MLB Player News

Houck (2-1) picked up the win Friday, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out four over three scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over Baltimore.

A well-rested Houck piggy-backed on top of starter Rich Hill, who threw four perfect innings before giving up a hit to the first batter faced in the fifth and was removed with Boston holding a 3-0 lead. Houck, whose unvaccinated status caused him to miss two starts, is expected to slip back into the rotation during the series against the Angels next week. With a day off coming, the right-hander's fifth day will be Wednesday.

Houser (2-2) picked up the win Friday, scattering two hits and three walks over six scoreless innings in an 11-1 victory over the Cubs. He struck out six.

The 29-year-old right-hander let only one Chicago runner even reach second base, while his offense supported him with six homers. Houser has delivered back-to-back quality starts and sports a 2.53 ERA through 21.1 innings, but his 18.4 percent strikeout rate and 11.5 percent walk rate suggest he's been more lucky than good so far.

Hendricks (1-2) took the loss Friday, surrendering six runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over 4.1 innings as the Cubs got routed 11-1 by the Brewers. He struck out two.

Six of the seven hits off the veteran right-hander went for extra bases, but he was far from the only offender on the Cubs and the Brewers slugged six homers in all on the night. Hendricks had served up only one long ball in his first four starts of the season, but Friday he looked more like the hurler who got taken deep 31 times in 181 innings in 2021. Hendricks will carry a 5.47 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and uncharacteristic 10.0 percent walk rate into his next outing.

Bubic (0-2) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs on four hits over five inning as the Royals got routed 12-2 by the Yankees. He struck out three without walking a batter.

Three of the four hits off Bubic went for extra bases, including back-to-back jacks by Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning. This was arguably the best outing of the season so far for the southpaw, but Bubic's 10.50 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and 8:9 K:BB through 12 innings will mark him as an unappealing fantasy option until he can show some consistency.

Civale registered a no-decision during Friday's 9-8 win against Oakland, allowing six runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in four innings.

Civale settled down a bit after permitting four runs in the first inning, three of them coming on a Sean Murphy home run, but faltered again in the fourth when he allowed two more runs to cross the plate. The 26-year-old has now surrendered at least four runs while going no deeper than four innings in each of his four starts this season, though he only has two losses thanks to some big offensive showings. He'll carry a 10.67 ERA into his next start, most likely to come against Toronto next weekend.

Cortes (1-0) picked up the win Friday in a 12-2 rout of the Royals, allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits over five innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The Yankees scored three runs in the top of the first inning and slugged four homers in total on the night, giving Cortes more than enough run support. The southpaw tossed 56 of 82 pitches for strikes before hitting the showers, and he continues to completely baffle hitters. Cortes sports a stunning 35.9 percent strikeout rate and 3.8 percent walk rate through his first 20.2 innings in 2022.

Clevinger (knee) is expected to pitch May 3 or 4 in Cleveland if his upcoming bullpen session goes well, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Though he remains on the injured list, Clevinger flew to Pittsburgh to join the Padres following his third minor-league rehab start Thursday and is slated to throw a bullpen in the next few days. If he makes it through that session without incident, the right-hander will likely start one of San Diego's two games in Cleveland -- where he pitched during the first four-plus seasons of his big-league career -- next week. He'll almost certainly be on a pitch count in his initial outings, as Clevinger topped out at 67 pitches during his rehab assignment and hasn't thrown in a major-league game since 2020.

Anderson (2-1) picked up the win Friday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over six innings in a 6-3 victory over the Rangers. He struck out five.

Atlanta jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and Anderson never let Texas back into the game despite firing only 51 of 90 pitches for strikes before exiting. It was the first quality start of the season for the right-hander, but his control remains an issue in the early going -- Anderson's 13.3 percent walk rate is a huge jump from his 9.9 percent rate in 2021, while his 20.5 percent strikeout rate has dropped a similar amount.

Anderson (2-0) picked up the win during Friday's 5-1 victory over Detroit, allowing one run on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts in five innings.

Making his second start in place of Andrew Heaney (shoulder), Anderson worked quickly through his five innings aside from a mini rally in the third that put one run on the board. This was the 32-year-old's first win as a starter this season. Heaney has yet to resume throwing, so Anderson appears on track to make at least one more turn through the rotation, likely next weekend against the Cubs.

Kluber (1-1) picked up the win in Friday's 6-1 victory over the Twins, allowing one run on one hit over six innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The right-hander fired an efficient 71 pitches (48 strikes) before exiting the game with his first quality start of the season. Kluber isn't the ace he was at his peak in Cleveland, but the 36-year-old has had a solid start to 2022, posting a 3.05 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB through 20.2 innings.