MLB Player News

Priester (0-2) took the loss Wednesday as the Pirates were downed 4-0 by the A's, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks over six innings. He struck out three.

The 23-year-old battled both his control and his command, throwing only 59 of 97 pitches for strikes and serving up homers to Abraham Toro in the second inning and Tyler Nevin in the third. Priester still managed to put together his second straight quality start, and through three outings since his promotion he's delivered a solid 3.31 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 11:6 K:BB through 16.1 innings. His time in the Pittsburgh rotation could be running short though, with top prospect Paul Skenes getting stretched out to six innings in his last start for Triple-A Indianapolis. If Priester gets another turn, he lines up for a home start against the Angels early next week.

Bassitt (2-5) took the loss Wednesday, giving up three runs on four hits and a walk over six innings as the Blue Jays fell 6-1 to the Royals. He struck out four.

The veteran righty took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but a leadoff double by Kyle Isbel kicked off a three-run frame for Kansas City, and with Seth Lugo also pitching extremely well, Bassitt had no margin for error. He tossed 62 of 92 pitches for strikes in his third quality start of the season, but Bassitt will carry a shaky 5.45 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 34:18 K:BB through 36.1 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Philadelphia.

Lugo (5-1) picked up the win Wednesday in a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out eight.

The 34-year-old right-hander generated an impressive 35 called or swinging strikes over 101 pitches as he baffled Toronto hitters. The quality start was Lugo's sixth in seven trips to the mound, and the two-year, $30 million contract he signed in December is looking like an absolute bargain for the Royals. Lugo will take a 1.60 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB through 45 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Brewers.

Manager Torey Lovullo said after Wednesday's 8-0 loss to the Dodgers that Gallen (hamstring) will make his next start Tuesday against the Reds, Jesse Friedman of GoPHNX.com reports.

Gallen was removed from his most recent start last Friday with a hamstring injury. The Diamondbacks had tentatively planned for Gallen to start the series finale with the Dodgers, but he ultimately needed more time to heal up from the injury. Arizona will skip his turn in the rotation entirely this week, but he'll tentatively line up for two starts the following week. After his matchup with the Reds, Gallen would then be slated for a start May 12 in Baltimore.

Verlander pitched seven innings in a no-decision against the Guardians on Wednesday, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out two.

Verlander allowed the leadoff man to reach in four of his seven innings of work but managed to limit the damage to only two runs, both of which came across in the top of the fifth. The veteran right-hander struggled to get ahead in the count for much of the contest and has now issued at least three walks in back-to-back starts, though he's still held opposing teams to two or fewer runs in all three outings to open the campaign. Wednesday also marked Verlander's first start this season in which he's gone at least seven innings.

McKenzie did not factor into the decision in a win over the Astros on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over seven innings while striking out six.

McKenzie was highly effective Wednesday despite getting down in the count early and often, striking out at least six batters for the third consecutive start, with five of those strikeouts coming on his curveball. The right-hander issued only one free pass in the contest, which marked a season best, while also going seven innings for the first time in the early campaign. McKenzie has not allowed more than two runs in any of his last three starts after surrendering a season-high five runs against the Yankees back on April 13.

Heaney (0-4) took the loss against the Nationals on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits while striking out four over seven innings.

Heaney looked sharp over his seven innings of work, with the exception of the second inning when he allowed back-to-back hits with one out, which led to Washington's lone run coming home. The lefty would allow only two singles from that point on before being tagged with his fourth loss of the season. It's been a tough go for Heaney to begin the campaign as the Rangers have now lost all six games that he's started, despite him allowing three or fewer runs in four of those outings. On a positive note, he's posted an 11:0 K:BB over his last two starts, going six or more innings in each of those games.

Williams (3-0) picked up the win Wednesday, shutting out the Rangers over five innings while allowing five hits and four walks. He struck out three.

Williams ran into trouble in the second and fifth innings, allowing the first three batters to reach base in both frames, but the right-hander was able to work his way out of each jam unscathed. He's now won his first three decisions to open the season and hasn't allowed more than one run in any of his last three starts. Williams did, however, issue a season-high four walks in Wednesday's win and now carries a 4:6 K:BB over his last two outings.

Freeland (elbow) will resume throwing in the first week of May, MLB.com reports.

Freeland has been shut down since mid-April, but manager Bud Black relayed that Freeland is responding well to treatment and will begin ramping up his activity. If things go smoothly in his recovery, he could return in late May.

Bradley (pectoral) will throw his second rehab outing with Triple-A Durham on Saturday or Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Bradley was sharp in his first rehab appearance and ramped up to 65 pitches while completing five scoreless innings of work. If he can increase his workload during his weekend start, it's possible that he could be activated from the injured list by mid-May.