MLB Player News

Flaherty (5-5) took the loss against the Angels on Thursday, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out seven.

Flaherty got tagged for a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the second before proceeding to strike out six of the next nine batters he faced. However, the right-hander would go on to surrender two more long balls on the night as the Tigers failed to back him with anything on offense. Flaherty had allowed one run or fewer in four consecutive starts coming in, and no runs in three of his previous four. The three home runs he gave up Thursday also marked a season high.

Wacha did not factor into the decision in a win over the Guardians on Thursday, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six.

Wacha loaded the bases in the second inning after walking two batters and hitting another one with a pitch, but the right-hander was able to work his way out of the jam and didn't surrender a run until the fifth when Daniel Schneemann got him for a sacrifice fly. Wacha has gotten little offensive support of late, failing to walk away with a win for the fourth consecutive start despite allowing two or fewer runs in each of those outings. Wacha actually hasn't surrendered more than two runs in seven straight starts, and he lowered his ERA to 3.91 with Thursday's performance.

Lively (7-4) took the loss against the Royals on Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk over six innings while striking out five.

Lively was sharp for most of the contest and didn't allow a runner to reach second base until the fifth inning, when Nick Loftin walked and then advanced on a steal. Unfortunately for Lively, his luck would run out in the following frame after he surrendered back-to-back triples, eventually leading to two runs coming home for Kansas City. The outing marked Lively's first quality start this month, but he's allowed two or fewer runs in six of his last seven outings. He's also lost two of his last three starts after previously winning five straight.

Abbott (7-6) picked up the win over the Cardinals on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and six walks over five innings while striking out two.

The only runs charged to Abbott on the night came on a two-run homer from Nolan Arenado in the bottom of the third, as the lefty managed to pitch his way out of trouble the rest of the time despite issuing a season-high six free passes. Abbott has now won four of his last five starts, though he finishes the month of June with 15 walks, compared to just six in May. On the positive side, he's also gone at least five innings in 11 consecutive starts and hasn't given up more than three runs in five straight.

Mikolas (6-7) was hit with the loss against the Reds on Thursday, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on 12 hits and one walk over 4.1 inning. He struck out one.

Things got ugly in a hurry for Mikolas as the veteran gave up runs in each of the first five innings before finally being relieved by John King. The nine earned runs allowed easily marked a season high for the right-hander, as did the 12 hits he surrendered. Mikolas had gone at least six innings in six consecutive starts coming in, allowing three or fewer runs in five of those outings. Thursday also marked his first loss since May 31 against the Phillies.

Sale (10-3) suffered the loss Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings against the White Sox. He struck out 11.

Sale dominated his former team, with a first-inning homer by Luis Robert marking the only blemish to his stellar outing. However, the bats failed to provide any support for Sale, and Atlanta suffered its third shutout loss of the season with each occurring within the month of June. Following an inexplicable blip June 1 when he allowed eight runs to the hapless Athletics, Sale has rebounded over the last four games by allowing a total of six earned runs over 26 innings, giving him an ERA of 2.08 with a 0.85 WHIP and 36 strikeouts during that stretch. His next start is tentatively scheduled to take place in the middle of next week, when Atlanta plays host to the Giants.

Hicks did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing three runs on five hits, two walks and a hit batsman against the Cubs. He struck out seven.

Hicks' outing was marred by a rough third inning in which he hit a batter, allowed two steals and gave up a homer and triple among three hits during the three-run frame. Otherwise, Hicks faced just two batters over the minimum during the other four innings, recording at least seven strikeouts for the fourth time this season. He'll carry a strong 3.36 ERA into his next start, tentatively scheduled to take place next week when the Giants travel to Atlanta for a mid-week series.

Rodon (9-5) took the loss against Toronto on Thursday, allowing eight runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over five innings.

Rodon was shellshocked in the first frame, giving up five runs before recording an out. He gave up three more runs in the second, all of which came on George Springer's second three-run homer of the game. Rodon at least managed to hang on for five innings to avoid depleting the Yankees' bullpen, but the damage was more than enough to result in his third straight loss. Rodon has allowed 20 earned runs across 13.2 frames during the losing streak, catapulting his season ERA up from 2.92 to 4.42.

Berrios (7-6) earned the win against the Yankees on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out eight batters over seven innings.

Berrios had been struggling coming into Thursday, allowing nine runs over 11 frames across his past two starts. He rebounded nicely against New York, giving up just two runs on a fifth-inning homer by Trent Grisham. The right-handed hurler also registered a season-high eight strikeouts en route to his 12th quality start. Berrios has posted a mediocre 6.6 K/9 on the campaign but is nonetheless in the midst of a fine season with a 3.38 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 104 innings.

Montgomery (6-5) was saddled with the loss Thursday, allowing eight runs (four earned) on nine hits and one walk over 2.2 innings against the Twins. He struck out one.

Montgomery's line could have been a lot worse if not for a catcher's interference call and a throwing error accounting for half of the eight total runs he allowed. Among the nine hits allowed were three infield singles, no homers and two extra-base hits for Montgomery, suggesting that this performance was marred by a bit of bad luck. After struggling to 14 earned runs allowed over six innings during consecutive starts on May 31 and June 5, Montgomery had righted the ship over the next three outings prior to Thursday, allowing just five earned runs over 16.2 innings and collecting the win in each. His next start won't get any easier as he's presently slated to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles during a mid-week series.