MLB Player News

Giolito struck out eight batters in five innings Saturday against the Rangers but allowed four runs on six hits and three walks. He did not factor into the decision.

Giolito allowed two baserunners in both of the first two innings but retired the side in order in the third and fourth frame, carrying a 5-0 lead into the top of the fifth. It all unraveled from there, as he loaded the bases with none out before allowing a sacrifice fly and three-run homer. He was able to escape the inning with a narrow one-run lead, but his teammates in the bullpen were unable to stem the bleeding in a game they'd eventually lose 11-9. He's now had two shaky starts in his last three, as he'd previously allowed six runs against the Blue Jays in his final start in May, another outing in which he struck out eight. He'll face a tough task next week as he aims to reverse the slump, as he's expected to face the Astros in Houston on Friday.

Perez escaped with a no-decision Saturday against the White Sox despite allowing seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits, striking out four while walking two.

Perez owns a modest 20.0 percent strikeout rate, so the 1.56 ERA he carried into this start was always going to rise once the hits started falling. They fell early and often in this one, with the White Sox scoring twice in the second inning, three times in the fourth and twice more in the fifth. Perez also gave up just his second homer of the season, a two-run shot to Jake Burger. The outing raised his ERA by over half a run to 2.18 on the year and stands in stark contrast to the 0.88 ERA he posted across his last nine starts, serving as a reminder that this is a pitcher with a career 4.55 ERA we're talking about, not one who regularly finds himself in Cy Young contention. He'll try to get back on track next week in Detroit.

Baz (0-1) gave up five runs on three hits and three walks in 2.1 innings while striking out just two batters Saturday against the Twins, picking up the loss in his season debut.

Baz entered the season with plenty of hype, but arthroscopic elbow surgery in late March kept him on the shelf for the first two months of the campaign. His season debut certainly didn't go as he would have liked, as the Twins scored five runs in the third inning on a Luis Arraez grand slam and a Jose Miranda double. One bad outing shouldn't dent Baz's significant pedigree, though it does serve as a reminder that expecting dominance immediately after a return from elbow surgery may have been unwise. He'll look to get back on track next week, when he lines up to face the Orioles on Friday.

Buehler's MRI revealed a flexor strain in his right elbow Saturday, which will prevent him from throwing for 6-to-8 weeks, but the Dodgers aren't calling him done for the season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The positive spin on Buehler's injury is that it's believed to be manageable via rest and rehab rather than surgery, but that's where the optimism ends. The given timeline means he won't even pick up a baseball until sometime in late July or early August, and the length of his absence means he'll have to fully build back up at that point. That puts his likely return sometime in September and means that even a minor setback could end his regular season.

Valdez (6-3) took the loss Saturday versus the Marlins, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks with six strikeouts in six innings.

The Marlins were able to take advantage of some sloppy defense in the second inning to piece together a three-run rally. Only one of the four runs on Valdez's line came directly off a hit -- a groundout, a fielder's choice and a walk accounted for the others. With this loss, the southpaw saw his five-start winning streak end. He has a 2.64 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 61:28 K:BB through 75 innings in 12 starts this year. Valdez is projected for a home start versus the White Sox next week.

Garrett (1-1) allowed an unearned run on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings to earn the win Saturday over the Astros.

An error allowed Jeremy Pena to reach in the fifth inning, and Jose Altuve knocked him in with an RBI double. That was the only damage on Garrett's line in an otherwise productive outing for his first win in two games this season. Hes now given up five runs (four earned) on 11 hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts across nine innings. Garrett has a chance to continue in the rotation as injuries have piled up for the Marlins -- he's projected for a road start versus the Mets next week.

Wells (3-4) allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings, earning the win Saturday over the Royals.

Wells picked up his third quality start of the year in this contest, including his second in his last three outings, though it wasn't his sharpest performance. The Royals scored once in the first inning and twice in the fourth before the Orioles' offense picked up the pace to pull ahead. Wells threw 60 of 84 pitches for strikes in this contest as he continues to adapt to a starter's workload. He's posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a 33:11 K:BB through 53.2 innings in 12 starts. The right-hander is scheduled for a tough road start versus the Blue Jays next week.

Lynch (2-6) allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings, taking the loss Saturday versus the Orioles.

The Royals led 3-0 after four innings, but a Cedric Mullins RBI single in the fifth and a three-run Tyler Nevin home run in the sixth knocked Lynch from the game en route to the loss. The 25-year-old southpaw has lost three starts in a row, and five of his six defeats on the year have been in his last seven outings. He's at a 5.50 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 50:23 K:BB across 54 innings in 11 starts, and it's unclear how much longer the Royals will tolerate his struggles. Lynch is projected for a road start versus the Athletics next week in a battle between the American League's two worst teams.

Morton allowed four runs on five hits and a walk with 12 strikeouts in six innings, taking a no-decision versus the Pirates on Saturday.

Morton left the game with Atlanta trailing, but a seventh-inning rally got him off the hook. He gave up solo home runs to Bryan Reynolds and Daniel Vogelbach in the first inning and a pair of RBI doubles in the fifth to Reynolds and Ke'Bryan Hayes. While Morton has allowed four runs in each of his last four starts, this was the first time in nearly a month he's completed six innings. He has a 5.67 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 66:26 K:BB in 60.1 innings overall across 12 starts. He's projected for a road start against the Cubs next week.

Eovaldi (hip) won't start Tuesday against Oakland as previously scheduled, but there's a chance he starts as soon as Wednesday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

The Red Sox previously maintained that Eovaldi would make his next start on schedule despite the fact that he returned to Boston to have his right hip checked out, but that's evidently no longer the case. The fact that a Wednesday start is still in play suggests that the team still isn't particularly worried, though a decision on when he'll next take the mound won't come until Monday's off day. Nick Pivetta will jump ahead of him to start Tuesday's series opener.