MLB Player News

Gray (1-2) took the loss during Saturday's 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Astros, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in six innings.

Gray pitched well against a strong Houston lineup but let in runs in the first and fifth innings, with the two-run deficit proving too steep to overcome. The quality start marked the 30-year-old's longest outing so far this season, and first quality start in six turns, though he's now recorded four strikeouts or fewer in every start but one. Gray is scheduled to pitch again at Oakland next weekend.

Keller (1-4) allowed four runs on five hits and three walks over seven innings to take the loss to the Twins on Saturday. He struck out four.

Free passes came back to haunt Keller in the third and sixth innings. Even after this step backward, Keller still has a 3.20 ERA and 1.03 WHIP this season, an improvement driven in large part by a reduction in walk rate to this point. Keller lacks swing-and-miss dominance and the team context is a negative, but he keeps the ball on the ground and is firmly in the streaming territory for fantasy baseball.

Steele pitched scoreless five innings, surrendering one hit and two walks while striking out nine in the loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday. He did not factor into the decision.

Steele, tasked with facing the Diamondbacks for a second straight start Saturday, once again dominated the opponent. He limited them to just three baserunners while allowing a season-low one hit. After having 19 total punchouts over his first six starts, the left-hander registered 19 combined in his two starts versus Arizona. Additionally, he only surrendered one run over those two outings and now sits with a 3.82 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 38 strikeouts over 33 innings.

Ryan (5-2) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Royals. He struck out six.

Ryan was efficient, facing 24 batters and retiring 17 on just 79 pitches. In another era, Ryan may have gone deeper into the contest, but manager Rocco Baldelli decided to play the matchups in the sixth inning with the bases loaded. Ryan has allowed two runs over 11.2 innings with an 11:2 K:BB in his last two starts since his four-run hiccup against Houston back on May 10. He has a sparkling 2.28 ERA overall this season.

Verlander (6-1) earned the win during Saturday's 2-1 victory over Texas, allowing six hits with eight strikeouts in six scoreless innings.

After escaping a first-inning jam with the help of an out at the plate, Verlander cruised through five easy frames en route to his fifth straight win. The 39-year-old has lowered his ERA from 1.93 to a league-leading 1.22 with 19 consecutive scoreless innings over his last three starts and is pitching as efficiently as ever with his 14.2 pitches per inning ranking fifth in MLB. He'll look to keep the streak going with a start on tap for next weekend against Seattle.

Montas exited Saturday's start versus the Angels with a right hand injury, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Montas was clipped on the right hand while fielding a Luis Rengifo line drive in the bottom of the second frame, forcing him to exit the game early. He tried a few practice tosses, but ultimately was unable to remain in the game after the play. Domingo Acevedo replaced him on the mound and the Athletics will now have to rely on their bullpen for the rest of the contest. Montas will inevitably undergo testing later Saturday and the results will provide more clarity to his health.

Irvin (shoulder) will start Sunday against the Angels, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Irvin has missed all of May due to shoulder tendinitis. He threw five innings in a rehab start Tuesday, striking out six batters while allowing one run on five hits and no walks, so it looks as though he should be ready for something close to a full workload Sunday.

Canning (back) will visit a specialist Monday and may require surgery, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Canning has been dealing with back issues dating back to last July. He suffered a setback during spring training but was throwing in April and May before getting set back yet again. His outlook doesn't appear to be particularly good if surgery is on the table, though a better sense of his return timeline should emerge early next week.

Ashcraft will start Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Connor Overton was initially scheduled to start Sunday's series finale in Toronto, but he was scratched due to back soreness. After Ashcraft's contract was selected by the Reds on Friday, he'll make his first major-league appearance while starting on short notice. The severity of Overton's injury isn't yet clear, but it's possible that Ashcraft remains in the rotation if Overton requires a trip to the injured list. Over seven starts at Triple-A Louisville this year, Ashcraft posted a 2.48 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 32.2 innings.

Overton is dealing with back soreness and won't make his scheduled start Sunday against Toronto, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Overton was scheduled to start in Sunday's series finale in Toronto, but Graham Ashcraft will step in to make his first major-league start. Overton has been effective early in 2022, as he's posted a 1.82 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 24.2 innings over four starts. However, it's not yet clear when he'll be able to make his next start or whether he'll require a trip to the injured list.