MLB Player News

Mahle (5-7) gave up two earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win in an 8-2 victory over the Orioles on Saturday.

Mahle got into some trouble early in the game and tripped on the mound to balk in a run, but he settled into a groove and strung together five consecutive scoreless innings to earn his fifth win of the season. The 27-year-old right-hander has now thrown four quality starts in a row to lower his ERA to 4.40. Mahle is expected to be a trade-deadline target and could find himself making his next start for a contending team that will likely provide more consistent run support than the Reds. If he is not traded, he tentatively lines up for a start next week at Milwaukee.

Schmidt allowed two hits and a walk while striking out five across three scoreless innings to earn the save Saturday against the Royals.

Schmidt recorded a three-inning save for his second consecutive outing, this time maintaining a six-run lead. Though low-leverage save chances are often fluky, the Yankees seem to be making a choice to use Schmidt in this manner since Michael King (elbow) was lost for the season. As a result, Schmidt could be a sneaky source of a handful of saves in the final two months of the season. He'll also help with ratios, as he has maintained a 2.67 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 27 innings on the campaign.

Cortes (9-3) allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five across five innings to earn the win Saturday against the Royals.

Cortes was a bit shaky in the outing, as he allowed multiple baserunners in each of the second, third and fourth innings. However, he managed to limit the damage with timely strikeouts and a double-play ball. Cortes has allowed only three earned runs across his last 18 innings and three starts while maintaining a 16:3 K:BB in that span. Overall this season, Cortes has maintained a 2.48 ERA across 18 starts.

Kluber (7-6) allowed four earned runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out 10 across six innings to earn the win Saturday against the Guardians.

Kluber allowed only one earned run through five innings of work, but he served up a three-run homer to Andres Gimenez to partially spoil his outing. Despite the long ball, Kluber racked up a season-high 10 strikeouts -- primarily on the strength of 23 called strikes. Kluber has allowed four earned runs in three consecutive starts spanning 17 frames, though Saturday's outing was encouraging. Overall, he owns a 4.03 ERA and 94:16 K:BB across 105 innings on the season.

Musgrove (8-4) took the loss during Saturday's 7-4 defeat at the hands of the Twins, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in six innings.

Fresh off signing a rich contract extension, Musgrove limited the damage to a Byron Buxton solo shot in the fourth inning and another run on three baserunners in the fifth while tying his third-best mark of the season with eight strikeouts. Despite the quality start, San Diego could muster only one run early on, giving the 29-year-old his fourth straight losing decision after opening the season with eight consecutive wins. Musgrove's 2.65 ERA and 0.99 WHIP both rank 10th in MLB, and he'll look to get back in the win column against Colorado at midweek.

Gray (6-3) earned the win during Saturday's 7-4 victory over San Diego, allowing one run on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts in five innings.

Gray faced four batters in each of his five frames to earn his second straight win, with the lone run coming on a Manny Machado solo shot in the third inning. The 32-year-old Gray has surrendered two runs in 11 innings across his last two turns compared to 14 runs in 13.1 innings across his first three starts of July. Gray takes a 3.41 ERA and 1.11 WHIP into his next start, scheduled to come midweek against Toronto.

Smyly (3-6) took the loss Saturday versus the Giants. He allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over four innings.

Smyly got through the Giants' order once without giving up runs, but they got to him the second time around. In the fourth inning, he gave up back-to-back home runs to Luis Gonzalez and Joey Bart, and Smyly didn't come back out for the fifth. The southpaw has failed to complete five innings in three of his last four starts since returning from an oblique injury, though he threw 87 pitches (53 strikes) Saturday. He owns a 4.42 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 48:14 K:BB, which he'll carry into next week's projected home start versus the Marlins.

Toussaint (1-0) allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts in four innings of relief, earning the win Saturday over the Rangers.

If Saturday's game was an audition for one spot in the rotation, Toussaint fared better than starter Chase Silseth. Toussaint's lone mistake was a two-run home run to Meibrys Viloria in the sixth inning, though the Angels rallied ahead with a five-run eighth to put the 26-year-old righty in line for the win. Toussaint made 15 of his 18 major-league appearances the previous two seasons as a starter, though he's yet to really establish himself. The Angels have a high number of pitchers stretched out to a starter's workload, but few have really seized the chance to hold down a spot at the back end of the team's six-man rotation. Until stated otherwise, Toussaint can be considered a multi-inning reliever with the potential to fill in as a spot starter.

Blackburn registered a no-decision during Saturday's 3-2 loss to the White Sox, allowing five hits while striking out four in five scoreless innings.

Blackburn cruised through four easy frames and escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the fifth to submit his second scoreless outing of July. With the top of Chicago's lineup due to bat a third time in the sixth, manager Mark Kotsay opted to pull the 28-year-old at 62 pitches, though Blackburn was effective by tossing 41 strikes with eight whiffs. Blackburn has compiled a 4.15 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 86 strikeouts in 106.1 innings across 20 starts. He's scheduled to pitch again next weekend against San Francisco.

Kershaw (7-3) took the loss Saturday in Colorado, allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits and a hit batter while striking out three in 5.1 innings.

Kershaw was shaky early on, giving up a pair of runs after a two-out error in the first inning. He faced one more than the minimum over the next four frames before the Rockies mounted a three-run rally in the sixth that sent the southpaw to his first loss in over a month. Kershaw has given up nine runs (seven earned) in 9.2 innings over his last two starts -- he gave up more than two runs only twice in the first half of the campaign. He now has a 2.66 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 84:14 K:BB through 81.1 innings in 14 starts overall. The veteran will look to get back on track next week in a projected road start in San Francisco.