MLB Player News

Mahle (8-3) earned the win over the Cubs on Wednesday by pitching six shutout innings during which he gave up five hits and one walk while striking out two.

The right-hander picked up his first victory since June 16 by keeping Chicago off the scoreboard despite tying a season low with only two strikeouts. He wasn't exactly efficient with his offerings -- Mahle needed 103 pitches to get through six frames and threw only 59 of those pitches for strikes -- but he issued just one walk and was able to rack up outs in spite of constantly pitching deep into counts. The 26-year-old notched his sixth quality start of the season and lowered his ERA to 3.71. He's lined up to next face the Twins at home early next week.

Wacha didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 3-1 extra-inning loss to the Yankees, allowing one unearned run on three hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out nine.

As is the Tampa Bay way, Wacha wasn't allowed to go too deep into the game despite his impressive performance as he got the hook after 79 pitches (54 strikes). The nine whiffs tied his season high, and he didn't serve up a homer for the first time since June 24 after getting taken deep eight times in his last four appearances. On the season, Wacha sports a 4.79 ERA and 66:19 K:BB through 71.1 innings.

Houser (7-5) allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two in five innings to earn the win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

The right-hander was very effective despite a relatively short outing that saw him throw just 70 pitches (42 strikes). Houser has made two starts and one appearance since the All-Star break, allowing four runs across 11 innings. He has a 3.69 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 76:43 K:BB through 97.2 innings overall. Houser lines up for a rematch at home versus Pittsburgh next week.

Cortes didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 3-1 extra-inning win over the Rays, allowing one run on three hits over five innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

While he was originally expected to have a cap of about 60 pitches in his return from the COVID-19 list, Cortes instead tossed 79 (52 strikes) and pitched well enough to earn a win. The Cuban lefty could find himself moving back to the bullpen once Luis Severino (elbow) completes his recovery even if the Yankees don't add another starting pitcher before the trade deadline, but Cortes has been outstanding in any role this season, posting a 1.93 ERA and 39:10 K:BB through 32.2 innings.

Megill didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Atlanta, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out six.

The 26-year-old rookie continues to impress, and only a lack of run support prevented Megill from collecting his second straight win. He's given up one run or fewer in five straight starts, and his 2.04 ERA and 39:11 K:BB through 35.1 innings will be tough to dislodge from the rotation even when the Mets' more experienced arms get healthy.

Fried (7-7) took the loss Wednesday, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings as Atlanta fell 2-1 to the Mets. He struck out nine.

The southpaw set a new season high in whiffs while tossing 67 of 106 pitches for strikes, but Fried still came out on the wrong end of the decision. He's delivered a quality start in two of his last three outings and eight times overall this year, leading to a 4.32 ERA and 94:32 K:BB through 91.2 innings.

Kim (6-6) allowed five earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out none across 2.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday against Cleveland.

Kim entered the game having completed at least six innings in each of his last four starts. He had also recorded a win in five consecutive outings. However, things didn't go as planned Wednesday as he served up four home runs in his shortest outing of the season. Despite the poor outing, he still has a solid 3.31 ERA with 67 strikeouts across 87 innings on the campaign.

Davies (6-7) allowed four runs across six innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Reds. He gave up seven hits and four walks while striking out eight.

Davies allowed too many baserunners, and the Chicago offense didn't do him any favors by not scoring any runs until the ninth inning, but the righty was still able to turn in a decent outing. The eight strikeouts certainly helped him get out of trouble, and he's now struck out exactly eight batters in his last two starts. The figure is a season high and a bit of an outlier for Davies, who came into Wednesday's contest with a 6.1 K/9 this season. He'll now carry a 4.39 ERA into his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Rockies at Coors Field as he looks to even up his record.

Lyles allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with six strikeouts in seven innings Wednesday against the Diamondbacks. He did not factor in the decision.

Lyles earned his fifth quality start in his last seven outings, limiting the Diamondbacks to a David Peralta home run in the second inning and an Andrew Young sacrifice fly in the seventh before turning 2-2 game over to the bullpen. It was a steady effort by Lyles, who had been knocked around for 10 earned runs and seven homers over his previous two starts. The 30-year-old righty is 5-7 with a 5.04 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 114.1 innings on the season.

Matz (8-6) allowed four runs on nine hits and one walk in 3.1 innings Wednesday in a loss to Boston. He had two strikeouts.

Matz didn't have any answers for the Red Sox, with the big blow coming on Jarren Duran's two-run triple in the fourth inning. The 30-year-old southpaw has dropped three of four decisions in July, with all those stumbles unfolding on the road. Matz has shown periodic flashes of effectiveness in his first year as a Blue Jay, but he now owns a bloated 1.38 WHIP in 18 starts and his spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy if Toronto adds any starting pitching prior to Friday's trade deadline.