MLB Player News

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.

Kelly allowed six runs (four earned) on 10 hits and a walk while striking out one over 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Saturday.

Kelly looked to be in for a long night after giving up solo home runs to Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman over his first 11 pitches. Kelly struggled against the top of the Dodgers' order in the second inning as well, but he was able to settle down after that. The right-hander hasn't been very good since he returned from a four-month absence with a shoulder injury -- he's allowed 18 runs (16 earned), including six homers, over 21.1 innings since he returned to action Aug. 11. Kelly has a 4.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB through 46 innings over eight starts this season. He's tentatively projected to make his next start at San Francisco.

Martin (0-3) took the loss against the Mets on Saturday, allowing four runs on five hits and one walk while striking out six batters over five innings.

Martin had a rough first inning, giving up two homers resulting in three runs. He settled down after that and yielded just one more run over the remainder of his outing, but Chicago's offense never put him in position to be taken off the hook. Martin racked up an impressive 19 swinging strikes and set a season high with six punchouts. He's yet to win a game this season but has been a serviceable starting option for the White Sox, posting a 3.62 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 32:14 K:BB over 32.1 innings.

Stone allowed five runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings in a no-decision versus the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Stone gave up four runs in the first inning and one run in the third. He left the game with the Dodgers leading 6-5, but the Diamondbacks tied it once more to deny him his 12th win of the year. Stone had allowed just two runs over 19 innings across his last three starts before Saturday's less impressive effort. He's now at a 3.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 116:37 K:BB through 140.1 innings over 25 starts. Stone has allowed 18 homers this year, with 12 of them coming over his last 10 starts, which remains a point of concern for the right-hander. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Guardians.

Quintana (7-9) earned the win over the White Sox on Saturday, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out six batters over five innings.

Quintana was staked to a three-run lead in the top of the first inning and never let Chicago catch up. The southpaw needed 98 pitches to get through five frames and thus wasn't able to go deep enough to notch a second straight quality start, but he was otherwise effective in holding the White Sox without an extra-base hit and yielding just one earned run. Quintana had a rough four-game stretch to begin August during which he posted an 0-3 record and an 8.27 ERA, but he bounced back in his final two starts of the month, allowing just one earned run across 11.1 frames.

Blach will be recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque and draw the start in Sunday's series finale against the Orioles, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Blach will take the spot of Cal Quantrill, who was scratched from his scheduled start due to right triceps inflammation. Blach was DFA'd by Colorado in late July after posting a 6.36 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 63.2 innings, but he opted to stay within the organization at the Triple-A level rather than enter free agency. He'll now rejoin the big club and could stick around in the rotation if Quantrill misses extended time.

Williamson (shoulder) will be activated from the 60-day injured list to start in Sunday's game against the Brewers, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Williamson has been on the shelf all season after suffered a shoulder injury in spring training. He began a rehab assignment in May, but he was pulled off of it in early June after being diagnosed with a Bennett lesion in his left shoulder. Williamson opted to treat the injury with injections rather than season-ending surgery, and after a lengthy shutdown period, he finally resumed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, tossing 50 pitches over 2.2 scoreless innings. The Reds apparently saw enough from Williamson in that outing to bring him back from the IL, but he's still expected to be operated on a limited pitch count as he toes the rubber for the big club for the first time Sunday. Williamson could need two outings before he's fully stretched out to handle a typical starter's workload. As a rookie with Cincinnati in 2023, Williamson posted a 5-5 record with a 4.46 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 98:39 K:BB over 117 innings.