-
Zac Gallen SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen: Mauled by Mets
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.
-
Joey Lucchesi RP | LAA
Mets' Joey Lucchesi: Earns victory after call-up
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.
-
Paul Blackburn RP | NYY
Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Posts another short outing
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.
-
Hunter Brown SP | HOU
Astros' Hunter Brown: Rebounds with five hitless 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.
-
Blake Snell SP | LAD
Padres' Blake Snell: Stellar versus Dodgers
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.
-
Alec Marsh RP | KC
Royals' Alec Marsh: Earns first big-league win
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.
-
Kyle Gibson SP | BAL
Orioles' Kyle Gibson: Sharp in losing effort
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.
-
Mike Clevinger RP | PIT
White Sox's Mike Clevinger: Takes loss in quality start
Clevinger (7-8) allowed two runs on six hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over six innings, but he took the loss Wednesday versus the Royals.
Clevinger limited the damage to a two-run home run from Michael Massey in the second inning. That was enough for the loss, as the White Sox were defeated 7-1. Clevinger has gone at least seven innings in four of his last six starts, allowing just three runs in those games, though he's given up 12 runs over nine innings in the two poorer outings in that span. The right-hander now has a 3.61 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 101:38 K:BB through 114.2 innings over 21 starts this season. He's projected for a road start versus the Nationals next week.
-
Braxton Garrett RP | CHC
Marlins' Braxton Garrett: Sharp in ninth win
Garrett (9-6) allowed four hits and two walks while striking out seven over six shutout innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Brewers.
Garrett lasted just 3.2 innings in his previous start, a loss to the Dodgers. Wednesday's effort was his fifth quality start in his last seven outings, though he's posted a pedestrian 4-3 record in that span. The 26-year-old southpaw is at a 3.67 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 147:27 K:BB through 149.2 innings over 29 outings (28 starts) this season. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Mets.
-
Drew Rom RP | ATH
Cardinals' Drew Rom: Excellent in first win
Rom (1-2) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two hits and three walks over 5.1 scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory over the Orioles. He struck out seven.
Rom was impressive against a strong Baltimore lineup, delivering 5.1 scoreless innings while setting a season high with seven strikeouts in his first major-league win. After struggling through his first four starts, the rookie left-hander now sports a 5.96 ERA with a 1.76 WHIP and 18:13 K:BB through 22.2 innings. Rom will look to build on Wednesday's performance in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week against the Brewers.