MLB Player News

Wicks (oblique) struck out four batters over 4.2 scoreless innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Iowa. He scattered three hits and one walk.

Between his first two rehab outings at Iowa, Wicks surrendered four home runs and walked four batters while covering just 3.2 innings, but he's been much more dialed in his subsequent two starts for the Triple-A club while increasing the volume of his pitches. He built up to 73 pitches Sunday and looks like he'll be ready to return from the 60-day injured list to make his next start with the big club, providing he experiences no setbacks with his oblique coming out of his next throwing session. The Cubs have yet to confirm their plans for Wicks, but he'll presumably either be part of a six-man rotation or replace Kyle Hendricks as the club's No. 5 starter.

General manager Ben Cherington acknowledged Sunday that there is a range of innings that the Pirates don't want Skenes to surpass this season, which could lead to the right-hander's starts becoming more abbreviated over the final month of the campaign, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Cherington didn't offer up a firm number in terms of a potential innings limit for Skenes, but a workload-management plan already looks to be in place for the phenom rookie. As Stumpf notes, Skenes was lifted after six scoreless innings in his most recent outing Thursday against the Reds, despite having thrown just 87 pitches while exhibiting no signs of wearing down. The 87 pitches were Skenes' fewest in a start since his MLB debut back on May 11, and a workload around that level could become the norm for the 22-year-old down the stretch if the Pirates choose not to shut him down. Across his 17 starts in the majors, his seven starts at Triple-A Indianapolis and his two Grapefruit League appearances, Skenes has thrown 134.1 innings in 2024. He covered 129.1 innings in 2023 between his college season at LSU and his brief time in the minors upon getting selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft.

Cannon (2-8) yielded five runs on eight hits and four walks over four-plus innings Sunday, striking out four and taking a loss against Detroit.

Cannon escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, but things got worse from there. He gave up a run in each of the third and fourth innings before falling apart; he put four straight Tigers on base without recording an out in the fifth inning and was charged with three more runs. Cannon was handed his third straight loss and saw his ERA jump to 4.57 across 90.2 innings. He's 1-6 with a 4.93 ERA over his last eight outings. Cannon is projected for a home matchup against the Mets next weekend.

Bradford (4-2) yielded two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks over six innings Sunday, striking out three and taking a loss against Cleveland.

Bradford gave up a run in each of the first two innings but settled in to deliver his third straight quality start. After a 4-0 start through seven outings, he's lost two straight starts despite giving up just four earned runs over 13 innings during that span. He's sporting a 3.31 ERA with an impressive 44:8 K:BB through 49 innings. Bradford's next outing is projected to be at home against Oakland.

Boyd (1-0) yielded a run on three hits and a walk over six innings Sunday, striking out four and picking up a win over Texas.

Boyd didn't allow a runner to reach scoring position until the fifth inning, resulting in an RBI double from Jonah Heim. It was Boyd's third MLB appearance since returning from Tommy John surgery, and he earned his first win. He completed six innings for the first time while delivering a quality start. Through three outings, Boyd owns a 2.70 ERA with a 12:5 K:BB. He's currently in line for a home matchup against the Pirates next weekend.

Mize (hamstring) struck out seven and allowed three earned runs on three hits and no walks over 4.2 innings in his rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Toledo.

Mize didn't perform quite as dominantly as he did in his prior three rehab outings, but he racked up 13 swinging strikes in the contest, and most importantly, built up to 78 pitches. Overall, Mize turned in a 2.63 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB in 13.2 innings across his four outings with Toledo, and he now looks ready to return from the 60-day injured list this upcoming weekend when first eligible. The Tigers could reinsert Mize into the rotation as soon as Friday's series opener versus the Red Sox in Detroit.

Gomber (4-9) allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four over six innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Yankees.

Gomber gave up just one of the Yankees' five homers, a two-run blast to Aaron Judge in the first inning, but the Rockies' offense wasn't good enough to keep him off the hook. This was Gomber's first loss in three starts, and he's allowed a modest seven runs over 19 innings in that span, which has all come away from Colorado. He's actually been slightly better at home in 2024 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 57 innings at Coors Field compared to a 4.89 ERA and 1.32 WHIP through 81 innings on the road. For the season, the southpaw has a 4.70 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 98:35 K:BB through 138 innings over 25 starts. He's lined up to make his next start at home versus the Orioles.

Stroman (9-6) allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five over five innings to earn the win over the Rockies on Sunday.

Stroman was a little off Sunday, throwing 56 of 97 pitches for strikes, but he had ample run support to pick up his second win over his last three outings. He's gone at least five innings in three straight starts after doing so just two times across six appearances between June 28 and Aug. 2. The veteran right-hander is now at a 3.88 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 97:57 K:BB through 132.1 innings over 25 starts this season. His 3.9 BB/9 is by far the worst of his career, and his 6.6 K/9 is his lowest mark in a full campaign, which at least partially explains his inconsistency this year. Stroman is projected to make his next start at home versus the Cardinals.

Anderson (10-12) allowed two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three over five innings to take the loss versus the Blue Jays on Sunday.

Anderson wasn't poor in this start, but he was inefficient in needing 97 pitches (64 strikes) to cover five frames. Toronto took the lead for good when Anderson allowed an RBI double to Vladimir Guerrero in the fifth inning. This was Anderson's fourth loss in his last six outings, a span that's seen him surrender 21 runs (20 earned) over 34.2 innings. He's now at a 3.41 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 122:62 K:BB through 158.1 innings over 26 starts this season. The southpaw's next start is projected to be at home versus the Mariners.

Gausman (12-9) allowed a run on two hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter over seven innings to earn the win over the Angels on Sunday.

Gausman has dominated the Angels in two of his last three starts, once in Anaheim and once in Toronto. This was the fourth time this year he's reached double digits in strikeouts. The only run on his line Sunday came on a Zach Neto RBI single in the fourth inning. Gausman has four quality starts over his last six outings, and he's gone at least seven innings in each of those quality starts. For the year, the Blue Jays' ace is at a 4.10 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 141:43 K:BB through 151.1 innings over 26 starts. He's projected to make his next start on the road at Minnesota.