MLB Player News

McKenzie (0-1) took the loss against Houston on Saturday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five batters over five innings.

McKenzie dazzled in his season debut against Minnesota last Sunday, allowing just one hit while striking out 10 batters over five scoreless innings. He looked far more mortal Saturday, surrendering three runs in the first frame and two more in the fourth en route to the loss. On the plus side, McKenzie missed plenty of bats in inducing 15 swinging strikes, so there's evidence to suggest that his previous start wasn't a mirage. The right-hander is tentatively lined up for a road start in Arizona his next time out.

Freeland didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Padres, allowing one run on six hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw continues to pitch surprisingly well at Coors Field, but the Rockies' bullpen couldn't protect a 2-1 lead and cost Freeland his fifth win. The 30-year-old will carry a 3.91 ERA and 49:19 K:BB through 76 innings into his next outing, likely to come next week in Atlanta.

France (2-1) picked up the win against Cleveland on Saturday, allowing three runs on seven hits and six walks while striking out six batters over 6.2 innings.

France allowed 11 batters to reach base through six frames, but he managed to yield just one run thanks largely to three double plays behind him. The right-hander finally succumbed to the onslaught of baserunners when he was charged with two runs in the seventh, but the Astros' offense gave him enough of a cushion to allow him to end up in the win column. France's six walks doubled his previous career-high mark, and he threw just 56 of 105 pitches for strikes, so this wasn't the typical stat line of a pitcher who picks up a quality start. Still, France should be commended for getting big outs when needed, and he's now given up three or fewer earned runs in five of his first seven MLB outings.

Ryan didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 9-4 win over the Blue Jays, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander delivered his 10th quality start of the season on 84 pitches (56 strikes), but Ryan exited the game in line for his fourth loss before Minnesota's bats came alive in the late innings. He'll take a 2.90 ERA and 84:15 K:BB through 77.2 innings into his next outing, likely to come at home next weekend against the Tigers.

Bradley (4-3) took the loss against Texas on Saturday, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and four walks while striking out four batters over 3.2 innings.

This was the shortest outing through eight big-league starts for Bradley, who came into the contest having allowed just two earned runs over his previous 10.2 frames. The right-hander was largely responsible for his own demise Saturday, as he walked a season-high four batters, three of whom came around to score. Bradley issued just five free passes across his first 30 innings, but he's walked seven over his subsequent 8.2 frames, and it may be critical to his sustained success that he's able to regain good control. However, Saturday's rough outing probably isn't reason to panic, as it came across a tough Texas squad that leads MLB in scoring on the season.

Eovaldi (9-2) earned the win over Tampa Bay on Saturday, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out six batters over 6.1 innings.

This won't go down as one of Eovaldi's best starts this season, but he was staked to an early lead and cruised to the win, with the only hiccup being a four-run fourth inning by the Rays. Eovaldi is now tied with Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan for the MLB lead in victories on the campaign, and he hasn't been stuck with a loss since April 12. The right-hander's 2.49 ERA and 0.98 WHIP are easily the best marks of his career.

Sandoval (3-6) took the loss Saturday versus the Mariners, surrendering five runs on 10 hits while striking out eight and walking none over five innings.

This was the third time in 12 starts that he hasn't walked a batter, and the eight strikeouts was a season high, but that's where the good news ends. He's given up 11 runs over his last 8.1 innings, and while struggling in Houston isn't too surprising, Sandoval's work against the Mariners wasn't great. The southpaw now has a 4.52 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 48:25 K:BB through 63.2 innings this season. He's lined up for a favorable road start in Kansas City next week.

Gore (3-5) took the loss against Atlanta on Saturday, allowing five runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three batters over five innings.

Four of the five runs Gore gave up came in the second inning, when Atlanta tagged him for a pair of two-run homers. This marks the first time in 2023 that the southpaw has given up more than four runs in an outing, and the performance snapped a streak of two straight quality starts. Gore hasn't picked up a win since April 26, and he's posted a 4.71 ERA with a 48:13 K:BB over 42 innings during the drought. He's made some positive strides this season, though his overall 4.04 ERA and 1.39 WHIP are only slight improvements over his final 2022 numbers.

Woo allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out seven over 4.2 innings in a no-decision during Saturday's 6-2 win over the Angels.

After getting tagged for six runs in two innings in his debut versus Texas, Woo was much improved against another AL West rival. He still needed 81 pitches (56 strikes) to get 14 outs, falling one-third of an inning short of qualifying for his first win. The blemish on his line Saturday was a two-run home run from Shohei Ohtani. Woo has managed an 11:2 K:BB over 6.2 innings to begin his major-league career -- his strikeout stuff has carried over from Double-A Arkansas, where he racked up 59 strikeouts in 44 innings this season. Assuming he gets another start, he's tentatively projected to face the White Sox in Seattle next week.

Shuster (3-2) earned the win over Washington on Saturday, allowing three runs on eight hits and no walks over five-plus innings. He didn't strike out any batters.

Shuster wasn't exactly overpowering -- he induced only four swinging strikes and, for the first time in his career, didn't record a single punchout -- but the rookie nonetheless pitched well enough to push his record above .500 for the first time. The southpaw gave up only one run over 4.2 frames, but a two-run double by Lane Thomas with two outs in the fifth scuffed up Shuster's final line a bit. The hurler still came out for the next frame, but he was removed after giving up back-to-back singles to begin the inning. After surrendering four runs in each of his first two outings, Shuster has given up three or fewer runs in each of his subsequent five starts. That should be good enough for him to keep a spot in Atlanta's rotation, though he's a shaky fantasy option in redraft leagues given his overall 5.05 ERA and especially his poor 21:19 K:BB over 35.2 frames.