MLB Player News

Perez (5-2) took the loss Saturday, coughing up six runs on seven hits in just one-third of an inning as the Marlins fell 7-0 to Atlanta.

MLB's hottest offense provided some harsh lessons for the 20-year-old righty, as Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies led off the game with back-to-back solo shots, and all told five of the seven hits off Perez went for extra bases. Over his prior six starts however, the young phenom had allowed just one run with a 38:9 K:BB in 33 innings. Another outing or two like this might make it easier for the Marlins to send Perez back down to the minors and manage his workload, but with the team currently sitting in the first wild-card spot in the NL, it could be faced with some tough decisions on how to handle him in the second half. For now, Perez lines up for one more start before the All-Star break, which is likely to come at home next week against the Cardinals.

Williamson (1-2) took the loss Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk over five innings against the Padres. He struck out five.

Williamson pitched fairly well against a surging Padres lineup, retiring eight of the first 10 batters he faced on the afternoon before surrendering an RBI double to Fernando Tatis in the top of the third. The right-hander was relieved by Buck Farmer in the sixth inning after giving up a leadoff single to Austin Nola, who would eventually come around to score on a three-run blast from Juan Soto. Williamson had allowed at least three runs in each of his last four starts coming in, so Saturday's effort, despite the loss, was still an encouraging sign for the 25-year-old.

Verlander (3-4) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one unearned run on five hits and a walk over seven innings in a 4-1 victory over the Giants. He struck out six.

The 40-year-old blanked San Francisco for six innings before a Pete Alonso error in the seventh cracked the door open a bit, but Verlander limited the damage and fanned Brandon Crawford to end the threat. The three-time AL Cy Young Award winner is rounding into form, compiling a 2.65 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 33:10 K:BB through 34 innings since the beginning of June, and Verlander is now three wins away from 250 for his career. He'll get one more turn through the rotation before the All-Star break, an outing which lines up for next weekend in San Diego.

Wacha (8-2) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over five innings against the Reds while striking out four.

Wacha (shoulder) returned Saturday after being forced to skip his last start and managed to pitch his way out of trouble for most of the afternoon, despite allowing the leadoff man to reach base in four of his five innings of work. The right-hander has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 consecutive starts dating back to April 26 against the Cubs while winning six of his last seven decisions (spanning nine starts). He'll look to keep that momentum going next weekend when the Padres take on the Mets in San Diego.

DeSclafani (4-8) took the loss Saturday as the Giants were downed 4-1 by the Mets, giving up three solo home runs in three innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The homers were the only hits the veteran right-hander allowed and they all came in the third inning, as Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor took DeSclafani deep to chase him from the game after only 55 pitches (34 strikes). After a strong start to the year, he has a 6.39 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB over his last eight outings and 38 innings, serving up eight homers along the way. DeSclafani will try to turn things around in his final start before the All-Star break, which is likely to come at home next weekend against the Rockies.

Wheeler (7-4) picked up the win Saturday in a 19-4 rout of the Nationals, giving up four runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The right-hander was far from sharp, tossing 55 of 85 pitches for strikes before exiting, but he got more than enough run support to allow him to win his fourth straight decision. Since his last loss May 22, Wheeler's posted a 3.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 48:8 K:BB through 41.1 innings, and he'll get one more turn through the rotation before the All-Star break, a start that lines up for next weekend in Miami.

Kelly (calf) threw a 31-pitch bullpen session Saturday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

This was the first time Kelly was on the mound since he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right calf last Tuesday. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Kelly could rejoin the team's rotation soon after the All-Star break.

Severino (1-3) took the loss Saturday, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits and three walks over four innings against St. Louis. He struck out two.

Severino ran into trouble in the bottom of the third, allowing back-to-back singles to open the frame before surrendering a three-run homer to Paul Goldschmidt. But the right-hander's troubles didn't end there as the Cardinals went on to add another two runs in the inning and two more in the fourth. The seven earned runs allowed tied his season high and Severino has now lost three of his last four decisions. He's also walked at least three batters while giving up at least seven hits in three of his last four starts.

Flaherty (5-5) earned the win Saturday, allowing four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings against the Yankees. He struck out four.

Flaherty got himself back on track Saturday after allowing six runs in each of his last two starts. The right-hander fanned only four batters but produced 11 swinging strikes en route to his fifth win of the season. Flaherty has allowed one earned run or fewer in four of his last six starts and was able to lower his ERA from 4.95 to 4.60 with his performance against the Yankees.

Stroman (9-6) took the loss against Cleveland on Saturday, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over 5.2 innings.

Stroman exited his previous start after 3.1 innings due to a finger blister, but he had recovered enough by Saturday to take his turn in the rotation. The right-hander struck out four of the first six batters he faced and finished with seven punchouts, but the Guardians got to him for three singles in the sixth frame, with all three of those batters coming around to score (two after he departed). Stroman has given up 11 runs (eight earned) over his past nine innings across two starts, increasing his season ERA from 2.28 to 2.76.