MLB Player News

Bradford (3-0) earned the win against Oakland on Wednesday, allowing an unearned run on five hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over 6.2 innings.

Bradford gave up a run on two hits in the first frame, though the tally was unearned. The southpaw breezed from there, at one point retiring 18 of 20 batters before running out of gas in the seventh inning when he allowed a two-out single followed by a walk. Reliever Yerry Rodriguez was able to get the final out to keep Bradford's line clean of any earned runs, and the latter ended up taking the victory to move into an early tie for the league lead in wins with three. Bradford was initially expected to depart the rotation once Michael Lorenzen (neck) was built up enough to slide in as a starter, but it could be difficult for Texas to make that move now given Bradford's outstanding beginning to the campaign. Through 19.1 innings, he's posted a 1.40 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and 17:2 K:BB.

Arrighetti (0-1) was the pitcher of record in Wednesday's 11-2 loss to the Royals after giving up seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three in three innings.

Arrighetti was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land to make his big-league debut Wednesday, but he labored during his time on the mound, placing only 47 of his 79 pitches for strikes before being pulled ahead of the bottom of the fourth inning. On a positive note, Arrighetti kept the ball in the yard and only two of the seven hits he allowed went for extra bases. Despite the uninspiring debut, with both Justin Verlander (shoulder) and Framber Valdez (elbow) on the shelf, Arrighetti will get at least one more turn through the rotation, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

Lugo (2-0) earned the win over Houston on Wednesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two batters over six innings.

Lugo induced just five swinging strikes and allowed at least one baserunner in five of his six frames, but aside from a two-run fourth inning, the Astros were unable to score on him. The veteran right-hander has completed at least six frames and has notched a quality start in each of his three outings so far this season, leading to his sterling 1.45 ERA. Lugo's unimpressive 9:5 K:BB over 18.2 innings provides reason to doubt this level of success moving forward, but he showed last year that he can be an effective (if unsensational) rotation piece without big punchout numbers when he posted a 3.57 ERA and 8.6 K/9 across 26 starts for the Padres.

Weathers (1-1) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing three hits and three walks with one strikeout over five scoreless innings against the Yankees.

Weathers turned in his best start of 2024, holding the Yankees without an extra-base hit and not allowing a single baserunner past second base. While the 24-year-old lefty hasn't gone deeper than five frames this season, he's been a surprising source of stability on the Marlins' pitching staff, posting a 2.57 ERA with one home run allowed over 14 innings. However, with Braxton Garrett (shoulder) and Edward Cabrera (shoulder) nearing their returns, it's unclear if Weathers will take another turn in the Marlins' rotation in the immediate future.

Stroman (1-1) took the loss Wednesday against Miami, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

All of the damage against Stroman came during a four-run third inning in which he surrendered a walk and two singles to the first three batters he faced before being tagged by Jake Burger for a three-run homer. His struggles with command and some long at-bats by Miami resulted in Stroman failing to reach the sixth inning for the first time all season. Through 17 innings, Stroman owns a 2.12 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 17 strikeouts. He's in line for a start next week in Toronto.

Crawford didn't factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two hits and four walks while striking out six over five scoreless innings against the Orioles.

Crawford somehow kept the Orioles off the scoreboard despite loading the bases in the fourth and fifth innings. He lost all command to start the fifth frame, walking two of his first three batters and tossing a pair of wild pitches. Crawford has yet to be part of a decision this season, but he's allowed just one earned run on seven hits in three starts spanning 15.2 innings. He's currently lined up to toe the rubber Monday against the Guardians.

Irvin didn't factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks across five innings against Boston. He struck out four.

Irvin benefitted from a pair of inning-ending double plays in the first and second, keeping a bad start from turning even worse. He was tagged by Triston Casas for a two-run home run during the fifth inning. Irvin has lasted exactly five innings in both of his starts, yielding nine earned runs in total with a 8:5 K:BB on the year. While he could easily be replaced by John Means (forearm) -- who made his second rehab start last weekend -- Irvin is tentatively lined up for a start against the Twins on Monday.

Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Mariners, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out nine.

After struggling in his first outing this year, Kikuchi's held opponents to just one run over 11.1 innings while striking out 16 in his subsequent two starts. However, the southpaw was stuck with another no-decision Wednesday, as the Blue Jays couldn't crack Logan Gilbert in an eventual extra-innings loss. Overall, Kikuchi is 0-1 with a 2.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB through his first 15.3 innings. He'll look for his first win in his next outing, tentatively scheduled for early next week on the road against the Yankees.

Gilbert didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over 7.2 innings. He struck out eight.

Gilbert was excellent Wednesday, holding the Blue Jays scoreless through six innings before allowing a lone run on a Vladimir Guerrero homer in the seventh. The 26-year-old Gilbert has struck out 23 batters through his first three starts, ranked second in the league in the early going. While Gilbert has yet to earn a win this year, he's posted an impressive 2.66 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP through his first 20.1 innings. Gilbert currently lines up for a home matchup with the Reds in his next outing.

Hendricks (0-2) allowed seven runs on nine hits over five innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Padres. He had no walks and struck out two.

Hendricks has now allowed at least five earned runs in all three of his starts, leaving him with an unsightly 12.08 ERA. Home runs have been a problem, as he's allowed five of them so far. The veteran has also never been known for missing a ton of bats, and he has just eight strikeouts across 12.2 innings so far this year. Hendricks made that approach work in the past, but at this point in his career, it's fair to wonder whether he's slipped from a skills standpoint. The righty will be a risky fantasy play in his next scheduled start, which is penciled in for Tuesday on the road against the Diamondbacks.