MLB Player News

Houck (face) allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three over 1.2 innings for Triple-A Worcester on Saturday.

Houck, who made his first rehab start, threw 46 pitches (27 strikes) and was pulled as he reached the projected count of 40-to-45 pitches. All three strikeouts came in a scoreless first inning, when the right-hander worked out of a bases-loaded jam. His fastball sat at 91-to-92 miles per hour and topped out at 93, per Triple-A Worcester's official site. Houck is likely to make two more rehab starts before he returns from the 15-day injured list and reclaims a spot in Boston's rotation.

The Marlins are expected to recall Perez from Double-A Pensacola to have him start Monday in Cincinnati, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Perez was optioned to Double-A shortly before the All-Star break in an effort for the Marlins to manage his workload, but after returning to action July 26 and making two abbreviated starts for Pensacola, he looks ready to rejoin the big-league rotation. Even though he's set to return to Miami, the 20-year-old right-hander will likely have some starts skipped and could transition to a relief role at some point. As long as he's a member of the rotation, however, he'll still worthy of a speculative pickup in any leagues where he may have been dropped. Perez turned in a 2.36 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 61:17 K:BB in 53.1 innings through his first 11 big-league starts prior to being sent out to Double-A.

The Reds recalled Richardson from Triple-A Louisville ahead of his scheduled start Sunday versus the Nationals in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati optioned right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte to Triple-A to open up a spot on the 26-man active roster for Richardson, who will be making his MLB debut Sunday. Though he'll be joining the rotation as a replacement for the injured Ben Lively (pectoral), Richardson may not be trusted with working deep enough into the contest to qualify for the win. Richardson turned in a tidy 1.86 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 19 outings this season across Louisville, Double-A Chattanooga and High-A Dayton, but he never covered more than four innings in any start.

Elder (8-3) took the loss Saturday, allowing seven runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks over 4.1 innings against the Cubs. He struck out three.

Elder struggled with his command from the jump, issuing walks to Mike Tauchman and Nico Hoerner to lead off the game before then surrendering home runs off the bats of Dansby Swanson and Jeimer Candelario. The right-hander would be charged with only three of the five runs that scored in the frame due to a fielding error by Matt Olson, though he allowed another run in both the fourth and fifth innings. Elder has now allowed five or more runs in three of his last five starts, registering a 12:10 K:BB over that stretch.

Berrios (9-7) picked up the win Saturday, giving up three runs on six hits over 5.2 innings in a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox. He struck out six without walking a batter.

While he fell one out short of his 13th quality start of the season, Berrios did collect his first win since June 24. The right-hander pitched well between the victories, posting a 2.55 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:12 K:BB over 35.1 innings prior to Saturday's effort. He'll look to carry that momentum forward into his next outing, likely to come at home next weekend against the Cubs.

Civale dropped to 5-3 in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Tigers after allowing three earned runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings while striking out four.

Civale allowed a leadoff single in each of the first four innings, which led to one run coming across for Detroit in the second, followed by two more in the fourth. The newly-acquired right-hander was then relieved by Kevin Kelly in the fifth after surrendering a one-out double to Kerry Carpenter, marking the first time that Civale's failed to make it through at least five innings since June 14. He had given up two or fewer runs in six straight starts coming in, and the nine hits he allowed Saturday matched his season high.

Abbott (6-3) took the loss Saturday, coughing up six runs on nine hits and five walks over 5.2 innings as the Reds fell 7-3 to the Nationals. He struck out three.

While the rookie southpaw was able to keep the ball in Great American Ball Park, five of the nine hits off Abbott were doubles, while the five free passes he issued were a season high. The league could be figuring out the 24-year-old, as he's been tagged for 10 runs in nine innings over his last two starts, but he had compiled a 16-inning scoreless streak immediately prior to that. It should be noted that Abbot's thrown a career-high 124.1 innings combined between the minors and majors, so usage could be a factor in his recent struggles. Abbott will try to get back on track in his next outing, likely to come next weekend in Pittsburgh.

Gray (7-5) picked up the win in Saturday's 9-8 victory over the Marlins, surrendering five runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six.

A Marcus Semien error in the fourth inning helped mitigate the damage to Gray's ERA, but it was still another shaky performance from the right-hander -- he's failed to complete six innings in three straight starts, and he's been tagged for four runs or more in five of his last six. Despite the summer swoon, he'll take a 3.72 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 95:39 K:BB through 113.2 innings into his next outing, which is likely to come next weekend in San Francisco.

Nelson (6-6) took the loss against Minnesota on Saturday, allowing six runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out five batters over three innings.

After posting a scoreless first frame, Nelson struggled to keep the Twins off the basepaths. He gave up three runs on three hits -- including a triple and a homer -- in the second inning, then surrendered three more runs on four hits in the third, which proved to be his final frame. Nelson matched his shortest outing of the campaign after what had been a relatively effective four-game stretch following the All-Star break during which he had recorded two quality starts and posted a 3.55 ERA. While Nelson has been good enough this season to hold down a spot in Arizona's rotation, his 5.16 ERA and 5.9 K/9 aren't of much use in most fantasy formats.

Maeda (3-6) earned the win over Arizona on Saturday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks while striking out seven batters over six innings.

Maeda fell behind 1-0 in the second inning, but the Twins responded with an offensive outburst to go ahead 10-1 by the end of the sixth. The veteran hurler kept the Diamondbacks from countering, as he retired the final 14 batters he faced. Maeda struggled in his first start following the All-Star break, giving up three runs in three innings against Oakland. Since then, he's allowed two or fewer runs in each of his subsequent four outings, posting a 2.28 ERA and 31:4 over 23.2 frames during that span.