MLB Player News

Houck didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Blue Jays, surrendering six runs on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander cruised through four innings before suddenly falling apart in the fifth and getting tagged for all six of Toronto's runs, including a three-run shot by Daulton Varsho. Houck made it through one more frame before exiting after 96 pitches (57 strikes), and Boston's bats were able to get him off the hook for his second loss of the year. He'll take a 5.34 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 29:13 K:BB through 32 innings into his next outing, likely to come this weekend in Philadelphia.

The Rays acquired Anderson from the Reds on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Tampa Bay already has three starting pitchers on the injured list (Shane Baz, Jeffrey Springs and Tyler Glasnow) and another (Josh Fleming) sustained a foot injury Tuesday, so the addition of the 35-year-old Anderson should improve the organization's rotation depth. Anderson will presumably slot into the Triple-A Durham rotation after logging a 4.30 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 19:13 K:BB across 23 innings over his five starts with the Reds' top affiliate in Louisville.

Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Red Sox, coughing up five runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The southpaw got hit hard, as five of the nine hits off him went for extra bases including homers by Christian Arroyo and Masataka Yoshida. Kikuchi is once again having trouble keeping the ball in the park -- after serving up 23 homers in 100.2 innings in 2022 (a 2.06 HR/9), he's already been taken deep eight times in 31.1 innings to begin 2023 (a 2.30 HR/9), and only some good fortune has kept his 4.02 ERA from being closer to his 5.44 FIP. He could be a risky play in his next outing, likely to come this weekend on the road against the surprising Pirates.

Williams didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Cubs, allowing four hits and a walk over 5.1 scoreless innings. He struck out four.

The journeyman right-hander produced his best start so far in 2023, tossing 55 of 87 pitches for strikes and exiting with the Nationals ahead 1-0, but his second win of the year got snatched away when the Cubs tied it up in the top of the seventh. Williams will take a respectable 3.41 ERA and 1.23 WHIP into his next outing. likely to come this weekend in Arizona.

Cole didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Guardians, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out eight.

The right-hander fired 69 of 108 pitches for strikes and generated 32 called or swinging strikes en route to his sixth quality start in seven outings this season, with Cole missing the seventh by only one out. He'll take a dazzling 1.35 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 52:14 K:BB through 46.2 innings into his next start, likely to come at home early next week against the A's.

Bibee didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees, giving up two runs on four hits over 5.1 innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

Making his second career MLB start, Bibee was unfazed by pitching in Yankee Stadium and blanked New York for five innings before fellow rookie Anthony Volpe tagged him for a homer in the bottom of the sixth. Bibee has been outstanding since his promotion, posting a 13:0 K:BB through his first 11 big-league innings, and he'll look to keep rolling in a home start early next week against the Tigers.

Wells (2-1) got the win over the Royals on Tuesday, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks while striking out four over six innings.

Wells was punished by the long ball in Tuesday's outing, as all three hits he gave up were home runs. Bobby Witt and MJ Melendez took him deep in the first inning to put up three quick runs for the Royals. He wound up retiring 14 of the next 16 batters following the second home run before Salvador Perez led off the sixth with a solo blast to center. Wells got plenty of support from his offense, leading to second consecutive win for the 28-year-old. He's fared well overall so far, posting a 3.34 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 27:6 K:BB over 25 innings. A tougher test lies ahead for Wells, who is projected to face Atlanta on the road over the weekend.

Matz (0-4) took another loss Tuesday against the Angels, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four over five innings.

Matz wound up surrendering all four runs in the first frame. He walked Mike Trout, who came around to score following back-to-back singles, and Taylor Ward capped off the inning with a three-run blast to left field. Matz would settle in the rest of the way, tossing four scoreless innings, but he would not get the run support to help erase the damage done. The 31-year-old has yet to reach six innings and has given up at least four runs in four of his six starts this year. Matz now owns a 6.39 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 31:15 K:BB over 31 innings and will try to get his first win in a projected matchup with the Tigers over the weekend.

Sandoval (3-1) got the win over the Cardinals on Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out four over five innings.

Sandoval retired 13 of the first 14 hitters he faced, but he eventually ran into a little trouble in the fifth. The Cardinals singled twice, and Tyler O'Neill wound up crossing the plate on a groundout from Andrew Knizner for their only run of the evening. Outside of an April 20 outing against the Yankees, Sandoval has allowed two runs or fewer in all of his other starts, although he has only tossed more than five innings twice, and his 1.6 K/BB is currently on track to be the worst mark of his career. The 26-year-old will carry a 2.93 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB into his next projected start against the Astros next week.

Ryan allowed no runs on just one hit and two walks while striking out seven over six innings Tuesday against the White Sox. He did not factor into the decision.

Ryan was rolling through the White Sox order. He had six strikeouts through four innings and finished with at least seven strikeouts for the fourth time in six starts. The lone hit he gave up was to Gavin Sheets in the second inning. He concluded his outing with a 12-pitch battle to Tim Anderson, which ultimately ended in a walk, before he got Andrew Benintendi to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. He finished with 87 pitches and likely could have continued into the seventh, but manager Rocco Baldelli noted after the game that Ryan's velocity noticeably dropped from 93.3 mph versus Anderson to 89.8 mph versus Benintendi. With the heart of the order due up, Baldelli didn't want to risk putting him back out on the bump seeing that Ryan was running out of gas. The 26-year-old has been as dominant as they come so far this season. He now boasts a 2.37 ERA and is tied atop the league with a 0.76 WHIP to go with a 43:6 K:BB over 38 innings. He'll look to rack up his sixth win of the year in his next projected start against the Guardians over the weekend.