Elder (6-9) notched the win Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing one unearned run on four hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out six.

It was the first start of the season with zero earned runs allowed for Elder, who issued no walks for the first time since his June 7 outing in San Francisco. The right-hander has been quite a boom-or-bust fantasy option over his last eight starts, during which he's permitted two runs or fewer in five outings and conceded five runs or greater in his three other appearances. Elder will be searching for some consistency in a scheduled rematch with the Cubs next week. He carries a 5.54 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 105:43 K:BB across 131.2 innings this year.

Horton didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing no hits and one walk in five shutout innings. He struck out six.

Despite being pulled with just 75 pitches, Horton was brilliant while submitting his eighth scoreless start since the beginning of June. The Cubs have been cautious about the rookie right-hander's workload this year, as Horton has reached the 90-pitch threshold just four times over 19 outings, but he's delivered a masterful 0.77 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 44:14 K:BB over his last 47 innings since the All-Star break. Horton has a very promising 2.78 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 87:32 K:BB through 103.2 innings overall, and he's slated for a rematch with Atlanta next week.

Kirby (8-7) was handed the loss against the Rays on Wednesday, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits with one strikeout across two innings.

Kirby endured the roughest outing of his career, failing to work into the third frame for the first time in his 108 MLB starts. The appearance went down as the shortest of his four-year tenure and matched the second-highest run total he's ever allowed in a game. Kirby was peppered for 10 hits by the 17 batters he faced, consisting of eight singles and two doubles. It was an uncharacteristic barrage of hard contact for the typically steady starter, who will try to put this outing behind him as he heads into his next scheduled turn against St. Louis. Kirby has a 4.47 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 104:26 K:BB across 104.2 innings this season.

Houser (8-4) earned the win over the Mariners on Wednesday, allowing four runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven innings.

Houser cruised through the first five frames and allowed just one baserunner, but things fell apart in the sixth inning, when he surrendered all four of his runs. Despite the stumble, Houser still logged a season-high eight strikeouts and was good enough to take home the win. Since being acquired by the Rays, however, he's allowed four or more runs in four of six starts, posting a 4.91 ERA and 27:10 K:BB across 33 innings during that stretch. The 32-year-old will look to replicate the strong early innings from Wednesday's outing in his next scheduled start against his former team, the White Sox.

Gallen (11-13) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing four hits and a walk over six scoreless innings in a 2-0 victory over the Rangers. He struck out five.

The veteran righty continues a late-season turnaround, delivering his sixth quality start in seven trips to the mound since the beginning of August. Over that stretch, Gallen has a 4-1 record with a 2.20 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 33:10 K:BB through 41 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in San Francisco.

Leiter (9-8) took the loss Wednesday as the Rangers were downed 2-0 by the Diamondbacks, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out eight.

The 25-year-old right-hander delivered his third straight quality start, and eighth of the season, on 99 pitches (64 strikes), but Leiter got no run support from the Texas offense. In nine outings since the All-Star break, Leiter has posted a 2.66 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 57:24 K:BB over 47.1 innings as he establishes himself as a key part of the team's rotation plans for the present and future. Leiter is scheduled to make his next start at home early next week against the Brewers.

Mize (13-5) picked up the win over the Mets on Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits over five innings in a 6-2 victory. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The right-hander was lifted after only 69 pitches (48 strikes), his lowest workload since Aug. 4 -- denying Mize a shot at his eighth quality start of the season. The Tigers' caution is understandable considering he stumbled to a 5.81 ERA across five starts in August, but his spot in the rotation for September is secure, and the team may be attempting to build in some rest for him ahead of the playoffs. Mize lines up to make his next start on the road next week against the Yankees.

Holmes (11-7) took the loss Wednesday, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings as the Mets fell 6-2 to the Tigers. He struck out six.

The six Ks were his highest total since Aug. 5, but the three free passes were the most he's issued since July 2. Holmes has failed to complete five innings in three of his last seven starts, as the converted reliever is showing signs of fatigue toward the end of a long season. During that span he's posted a 4.32 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 29:15 K:BB over 33.1 innings. Holmes figures to get some extra rest before his next outing as the Mets juggle their rotation, but he could take the mound next week on the road in Philadelphia.

Parker came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Marlins, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.

A fifth-inning error by Luis Garcia helped soften the blow to Parker's ERA, but the southpaw had trouble putting batters away and wasn't able to qualify for the win after running his pitch count up to 91 (66 strikes). He hasn't picked up a victory since July 26, going 0-5 over his last seven starts with a 9.28 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 24:12 K:BB in 32 innings. Parker will try to turn things around in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in a rematch with Miami.

Manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday that Lugo's next start will be delayed due to lower-back tightness, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lugo reported tightness in his back Monday, so the Royals will give him a few extra days to recover before sending him back to the mound. The 35-year-old was initially lined up to start Thursday's series finale against the Angels, but that game will now instead belong to Noah Cameron. No official starter has been named for Saturday's contest against the Twins, however, so Kansas City may look to get Lugo on the bump then if his back cooperates.