MLB Player News

Morton (13-5) allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out four over seven innings to earn the win over the Rockies on Sunday.

Morton was dominant once again, posting his 12th quality start in 15 outings since June 17. The only two hits the 37-year-old gave up were to Raimel Tapia, who led off the fourth with a triple before scoring to put the Rockies on the board. Morton later gave up a second run in the seventh after issuing a leadoff walk and eventually allowing the runner to score on a sacrifice fly. His four strikeouts were the lowest total he's had since June 11 but he was still able to generate 14 whiffs. He now sits at a 3.47 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 185:51 K:BB over 158 innings and lines up to face the Marlins at home next weekend.

Bassitt (face) has been examined by multiple doctors back in Oakland during the Athletics' current road trip and his condition will be reevaluated Monday, the team's official site reports.

Manager Bob Melvin indicated he's received reports Bassitt is progressing well from the surgery he underwent Aug. 24 to repair displaced and fractured bones on the right side of his face stemming from a line drive off the bat of the White Sox's Brian Goodwin. The right-hander has apparently been making such good progress that the possibility of a regular-season return remains in play, and as such, Bassitt's potential timeline to begin a throwing program could be one of the components of the evaluation.

Garcia gained velocity on all five of his pitches during Sunday's outing against the Padres, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Garcia's four-seam fastball averaged 94.5 mph Sunday, slightly more than the 93.3 mph average for the season. The cutter, which averaged 86 mph all year, was up to 88.5 on Sunday. He's thrown a career-high 134 innings this season, 25.1 innings more than his previous high in 2019. The 24-year-old right-hander, who never pitched above A-ball prior to 2020, keeps chugging along. In addition to maintaining or increasing velocity, the rookie showed composure Sunday, not letting the Padres' three-run first inning get to him. He yielded just three baserunners following that first frame. The Astros will continue to limit his pitches per outing, capping him at about 80, which routinely limits Garcia to fewer than six innings in his starts.

Feltner (0-1) allowed six runs on five hits and two walks over 2.2 innings as he took the loss against Atlanta on Sunday.

Feltner's debut was one he won't want to remember after giving up three home runs before even managing to complete three innings. Ozzie Albies took him deep to right on the first pitch of the game. Feltner then found himself trying to get out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third and was unable to do so. Austin Riley drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and then Adam Duvall and Travis d'Arnaud followed with back-to-back home runs to make it 6-0 and end Feltner's outing. He should continue to get some looks in the back end of the rotation with the Rockies currently down two starters due to inury.

Davies allowed six runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out three batters over four innings Sunday against the Pirates. He did not factor into the decision.

Davies was punished by the long ball Sunday. He allowed a first-inning solo home run to Yoshi Tsutsugo and then a grand slam to Brian Reynolds in the third. Reynolds would chase Davies out of the game in the fifth after leading off with a single and eventually came around to score, charging the 28-year-old with his sixth run of the game. Davies has now failed to reach five innings in seven of his last 11 starts and sits at a 5.16 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 108:67 K:BB over 139.2 innings. He tentatively lines up for a meeting with the Giants his next time out.

Junk (0-1) allowed five runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out two across 3.2 innings, taking the loss to the Rangers on Sunday.

Junk surrendered a pair of home runs to DJ Peters. He struggled to get through the fourth inning, but the four runs in that frame came after a throwing error by Luis Rengifo and didn't count toward Junk's ERA. The 25-year-old isn't not a highly coveted prospect and shouldn't be on most radars for now.

Buehler (13-3) took the loss in Sunday's 6-4 defeat at the hands of the Giants, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk with one strikeout in three innings.

Buehler picked the wrong time to have his worst start of the season as first place was on the line in the NL West. The Cy Young contender permitted runs in all three innings in submitting only his second start with less than six innings pitched and lowest strikeout total all year. Look for Buehler to rebound next weekend against San Diego as his 2.31 ERA still leads MLB.

Flexen didn't factor into the decision in Sunday's 10-4 extra-innings win over Arizona, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts in six innings.

Flexen was rolling through five innings but permitted three runs on three hits in the sixth to fall behind 3-2. Seattle eventually knotted the score and went on to win in extras while Flexen posted his fourth quality start in five turns. The 27-year-old has now allowed no more than three runs in any of his last seven starts and has a 2.93 ERA in the span.

Heaney (8-9) allowed four runs on four hits in one-third of an inning to take the loss Sunday versus Baltimore.

The southpaw was responsible for all four runs Baltimore hung on the board in the seventh inning. Heaney has made two appearances since shifting to a relief role, allowing six runs in 2.1 innings. He's also struggled as a starter this year, with a 5.81 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 142:40 K:BB across 122.1 innings between the Yankees and Angels. Until he can get things sorted out, he'll likely be limited to low-leverage work in the bullpen, although he could make a spot start if the Yankees' rotation gets thin.

Kluber allowed two runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 3.2 innings in a no-decision versus Baltimore on Sunday.

The right-hander surrendered a solo home run to Austin Hays in the second inning and a sacrifice fly to Jorge Mateo in the fourth to account for the runs. Kluber threw 46 of 78 pitches for strikes in his second start back from a shoulder strain. The right-hander has walked five in 7.2 innings since he returned, showing a lack of control likely due to his extended absence. He has a 3.69 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 66:28 K:BB across 61 innings overall. Kluber lines up for a road start versus the Mets in next weekend's Subway Series, but he's yet to handle a full starter's workload, and it's unclear how deep he'll be able to pitch in his next turn.