
Yankees' Max Fried: Strong in 15th win
Fried (15-5) allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out five over seven innings to earn the win over the Astros on Tuesday.
Fried has strung together three straight quality starts after opening August in poor form. Over those last three starts, he's given up two runs while posting an 18:8 K:BB across 20 innings. The southpaw trimmed his ERA to 2.98 and also has a 1.11 WHIP and 159:45 K:BB through 169 innings over 28 starts this season. Fried will face a big test in his next start, which is projected to be at home versus the Blue Jays this weekend.
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Framber Valdez SP | HOU
Astros' Framber Valdez: Tough outing versus Yankees
Valdez (12-8) allowed six runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out eight over five innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Yankees.
Aside from his seven shutout innings versus the Rockies last week, Valdez has been struggling mightily since the start of August. He's now allowed 27 runs (25 earned) over his last 35.1 innings. Tuesday's outing also saw him give up multiple home runs for the first time since July 5. Valdez is now at a 3.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 166:57 K:BB through 169.1 innings across 27 starts. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which is projected to be at Toronto next week.
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Bryan Woo SP | SEA
Mariners' Bryan Woo: Five innings in no-decision
Woo didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Rays, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks across five innings. He struck out three.
Woo's three strikeouts were his fewest in 14 starts and tied his season low, while his three walks were a season worst. The 25-year-old has now failed to complete six innings in back-to-back outings after doing so in his first 25 appearances of the campaign. Still, Woo boasts a 3.02 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 169.2 innings this season. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Cardinals in his next start.