MLB Player News

The Royals optioned Bowlan to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Bowlan was part of the roster maneuvering as Kansas City officially added its trade-deadline acquisitions to the roster. The righty's latest stint in the majors lasted just one day, and he didn't make an appearance.

Kirby pitched 5.1 innings against Boston on Wednesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out two batters in a no-decision.

Kirby surrendered a run in the first inning but wasn't scored upon again until the sixth. In the latter frame, he gave up a pair of one-out hits, leading to his removal and ending a streak of nine straight starts of at least six frames. The right-hander had recorded a quality start in each of those contests and logged a 1.73 ERA in that span, though he posted just a 3-2 record. Kirby will try to begin a new streak his next time on the mound, which is tentatively slated to be a matchup against Detroit.

Bello allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over 6.1 innings in a no-decision against Seattle on Wednesday.

Bello allowed a run in the fourth and fifth frames but nothing more. The right-hander notched his fifth quality start over his past eight outings after recording just two quality starts across his initial 12 appearances of the season. Bello's strikeout numbers have been up of late as well -- he's posted at least seven punchouts in four of his past six starts after reaching that mark just three times through his initial 14 appearances.

Gore (6-9) took the loss against Arizona on Wednesday, allowing three runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out one batter over 5.1 innings.

Though he's been up-and-down in terms of allowing runs this season, Gore entered Wednesday's contest with a healthy 10.3 K/9 over 105.2 frames. It comes as a surprise, then, to see just one punchout on his final stat line, though it's the second time he's posted that total over his past seven starts. In fact, Gore's production has been quite poor over that span, as he's recorded a 7.84 ERA and 24:19 K:BB over 31 innings. It appeared at times earlier in the campaign that Gore could be in the midst of a breakout, but he hasn't picked up a win since mid-June and is now sporting a 4.54 ERA, which would be the worst mark of his three-year career.

Kershaw (0-1) allowed seven runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk while failing to record a strikeout over 3.2 innings, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Padres.

The Dodgers made three errors in this contest, which didn't make life any easier for Kershaw in his second start of the season. He also threw a wild pitch and landed a decent 55 of 83 pitches for strikes in the short start. The southpaw is likely one or two starts away from a full workload at this stage. His next start is projected to be at home versus the Phillies.

Cease (11-8) allowed a run on three hits and three walks while striking out six over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Cease's chance at consecutive no-hitters didn't get far, as he allowed a single to Jason Heyward in the second inning. The Dodgers didn't get much more out of him aside from Gavin Lux's RBI double in the third inning, and the Padres gave their ace plenty of run support. Cease has allowed just four runs over his last 34.2 innings, posting a 44:11 K:BB in that span while winning four straight. For the year, he's at a 3.42 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and 174:43 K:BB through 136.2 innings spanning 23 starts. Cease is projected to make his next start at Pittsburgh.

Woodford allowed three runs, all unearned, on two hits and struck out three without walking a batter over five innings in a no-decision versus the Astros on Wednesday.

Woodford allowed 10 runs over 8.1 innings across two outings with the White Sox earlier in the season, leading to his release and eventual signing with Pittsburgh. With a 2.29 ERA over 35.1 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis, Woodford was brought up by the Pirates for at least a spot start, and he held his own despite a pair of costly errors from Oneil Cruz. Woodford hasn't had much success in any role in the majors since 2022, so it's unclear if he'll be able to improve on Wednesday's performance. Unless the Pirates move to a six-man rotation in August, Woodford would not appear assured of another start in the immediate future.

Gallen (9-5) earned the win over Washington on Wednesday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk while striking out six batters over six innings.

Gallen gave up a run in the fourth inning but otherwise silenced the Nationals for his second straight quality start and third straight victory. Since giving up a season-high seven runs (six earned) over 3.2 frames against Toronto on July 14, Gallen has surrendered just four runs over his subsequent 17 innings. The right-hander's control had been shaky coming into Wednesday, however, as he had issued nine free passes across his previous two outings. He may have eased those concerns against Washington by issuing just one walk in the win.

Valdez (10-5) allowed four runs on six hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter to earn the win Wednesday over the Pirates.

All of the damage came in the second inning, as Joey Bart tagged Valdez for a two-run home run and the Pirates put up another two runs before he could escape the frame. The southpaw bounced back well, allowing just one single over his last four innings, and the Astros' offense picked him up. Valdez finished July with a 2.90 ERA and 40:9 K:BB over 31 innings, winning four of his five starts for the month. Overall, he has a 3.56 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 108:38 K:BB through 116.1 innings over 19 starts. He's projected to make his next start on the road versus the Rangers.

Heaney (4-11) took the loss against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 4.1 innings.

Heaney yielded a tolerable seven baserunners, but six of them came around to score. The southpaw surrendered three runs on three hits and a walk in the second inning, then gave up a hit to three of the four batters he faced in the fifth, with each of those baserunners eventually coming around to score. The six total runs tied a season-worst mark for Heaney, who had been pitching pretty well coming into Wednesday, posting a 2.78 ERA over his previous six starts. The veteran hurler will look to bounce back in his next start, which is tentatively slated to be at home against Houston.