MLB Player News

Ragans (11-9) picked up the win in Friday's 5-0 victory over the Twins, allowing four hits and a walk over six scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

When Ragans fanned Royce Lewis with a changeup in the third inning, it made him the first left-hander in Kansas City history to record 200 strikeouts in a season. He's only the fifth Royals pitcher to ever reach that mark, joining a group that includes Zack Greinke (2009), Kevin Appier (1996), Dennis Leonard (a franchise-record 244 Ks in 1977) and Bob Johnson (1970). The quality start was the 18th of the season for Ragans, and since the beginning of August he's posted a 3.23 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB over 39 innings. His 204 strikeouts on the year put him third in the majors behind Tarik Skubal's 208 and Chris Sale's 206. Ragans is scheduled for a tough road start against the Yankees next week, and his subsequent turn in the rotation could set him up for a dramatic showdown with Skubal in Kansas City on Sept. 17.

Matthews (1-3) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings as the Twins were downed 5-0 by the Royals. He struck out four.

While his offense gave him no support, Matthews once again left too many hittable pitches over the plate. The rookie right-hander served up his sixth homer in 22 big-league innings, a fourth-inning solo shot by Michael Massey, and while his 22:3 K:BB over that stretch demonstrates that the impeccable control he displayed in the minors remains intact, it comes with a 7.36 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. Matthews lines up to make his next start at home next week against the Angels.

Valdez (14-6) picked up the win in Friday's 8-0 rout of the Diamondbacks, allowing two hits and three walks over seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

Valdez has now held the opposition scoreless three times in his last four trips to the mound. The southpaw has been nearly untouchable since the beginning of August, giving up only 15 hits in 41 innings over his last six starts en route to a 1.32 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 45:12 K:BB. Valdez will look to stay dominant in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Athletics.

Pfaadt (9-8) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks over 4.2 innings as the Diamondbacks were downed 8-0 by the Astros. He struck out five.

Half the hits off the right-hander went for extra bases, including a three-run homer by Yordan Alvarez in the fifth inning. Pfaadt hasn't been able to complete six innings in any of his last four starts, stumbling to a 7.52 ERA, 1.97 WHIP over that stretch despite a 25:7 K:BB in 20.1 innings. He'll try to get back on track in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Brewers.

Blach is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Brewers in Milwaukee.

The veteran southpaw will pick up a second straight turn through the rotation after he yielded five earned runs on five hits and two walks over four innings last Sunday versus the Orioles in his return from Triple-A Albuquerque. Blach is likely just a placeholder in the rotation until the Rockies get Antonio Senzatela (elbow) back from the 60-day injured list, perhaps as soon as next week.

Bido isn't in line to make a turn through the rotation during this weekend's series versus the Tigers, as Brady Basso and J.T. Ginn have been confirmed to start Saturday and Sunday, respectively, Jessica Kleinschmidt of the Oakland Athletics Radio Network reports.

Bido looked on track for a two-start week after he gave up four runs over 5.1 innings in his outing against the Mariners on Monday, but he'll instead have his next start pushed bak until at least next week following the Athletics' call-up of Basso, who was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday. Manager Mark Kotsay didn't shed much light on why Bido was bypassed for a start Saturday or Sunday, but given how well the right-hander has performed of late, his absence from the rotation this weekend could point to him dealing with a yet-to-be-disclosed injury. Dating back to the beginning of August, Bido had gone 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB in 34.1 innings.

Wheeler (14-6) allowed a run on two hits and a walk over six innings Friday, striking out seven and earning a win over the Marlins.

The Phillies gave Wheeler a 3-0 lead before he took the mound and went up 14-1 by the time he left the game. He fired 56 of 84 pitches for strikes, including 15 whiffs, and gave up his lone run in the fourth inning on an Otto Lopez double. Wheeler is 4-1 with a stellar 1.60 ERA and 51:6 K:BB through seven starts since the beginning of August. His season ERA is down to 2.59 alongside a 190:46 K:BB over 173.2 frames. Wheeler is lined up for a home matchup against the Rays next week.

Skubal allowed two runs on nine hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Athletics on Friday.

Skubal pitched well, but he came up an out short of a quality start after the Athletics were able to create traffic on the basepaths in the sixth inning. On the bright side, Skubal recorded at least seven strikeouts for the 10th time in his last 12 starts, and this was the fourth outing in a row in which he didn't issue a free pass. The Tigers' ace is at a 2.53 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 208:33 K:BB through 174 innings over 28 starts this year. Skubal is lined up to make his next start at home versus the Rockies.

Spence allowed a run on eight hits and struck out six without walking a batter over 4.1 innings in a no-decision Friday versus the Tigers.

Spence was a little generous with the contact, but he was able to effectively limit the damage. He threw 70 pitches (48 strikes) in his shortest start since a 2.2-inning mess versus the Mets on Aug. 15. The right-hander is at a 4.42 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 111:41 K:BB through 130.1 innings over 31 appearances (20 starts) this season. His next outing is projected to come in Houston.

Knack (2-3) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings Friday, taking the loss versus the Guardians.

Knack was called up to fill a spot in the Dodgers' downtrodden rotation while Clayton Kershaw (toe) and Gavin Stone (shoulder) are out of action. This was Knack's first big-league game since Aug. 13, and he was able to limit the Guardians to a two-run home run by Andres Gimenez in the sixth inning. Through 11 appearances (nine starts), Knack has given up more than two runs just twice. He's at a 3.00 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 52:13 K:BB through 54 innings. He'll likely get at least one more start, which is tentatively projected to come in Atlanta, though Knack could stick around longer if the Dodgers decide he's a better option than Bobby Miller.