MLB Player News
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DL Hall SP | MIL
Brewers' DL Hall: Starting Sunday vs. Arizona
Hall is listed as the Brewers' starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, Jesse Friedman of GoPHNX.com reports.
Hall logged 5.2 innings across two relief appearances since joining the Brewers as a September call-up, and Sunday will mark his first start since he tossed seven scoreless frames in Cincinnati on Aug. 30. Hall has the potential to look excellent on the right day, but he's struggled to stay healthy for prolonged stretches while working as a traditional starter. Arizona's team .787 OPS against lefties ranks second in baseball behind Philadelphia (.800 OPS), so Hall will carry some risk as a streaming option.
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Ben Lively SP | CLE
Guardians' Ben Lively: Confirmed for Sunday
The Guardians list Lively (thigh) as their scheduled starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the Rays.
He exited his start Tuesday against the White Sox after taking a comebacker off his right thigh in the second inning, but he escaped with little more than a bruise and has shown enough improvement to make his next start on normal rest. Prior to his early exit Tuesday, Lively had failed to log five innings in three of his previous five starts. He had a 6.20 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 24.2 innings over that stretch.
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Michael Lorenzen SP | KC
Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Continuing rehab assignment
Lorenzen (hamstring) will continue his rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Omaha.
The right-hander gave up three runs over 1.2 innings during his first rehab outing Tuesday with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, and he'll follow that abbreviated appearance with another start Friday. Lorenzen is working his way back from a Grade 2 hamstring strain he sustained in late August, and it's unclear if he'll require another rehab outing before being activated from the injured list.
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Tanner Houck SP | BOS
Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Confirmed for Friday's start
Houck (arm) is listed as Friday's starter against the Yankees.
Manager Alex Cora noted Tuesday that Houck had been going through a "dead arm" phase that resulted in his start getting pushed back. The right-hander will end up getting eight days between starts. He is 0-2 with a 4.25 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 29.2 innings over his last five starts. Houck has logged at least five innings in each of his last 10 starts.
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Hayden Birdsong SP | SF
Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Throws five scoreless frames
Birdsong did not factor into the decision in a loss to the Brewers on Thursday, allowing two hits and one walk over five scoreless innings while striking out four.
Birdsong got off to a great start Thursday, allowing just one hit through the first four innings before being relieved in the sixth after throwing just 68 pitches. It marked the right-hander's first time going at least five innings since July 27 against the Rockies, which was also the last time that he collected a win. Additionally, it marked the first time in Birdsong's last five starts that he didn't issue multiple walks.
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Frankie Montas SP | MIL
Brewers' Frankie Montas: Hurls six-inning gem
Montas (7-10) picked up the win over the Giants on Thursday, allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless frames while striking out eight.
Montas stifled San Francisco's lineup, allowing just two batters to reach second base during his six innings on the mound. The right-hander generated 19 swings and misses en route to posting eight or more strikeouts for only the third time this season. It also marked Montas' second consecutive quality start to open the month, and he now carries a very strong 18:5 K:BB September to go along with a 2.25 ERA.
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Bryce Miller SP | SEA
Mariners' Bryce Miller: Strong over six innings
Miller did not factor into the decision in a loss to the Rangers on Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over six innings while striking out seven.
Miller impressed during his time on the mound, allowing only a solo shot by Josh Jung in the top of the second inning. It marked the right-hander's second consecutive quality start and the third time in his last four outings that he allowed one or fewer runs. Miller also managed to record seven strikeouts on the night despite generating only six whiffs, marking his highest strikeout total this month. He now carries a 2.16 ERA through three September starts to go along with a 15:6 K:BB.
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Gavin Williams SP | CLE
Guardians' Gavin Williams: Takes ninth loss
Williams (3-9) took the loss against the Rays on Thursday, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out five.
Williams got off to a rocky start, surrendering a solo homer to Brandon Lowe in the second at-bat of the game to put Cleveland in an early hole. The Rays would get to the right-hander again in the fourth, this time for two runs after he allowed three of the first five batters to reach. Williams would not make it through six frames for the fifth time in his last six starts while going on to take his second straight loss. He now carries a 6.23 ERA in September over three starts to go along with an 11:7 K:BB. Williams has also issued multiple walks in six consecutive outings.
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Cooper Criswell SP | BOS
Red Sox's Cooper Criswell: Strong showing in no-decision
Criswell did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Yankees. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four across 5.1 innings.
Criswell gave up a leadoff home run to Gleyber Torres but settled in nicely after that to pitch into the sixth inning. Criswell was removed from the rotation shortly after the All-Star break and then spent some time on the COVID-19 IL in August, but he's now back in the rotation for the final weeks of the campaign. The 28-year-old has a 3.98 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 97.1 innings in his first season with the Red Sox.