MLB Player News

Cecconi is the most likely internal candidate to be called up from Triple-A Reno to fill the vacant spot in the Arizona rotation after the Diamondbacks placed Tommy Henry (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Sunday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Given the high asking price for starting pitching on the trade market ahead of Tuesday's deadline, the Diamondbacks may opt to use internal candidates to fill in for Henry, who will miss at least 15 days. Cecconi's overall numbers at Reno aren't exciting -- 6.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 2.0 HR/9 in 103 innings -- but the right-hander's ledger since the middle of June shows improvement in a notoriously tough environment for pitchers. He has a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90s and a pair of breaking balls in his slider and curveball. Another righty, Bryce Jarvis, is also being considered for a promotion, but he pitched out of the bullpen in his last two appearances.

Maeda (2-6) was hit with the loss Sunday against the Royals after allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven in five innings.

Maeda put together another solid outing and has now registered at least seven strikeouts in four of his last five starts. He wound up with the loss after the Twins managed just one run and let in runs of his own on a homer in the second and a pair of hits in the third. Maeda has had the fortune of facing some of the league's weaker offenses over the last month, but he's certainly provided mixed-league value and will look to get back in the win column (he hasn't won since July 4) in a home start against the Diamondbacks next weekend.

Matz (2-7) tossed six shutout innings Sunday against the Cubs. He allowed just four hits and no walks while striking out two.

Matz tossed his second straight start of shutout baseball and put a stamp on an excellent month of pitching. Over five starts in July, Matz posted a 1.69 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 27:5 K:BB in 26.2 innings. Matz has allowed just one run over his last 17 innings and a home start against the Rockies this coming week should set him up for another favorable outing.

Kopech (4-10) was handed the loss Sunday against the Guardians after allowing three runs on four hits and five walks while striking out two in five innings.

Kopech had a troublesome second inning after he issued four walks to put the Guardians in front 1-0. He settled down in the second and third before allowing solo home runs to Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez in the fifth. It has been a rough handful of starts for Kopech since returning from the IL on July 14. In four starts since coming back, the 27-year-old owns a 6.30 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and 12:14 K:BB in 16.1 innings. Kopech is expected to take the bump against the Guardians once again next weekend and will look to come out with a better result.

Civale (5-2) earned the win Sunday over the White Sox after tossing six shutout innings while allowing three hits and two walks. He struck out four.

Civale worked an efficient outing after needing only 81 pitches to complete six frames. He allowed five hits or less in each of his six starts in July and capped things off this month with his fourth quality start. There have been rumblings that Civale could be on the move after his recent success. He finishes July going 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 25:7 K:BB in 37.1 innings. He's tentatively lined up for another weekend start against the White Sox.

Kelly (9-5) allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings Sunday, striking out six and taking a loss against Seattle.

All three runs scored against Kelly came in the first two innings, and he eventually settled in and retired the final eight batters he faced. The 34-year-old righty has given up three or fewer runs in 15 of his 18 starts this season, resulting in a 3.23 ERA over 106 frames. He's allowed four runs in two starts since returning from a month-long stint on the injured list. Kelly's next outing is projected to be in Minnesota.

Skubal allowed four runs on six hits across 4.2 innings and did not factor into the decision in Sunday's game against the Marlins. He had no walks and struck out four.

One game after logging five scoreless innings to earn his first win of the season, Skubal was less dominant Sunday, and he failed to complete five innings for the fourth time in five starts. The Tigers are being cautious with their lefty in his return from flexor tendon surgery, and he was limited to 77 pitches in this one. Skubal can be a good fantasy pitcher, though his workload restrictions cap his upside at the moment, and that may not change until 2024. He's tentatively set to take the mound again next Sunday against the Rays.

Castillo (7-7) yielded two hits and a walk over six scoreless innings Sunday, striking out seven and earning a win over Arizona.

Castillo retired the last eight batters he faced and allowed just one Diamondback to reach scoring position in his dominant outing. He's issued two or fewer walks in seven straight outings, posting a 48:6 K:BB during that stretch. His season ERA is down to an impressive 2.88 with a 149:33 K:BB through 131.1 innings. Castillo's next start is projected to be on the road against the Angels.

Hendricks (4-5) allowed three runs on eight hits across seven innings to take the loss Sunday against the Cardinals. He walked one and struck out two.

Hendricks logged a quality start but got no run support in the 3-0 loss. That dropped the righty to below .500, though he's pitched pretty well with a 3.49 ERA. Hendricks has now allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 of his 13 starts this season. The righty isn't missing a ton of bats, as he has only 48 strikeouts across 77.1 innings, though that's never been a big part of his game. Hendricks will look to keep pitching well in his next scheduled start, which is projected for Friday against a tough Atlanta squad.

Severino (2-5) allowed nine runs on 10 hits and two walks over 3.1 innings Sunday, striking out five and taking a loss against the Orioles.

Baltimore jumped all over Severino early in Sunday's game, plating seven runs in the first inning and two more in the fourth. It's the fourth time in just 12 starts this season that he's given up at least seven runs. Three of those ugly outings came during July, saddling Severino with a bloated 10.38 ERA for the month. Severino's season mark has jumped to 7.49 through 57.2 frames. His next start is currently projected to come at home against the Astros next weekend.