MLB Player News

Mikolas (7-7) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over seven innings against the Reds. He struck out four.

Jonathan India tagged Mikolas for a leadoff homer to begin the game, but that would end up being the only blemish on Mikolas' line. With three consecutive quality starts to close the first half, Mikolas now sits with a 2.54 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 92:23 K:BB over 120.1 innings this season. An All-Star in 2018, Mikolas did not quite make the cut in 2022.

Lodolo (2-3) took the loss Saturday, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks over two innings against the Cardinals. He struck out five.

Lodolo also plunked three batters, uncorked a wild pitch and served up a long ball to Paul Goldschmidt. The lefty needed 67 pitches to record six outs. After the game, Lodolo didn't shy away from the fact that his command was completely absent. "It's something I haven't gone through," Lodolo told Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It's kind of weird just losing the zone like that on the field. I'm known for throwing strikes a lot. When I'm out there, I think maybe I'm trying to overcorrect because I'm thinking I'm a lot further off than I am." Perhaps Lodolo will try to tweak some things on the side during the All-Star break. Either way, he's going to be in the rotation throughout the second half so long as he's healthy.

Verlander (12-3) earned the win during Saturday's 5-0 victory over Oakland, allowing six hits while recording 10 strikeouts in six shutout innings.

Making his first start since July 7 due to a family issue, Verlander was handed an early lead and cruised through six easy frames en route to an MLB-best 12th win. The 39-year-old fired 73 of 106 pitches for strikes with an impressive 19 swinging strikes leading to double-digit strikeouts for the second time this season. At the conclusion of the first half, Verlander possesses a 1.89 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, both of which rank third in MLB, with 108 strikeouts in 109.1 innings across 17 starts.

Quantrill (6-5) earned the win during Saturday's 10-0 victory over Detroit, allowing four hits and two walks with five strikeouts in six scoreless innings.

Quantrill settled down after stranding the bases loaded and firing 27 pitches in the first inning to prevent any Detroit batter from passing first base the rest of the way, including retiring the final seven batters he faced. The 27-year-old tossed 62 of 100 pitches for strikes with an impressive 14 whiffs as the five strikeouts surprisingly tie his second-best mark this season. Quantrill concludes a solid first half with a 3.75 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 63 strikeouts in 100.2 innings across 17 starts.

Matz (shoulder) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday's game against the Reds, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Matz hasn't pitched for the Cardinals since May 22 due to left shoulder inflammation, but he recently made four rehab appearances at Triple-A Memphis and posted a 2.13 ERA, 17:3 K:BB and 0.95 WHIP in 12.2 innings. The southpaw made four starts in May prior to landing on the injured list, and he logged a 5.95 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 19.2 innings over that span.

Severino (lat) isn't expected to throw for two weeks, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Severino landed on the injured list with a low-grade right lat strain Thursday, and he'll presumably require more than the minimum of 15 days on the shelf since he'll need time to build back up following his shutdown. A better timetable for his return will likely come into focus once he's able to begin a throwing program.

Rodon has both a blood blister and a split nail, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's possible the issues explain why Rodon allowed eight hits in five innings against the Brewers on Thursday, though he struck out seven batters and only allowed one run, so it's hard to say he pitched poorly. The lefty won't pitch in the All-Star Game as a result of his finger troubles, but it's not yet clear whether either issue will delay his first start of the second half.

Baz (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Baz hit the injured list Thursday with a right elbow sprain. He'll be shut down for a month after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection, so he likely wouldn't have had a chance to return within 60 days even without this transaction. He'll now be officially unable to make it back before September 9, and it's not yet clear if he'll be ready to return on that date or at any point over the last month of the regular season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that German (shoulder) could fill the rotation spot of Luis Severino (lat) after the All-Star break, Max Goodman of SI.com reports.

German made his final rehab appearance with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing three hits and one walk while striking out one. He threw 65 pitches in the outing, so he's at least within range of a starter's workload. German will likely be on a pitch count for a start or two if he does move into the big-league rotation, and it's not yet clear how long Severino will be out, so expectations should be tempered in terms of German's second-half outlook in fantasy.

McCullers (forearm) threw approximately 40 pitches over two innings during a simulated game Saturday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McCullers has faced hitters several times over the last few weeks, and he was able to mix in all of his pitches Saturday, including about 15 breaking balls. He said afterward that he felt good, and he'll be evaluated Sunday to see how he feels. If he checks out well Sunday, the right-hander will likely be cleared to begin a rehab assignment soon.