MLB Player News

Estes came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers, giving up two runs on six hits over six innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

The right-hander was stingy once again as he produced his seventh quality start of the year, although he left the mound with the score tied 2-2 in a game during which the A's never held the lead. Estes has allowed two runs or less in eight of his last nine starts, a stretch in which he's posted a 2.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 39:9 K:BB over 50 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Mariners.

The Reds reinstated Williamson (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday versus the Brewers.

Despite having been on the IL all season and having just restarted his minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday, Williamson will get the green light to rejoin the Cincinnati rotation with the roster expanding to 28 men Sunday. After tossing 2.2 scoreless innings and 50 pitches in his rehab start with Triple-A Louisville, Williamson will almost surely be in store for a limited workload Sunday and may not reach the five innings he would need to qualify for a win. Jakob Junis made a four-inning start Tuesday and could end up piggybacking Williamson if the Reds want to go that route.

Pivetta (5-10) took the loss Saturday, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk over six innings, as the Red Sox were downed 2-1 by the Tigers. He struck out six.

The right-hander kept Boston in the game with his eighth quality start of the season, but Pivetta was matched up against AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal and came out on the losing end. Most encouragingly, Pivetta didn't serve up a homer after being taken deep 10 times over his five prior outings, a stretch in which he'd stumbled to a 7.50 ERA. He'll look to stay on track in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the woeful White Sox.

Boyd (1-1) took the loss Saturday as the Guardians fell 3-0 to the Pirates, allowing one run on four hits over six innings. He struck out eight without walking a batter.

The veteran southpaw put together his best performance in four starts since joining the Cleveland rotation, but the team's offense gave him no support. Boyd fired 59 of 90 pitches for strikes in his second straight quality start, and he'll carry a 2.38 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 20:5 K:BB through 22.2 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend against the Dodgers.

Feltner did not factor into the decision in a win over the Orioles on Saturday, allowing five runs on six hits and one walk over 4.2 innings while striking out six.

Feltner kept Baltimore off the scoreboard through the first three innings before allowing a leadoff single to Gunnar Henderson in the fourth, followed by a three-run homer off the bat of Anthony Santander three batters later. The right-hander would also go on to cough up a leadoff shot in the fifth, marking the third time in his last six starts that he's given up multiple home runs. Feltner was charged with five runs in the contest, the most he's allowed since June 19 against the Dodgers (span of nine starts) and he's still looking for his first win in over four months. On a positive note, Feltner did generate 12 whiffs on the night while posting six or more strikeouts for the fifth time in his last eight outings.

Skubal (16-4) allowed one run on four hits over eight innings to pick up the win Saturday against the Red Sox. He struck out eight without walking a batter.

Skubal was masterful once again, with his only blemish a solo home run by Tyler O'Neill in the first inning. The lefty was on cruise control from there, and he wrapped up his career-high eight innings on 98 pitches, lowering his season ERA to a sparkling 2.51. This was the seventh time this year that Skubal didn't walk anyone in a start, allowing him to trim his BB/9 to an outstanding 1.8. Detroit's ace became the first pitcher in the majors this season to reach 200 strikeouts with 201 in 168.1 innings, making him the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award heading into September. Skubal is penciled in to make his next outing Friday against the Athletics on the road, and he will look to keep building on his success in the favorable matchup.

Ragans (10-9) took the loss against Houston on Saturday, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks while striking out 10 batters over five-plus innings.

Ragans left his previous start Monday against Cleveland due to calf/hamstring cramping, but he didn't seem to be impacted at all by the issue Saturday. While the left-hander gave up five runs for the first time since late June, only one of the hits against him (a triple) went for extra bases. In fact, at one point early in the contest Ragans struck out eight straight batters, and he didn't allow his first hit until the fourth frame. Ragans' undoing was the sixth inning, when he struggled with his control -- in addition to allowing three hits, he also walked a batter, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch, and he didn't notch any outs before he was pulled. Aside from that frame, Ragans was dominant, and he notched his third double-digit strikeout performance of the season while tallying an impressive 22 whiffs.

Kikuchi (7-9) earned the win over Kansas City on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out 12 batters over seven innings.

Kikuchi racked up 20 swinging strikes on his way to a season-high 12 punchouts, falling just one K shy of his career-high mark. The southpaw kept the Royals off the board for six frames before allowing a run on a pair of singles and a fielder's choice in the seventh, but he was able to get through that frame with no additional damage to complete seven innings for the first time since July 9. The Astros' trade for Kikuchi at the deadline didn't generate much buzz, but the hurler has been excellent since joining Houston, posting a 2.57 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB over six starts covering 35 frames.

Matthews (1-2) took the loss against Toronto on Saturday, allowing nine runs on 10 hits and no walks while striking out five batters over two innings.

Matthews came into the contest with an impressive 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through three big-league starts, but those numbers rose astronomically as a result of Saturday's disastrous outing. The rookie right-hander gave up seven runs in the first inning and two more in the second, and three of the 10 hits against him left the yard. Matthews was mercifully relieved when the third inning came around, and he departed having thrown a whopping 69 pitches in two frames -- more than Toronto starter Jose Berrios tossed across six scoreless innings. If there's any bright side, it's that Matthews managed 12 whiffs and five punchouts in the short start, but that's not much consolation for fantasy managers who roster Matthews and had their ratios for the week blown up as a result of his poor start.

Berrios (14-9) earned the win over Minnesota on Saturday, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out five batters over six scoreless innings.

The Blue Jays gave Berrios a seven-run lead after half an inning, and the right-hander capitalized by cruising through his outing. He needed only 63 pitches to complete six frames and would have probably gone longer under normal circumstances, but the right-hander mentioned after the game that he was dealing with a fever and said that taking the mound "was a challenge," per the Associated Press. Given his ability to pitch through the illness Saturday, there doesn't seem to be any concern about the issue affecting Berrios' next start. He'll look to extend a five-game quality-start streak in what lines up to be a matchup in Atlanta next weekend.