MLB Player News

Dunning plans to return from the COVID-19 injured list Friday to pitch an inning in the Rangers' series opener in Oakland, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Dunning has been on the COVID-19 IL since Aug. 25, with his two-plus-week layoff suggesting that he most likely tested positive for the virus. The right-hander is in the process of regaining conditioning, and he appears to be feeling good after he tossed 23 pitches in a simulated game Monday. The Rangers' plans for Dunning over the rest of the season aren't entirely clear, but if he does in fact return Friday, he'll likely be limited to a bullpen role or working as an opener in front of Glenn Otto. Since Texas isn't sending Dunning out on a minor-league rehab assignment in which he would be able to build up his pitch count, he may not fill a traditional starting role for the remaining three weeks of September.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi said Suarez will make his next scheduled start Thursday against the Rockies in Philadelphia, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Suarez turned in perhaps the best of his seven starts to date this season his last time out Saturday in Miami, when he struck out seven Marlins over five scoreless frames to come away with a no-decision. Although Suarez was sitting at only 71 pitches through five innings, the Phillies opted not to send him out for the sixth after the southpaw relayed to the training staff that he was experiencing "a little tightness" in his triceps, per Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Phillies appear to have pulled Suarez early as a matter of precaution, as Girardi never expressed any doubt the 26-year-old would be ready to make his next start. Suarez shouldn't face any major restrictions in his return to the hill Thursday.

Kikuchi (7-8) allowed six runs (four earned) on three hits and four walks and didn't strike anybody out over just 1.2 innings as he took the loss Monday against the Astros.

Monday's was certainly a performance to forget for Kikuchi. He issued a walk in the first but didn't face any real trouble. He then walked three straight batters to begin the second frame and the bases eventually cleared after Jake Meyers hit a three-run homer to make it 5-0. The Astros continued to pile on with two more doubles to make it 6-0 before Kikuchi's night was finally over. The southpaw managed to throw just 19 of his 42 pitches for strikes and looked completely lost after blanking the Astros last week. It's hard to predict how Kikuchi's starts will go because he's really hit or miss at times. He now has a 4.32 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 149:57 K:BB over 146 innings and is tentatively in line for a weekend start against the Diamondbacks.

McCullers (11-4) allowed two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win over the Mariners on Monday.

McCullers was handed an early cushion after the Astros went up 6-0 by the end of the second inning. The Mariners got to him in the third for a two-run double, but otherwise, McCullers was able to work around some walks and hold them in check. The 27-year-old has had his way with the M's this season, as he's beaten them three times in four games and has a 3.13 WHIP and 26:11 K:BB over 23 innings. For the year, McCullers sports a 3.19 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 161:67 K:BB over 138.1 innings. He lines up for a favorable matchup against the Angels over the weekend.

Bielak pitched three scoreless innings Monday against the Mariners to pick up the save. He allowed just one hit and walked four while striking out three batters.

The Astros won this game by nine runs, but because Bielak threw the final three innings, he gets the save. He struggled with his command and had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth after walking back-to-back batters, but got Cal Raleigh to ground into a 3-6-3 double play to end the game. Bielak owns a 4.79 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 36:15 K:BB over 41.1 innings and likely won't figure to see any more save chances the rest of the way.

Whitlock (7-3) allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits while striking out two over 1.1 innings to pick up a blown save and a loss against the Rays on Monday.

Whitlock was called on to close out the game with Boston up, 9-8, in the top of the ninth, but Austin Meadows' inside-the-park home run forced extra frames. It was a tough-luck situation for Whitlock, who watched the entire outfield misplay Meadows' smash off the wall. Another error in the 10th inning led to a run and earned him the loss. Whitlock has been good for Boston and should continue to work high-leverage spots along with Adam Ottavino, while the team gets a handle on its COVID-19 outbreak. Matt Barnes, the team's nominal closer who was also caught up in the outbreak, slipped dramatically before landing on the COVID-19 list, posting a 15.88 ERA over 10 August outings.

Ober allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four in four innings versus Cleveland on Monday. He did not factor in the decision.

As planned, Ober and Michael Pineda combined to cover seven innings in the contest. Minnesota led wire-to-wire, but Ober didn't work deep enough into the contest to earn the win. He's been solid in his last five starts, yielding seven runs (six earned) in 26.1 innings while adding a 25:2 K:BB in that span. The 26-year-old has a 4.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 81:17 K:BB across 78.2 innings, but he'll likely have his workload limited as he completes his first major-league season. Ober projects for a home start versus Kansas City this weekend.

Sale allowed five runs (one earned) on 10 hits and a walk over 3.2 innings in Monday's loss to the Rays. He struck out six and did not factor in the decision.

Sale escaped the first inning after allowing just one run despite giving up four hits. He then kept the Rays off the board until an ugly fourth inning. Four unearned runs came around to score after a fielding error by Alex Verdugo and a throwing error by Taylor Motter. It was his shortest outing of the year but he managed to lower his ERA to 2.52 through 25 innings. Sale has given up two or fewer earned runs in each of his five starts. He's lined up to face the White Sox on the road this weekend.

Freeland (5-7) was ambushed for seven runs and picked up a loss against the Giants on Monday. He gave up nine hits while walking three and striking out six in 4.1 innings.

The left-hander struggled with the long ball in this one as he surrendered four of them in the contest including two by Thairo Estrada. He had only surrendered four total home runs in his last seven starts coming into Monday, a stretch where he posted a 3.25 ERA over 36 innings. He'll look to return to form in his next projected start Saturday versus the Phillies.

Gausman (13-5) picked up a win after tossing seven innings of three-run ball while giving up five hits, walking one and striking out nine against the Rockies on Monday.

The 30-year-old was effective in this one while limiting the Rockies to only three runs at the challenging venue of Coors Field. Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson each hit solo home runs off the veteran and Charlie Blackmon tripled in the other run charged to Gausman in the start. Gausman has now rattled off eight consecutive starts where he has surrendered three or less runs, picking up four wins along the way. He is expected to start next on Saturday in Chicago against the Cubs.