MLB Player News

Lively (COVID-19) is expected to be activated and pitch bulk innings Thursday against the Tigers, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Lively has not thrown since Aug. 26, when he went 5.2 innings. Reliever Derek Law, one of two active relievers not used Wednesday, will open for the Reds.

Priester (3-2) allowed four earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four across four innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Nationals.

He was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday and followed opener Colin Selby. Priester worked four effective innings, during which the only hit he allowed was a solo home run. However, things fell apart when he stayed for his fifth frame and allowed a three-run home run. The outing was encouraging from the perspective that Priester induced nine swinging strikes on 62 total pitches and was in the zone consistently, but he's now allowed at least four earned runs in all but one of his seven big-league appearances.

Blach (3-1) earned the win Wednesday, allowing three runs on nine hits and one walk over five innings against the Cubs. He struck out four.

Blach found himself in a jam on multiple occasions Wednesday, surrendering back-to-back hits to open both the first and third innings, which would lead to three runs coming across for Chicago. The lefty matched his season high with nine hits allowed on the afternoon, but he still managed to make it through five frames for the fourth consecutive start while securing his third win of the year. Blach has allowed at least three runs in three straight outings, though he's still 2-0 over that stretch despite a 6.75 ERA.

Gallen (15-8) took the loss against the Mets on Wednesday, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Gallen clearly didn't have his best stuff against New York, as he served up four extra-base hits, including a two-run homer to Mark Vientos. The Arizona ace tossed a shutout against the Cubs in his previous trip to the mound but has been struggling as a whole of late -- Wednesday's outing was his third over his past four starts in which he's given up at least five earned runs. Gallen's sudden inability to miss bats has played a factor in the poor stretch, as in each of the aforementioned three starts he's struck out four or fewer batters. The recent rough patch has pushed his season ERA up to 3.50, nearly a run higher than the 2.54 mark he posted last year.

Lucchesi (3-0) notched the win over Arizona on Wednesday, allowing an unearned run on five hits and three walks while striking out two batters over seven innings.

Lucchesi got the chance to start after spending most of the past month in the minors and took advantage of the opportunity, keeping the Diamondbacks scoreless through seven frames. He exited after the first two batters he faced in the eighth reached base -- one on a walk and the other on an error -- but the run that was charged to him after his departure was unearned. This was Lucchesi's second seven-inning outing of the campaign, with his other coming in his first start April 21 against San Francisco. The southpaw has pitched pretty well when given the chance in the majors this season, posting a 2.83 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 24:13 K:BB over 35 frames, and he could stick in the rotation down the stretch with the Mets essentially out of the playoff race.

Blackburn (4-5) took the loss against Houston on Wednesday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out two batters over three innings.

Blackburn struggled to get the ball over the plate in the outing, as only 36 of his 69 pitches went for strikes. The right-hander walked three batters, with the final two coming around to score on a Yordan Alvarez three-run homer in the third frame. This was the second straight three-inning start for Blackburn, who has allowed six runs on 10 hits with a 7:6 K:BB over six innings during that time. The recent ineffectiveness has pushed his season ERA up to 4.14, which is accompanied by a 1.54 WHIP and 97:38 K:BB over 95.2 frames.

Brown (11-11) earned the win over Oakland on Wednesday, issuing two walks and striking out seven batters over five scoreless and hitless innings.

Brown had been struggling coming into Wednesday, posting a 9.56 ERA and 2.06 WHIP over his previous four starts. The rookie bounced back in impressive fashion against the A's, holding them without a hit and racking up seven punchouts over five dominant frames. Brown's final pitch of the fifth was his 78th of the night, and there was no chance he'd be allowed to push for a complete game or a no-hitter (especially since he's already thrown a professional-high 146.1 frames on the campaign). He'll look to build upon this stellar start in what projects to be tougher matchup against Baltimore next week.

Snell (14-9) earned the win Wednesday over the Dodgers, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out eight over six scoreless innings.

Snell picked up his seventh straight quality start, and he's kept runs off the board in three of his last four outings. This sharp start lowered his ERA to 2.43 with a 1.22 WHIP and 217:93 K:BB through 167 innings over 30 starts this season. It was also the first time since June 22 that Snell didn't walk multiple batters. The southpaw is projected for a home start versus the Rockies next week.

Marsh (1-8) allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out five over 4.1 innings to earn the win Wednesday over the White Sox.

Marsh earned his first major-league win in this contest. He was sharp as the bulk reliever following two scoreless innings from Steven Cruz. Marsh gave up a run in the seventh, but the White Sox never made much of a challenge for the lead. The rookie right-hander now has a 5.67 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 71:33 K:BB through 60.1 innings over 14 appearances (eight starts). He's been more effective following an opener, so he may do that again for his next appearance, tentatively scheduled to be at home versus the Guardians next week.

Gibson (14-9) took the loss Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over 6.2 innings against St. Louis. He struck out four.

Gibson was excellent Wednesday, but Richie Palacios' solo home run in the fourth inning proved to be enough to stick him with the loss in a 1-0 defeat. Gibson's been inconsistent of late, struggling to an 8.16 ERA over his prior five starts, though he's now logged quality starts in his last two outings. Overall, the 35-year-old right-hander sports a 4.98 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP and 144:51 K:BB through 30 starts (175.1 innings) this season. Gibson's currently slated for a tough road matchup with the Astros in his next outing.