MLB Player News
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Cade Horton P | CHC
Cubs' Cade Horton: Stumbles in third loss
Horton (3-3) took the loss Wednesday against the Twins, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out five.
After firing seven shutout innings his last time out, Horton stumbled in Minnesota on Wednesday despite registering an impressive 19 whiffs. The rookie right-hander has now failed to make it through five frames in three of his last four starts, and he's walked multiple batters and been unable to fan greater than five in each of these outings. Horton will take a shaky 4.45 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 43:18 K:BB through his first 56.2 innings into the All-Star break, but he has a clear pathway to a rotation spot with the Cubs for now due to the absence of Justin Steele (elbow).
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Brandon Pfaadt SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Brandon Pfaadt: Completes eight frames in victory
Pfaadt (9-6) earned the win over San Diego on Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out four batters over eight innings.
Pfaadt was both effective and efficient in the outing, needing a comfortable 99 pitches to get through a season-high eight frames. In fact, this was just the second time this season he's completed more than six innings -- his previous high was 6.1 frames May 8 against the Dodgers. Pfaadt didn't overwhelm batters with just seven whiffs and four punchouts, but he limited the Padres to only four hits. He's unlikely to pitch again until after the All-Star break; if that's the case, he'll finish the first half of the campaign with a 9-6 record despite a poor 5.16 ERA and 1.31 WHIP along with an 84:23 K:BB over 99.1 innings (19 starts).
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Kumar Rocker P | TEX
Rangers' Kumar Rocker: Rocked by Angels
Rocker allowed six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Angels on Wednesday.
Rocker was staked to a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third inning, but he couldn't hold the advantage. The right-hander was tagged for six runs over the third through fifth frames, serving up three homers -- including two to Mike Trout -- along the way. The six earned runs tied a season-worst mark for Rocker, with the other such instance coming in his season debut March 31 versus Cincinnati. Wednesday's poor outing snapped what had been a pretty strong run for Rocker, as he entered the day having posted a 2.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over his previous four starts.
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Andrew Abbott SP | CIN
Reds' Andrew Abbott: Rebounds with quality start
Abbott (8-1) picked up the win Wednesday against the Marlins, allowing one run on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 7.2 innings.
Abbott was pulled in the fourth inning of his previous start after allowing four earned runs. The 26-year-old bounced back Wednesday by firing seven scoreless innings before Heriberto Hernandez broke the shutout with an RBI single during the eighth frame. The outing marked Abbott's sixth quality start of the campaign and snapped a streak of three consecutive appearances with fewer than five Ks. He'll take a 2.07 ERA and an 83:24 K:BB over 91.1 innings into his next start, which won't come until after the All-Star break.
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Sandy Alcantara SP | MIA
Marlins' Sandy Alcantara: Spiral continues
Alcantara (4-9) took the loss Wednesday against the Reds, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out five.
Alcantara seemed to get back on track in June after rattling off eight losses in nine starts spanning April 18 to May 28. He logged a 2.74 ERA and a 19:5 K:BB in his first four outings of the month. However, the 29-year-old has been shelled in three consecutive appearances since, yielding 18 runs and 24 hits across 17 innings. Alcantara owns a 7.22 ERA in 93 innings heading into the All-Star break as he continues to struggle in his first year back from Tommy John surgery.
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Kyle Hendricks SP | LAA
Angels' Kyle Hendricks: Rattled by Rangers
Hendricks allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 3.2 innings in a no-decision against Texas on Wednesday.
Hendricks was tagged for a run in the first inning and two more in the third. He returned for the fourth but didn't make it out of the frame, as he was pulled after giving up a run-scoring double to Josh Smith. It was the sixth time over 18 starts that Hendricks has given up at least four earned runs, though this was his first such instance since June 6. The right-hander likely won't pitch again until after the All-Star break; if that's the case, he'll finish the first half of the campaign with a mediocre 4.88 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 65:24 K:BB over 96 innings.
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Lucas Giolito SP | SD
Red Sox's Lucas Giolito: Blanks Rockies
Giolito (6-1) picked up the win Wednesday against Colorado, allowing four hits and no walks with six strikeouts over six scoreless innings.
Giolito took advantage of a lackluster Rockies lineup, posting his fourth scoreless outing in his last five starts. During that stretch, he owns a 5-0 record and a sparkling 0.70 ERA across 38.2 innings. The streak has lowered his ERA from 6.42 to 3.36, which is where it'll stand entering the All-Star break.
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Antonio Senzatela SP | COL
Rockies' Antonio Senzatela: Loses again
Senzatela (3-13) took the loss Wednesday against Boston, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out three.
Senzatela continues to extend his lead for most losses in baseball, adding a tally in the column for a third consecutive outing. The 30-year-old has failed to exceed four strikeouts in all but one of his 19 appearances. Since the start of June, Senzatela owns a 5.67 ERA and an 18:16 K:BB over 33.1 innings. He'll take a 6.60 ERA into the All-Star break.
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Bailey Falter SP | KC
Pirates' Bailey Falter: Struggles with power
Falter didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Kansas City, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4.2 innings.
Falter yielded multiple home runs for a second consecutive start, surrendering a solo homer to Salvador Perez and a two-run shot to Jac Caglianone. Falter hasn't completed six frames in seven straight outings, logging a 5.17 ERA and an 18:12 K:BB over 31.1 innings during that stretch. He'll take a 3.79 ERA into the All-Star break.
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Kris Bubic SP | KC
Royals' Kris Bubic: Another solid outing
Bubic didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Pittsburgh, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks across 5.2 innings. He struck out six.
Bubic allowed fewer than four earned runs for a fifth consecutive start and fell one out short of his 12th quality start of the campaign. In his last five outings, Bubic owns a 4.03 ERA and a 31:8 K:BB across 29 innings. He will take a 2.48 ERA and a 113:34 K:BB across 108.2 innings into the All-Star break.