MLB Player News

Brown (11-7) earned the win over the Rangers on Saturday, delivering six shutout innings with four hits, three walks, and eight strikeouts.

Brown continued his impressive August form, and he's posted a dazzling 1.44 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and a 41:14 K:BB through his last 43.2 innings. The right-hander threw a season-high 107 pitches, matching his career high, before exiting the mound with the Astros ahead 3-0. The outing was Brown's eighth scoreless start of the year, and he remains among the league's ERA leaders and strengthens his Cy Young case. The 27-year-old will take a 2.25 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and a 190:52 K:BB into his next scheduled outing against Atlanta next weekend.

Kikuchi (6-11) allowed seven runs on six hits and three walks while striking out one over two innings to take the loss versus the Athletics on Saturday.

Kikuchi was hit hard, as four of the six hits he gave up went for extra bases, leading to a season-high seven runs allowed. Kikuchi has gone 0-4 over his last five starts, surrendering 23 runs over 22.2 innings in that span to unravel what had been a promising season -- albeit with plenty of warning signs -- prior to August. Overall, he's now at a 4.18 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 163:69 K:BB through 161.2 innings over 30 starts. The southpaw is projected to make his next start against one of his former teams when the Angels visit Seattle next week.

Alcantara (8-12) took the loss against Philadelphia on Saturday, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four batters over six innings.

Alcantara gave up a two-run homer to Bryce Harper in the first inning and yielded two more runs in the fourth. That was more than enough to send him to his 12th loss of the campaign. Alcantara did, however, manage to finish six frames for the fifth consecutive outing, his longest such stretch of the season. While his 5.67 ERA is on pace to easily be the worst of his career, the veteran right-hander has at least shown positive signs late in the campaign -- during the aforementioned five-game span, he's posted a 2.45 ERA with a 33:6 K:BB over 33 innings.

Ginn (3-6) allowed one run on five hits and struck out five without walking a batter over five innings to earn the win over the Angels on Saturday.

Over six outings in August, Ginn went 0-4 with a 7.24 ERA and 34:13 K:BB across 27.1 innings. His first start of September was much better, and the Athletics gave him more than enough support in a 17-4 win. Ginn has had an uneven year with a 4.95 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 86:23 K:BB across 76.1 innings through 20 appearances (13 starts). The right-hander is projected to make his next start at home versus the Reds.

Luzardo (13-6) earned the win over Miami on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out eight batters over six innings.

Though Luzardo issued four free passes, none of the batters he walked came around to score. The left-hander racked up 14 whiffs and eight punchouts while notching his seventh quality start across his past eight outings. During that stretch, Luzardo has posted a 2.64 ERA with a 54:13 K:BB over 47.2 innings. That's brought his season ERA down to 4.01 as he seeks to finish below the 4.00 mark for the third time in his past four campaigns.

Brown (0-3) allowed six runs on five hits and a walk while striking out one over 1.2 innings to take the loss versus the Padres on Saturday.

Brown had the shortest start of his career so far as the Padres ambushed him for six runs in the second inning. He's now allowed 13 runs over 9.1 innings across three starts, losing all three. It's unclear if the Rockies will be willing to stomach a few more starts for Brown over the remainder of the season. If he stays in the rotation for another turn, he's tentatively projected for a rematch with the Padres in San Diego next week.

Vasquez (4-6) allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and struck out three without walking a batter over six innings to earn the win over the Rockies on Saturday.

Vasquez was back in the majors for the first time in three weeks and delivered a steady outing, throwing 60 of 77 pitches for strikes. The Rockies picked up two runs in the second inning and Hunter Goodman tagged Vasquez for a solo shot in the sixth, but the right-hander received plenty of run support. He's now at a 3.91 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 62:49 K:BB through 117.1 innings over 24 appearances (23 starts) this season. The Padres' rotation has been in flux lately, with Nestor Cortes (biceps) going on the injured list, Michael King (knee) nearing a return and JP Sears sent down in late August. If Vasquez gets another turn in the rotation, it's projected to be in a rematch with the Rockies in San Diego next week.

Ryan (13-8) took the loss against the Royals on Saturday, allowing five runs on four hits and four walks with two strikeouts over two innings.

Ryan was tagged for five runs in the first inning and issued a season-high four walks, leaving after just 62 pitches in his shortest outing of the season. Despite tossing seven shutout frames last Sunday, the 29-year-old has now allowed five earned runs or more in three of his past four starts. He'll carry a 3.32 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 176:34 K:BB across 157 innings into a home matchup with the Diamondbacks next weekend.

Kolek (5-5) earned the win against the Twins on Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts over seven innings.

Kolek was spotted an early lead and ran with it, throwing 64 of 95 pitches for strikes while limiting the Twins to just two extra-base hits in his longest outing since a complete game shutout May 10. The 28-year-old has delivered quality starts in both of his appearances with the Royals and now owns a 3.88 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 63:27 K:BB across 92.2 innings this season. He's slated to face the Guardians on the road next week.

Garcia won't take his turn in the rotation Sunday against the Rangers, as Framber Valdez is slated to make the start instead, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

According to McTaggart , Garcia isn't dealing with an injury, but Houston wants Valdez to start the series finale instead. It's not clear if that means Garcia will pitch in Toronto on Tuesday for what had been expected to be Valdez's next turn on the mound.