MLB Player News
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Kevin Gausman SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman: Strikes out eight in win
Gausman (4-3) earned the win against the Pirates on Friday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk with eight strikeouts over 6.2 innings
Gausman allowed a run in the first inning but settled in from there, throwing 65 of 94 pitches for strikes while generating a whopping 19 whiffs, including nine on his splitter. The veteran has now delivered seven quality starts while yielding three earned runs or fewer in nine of 11 outings this season. He'll carry a 3.23 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 61:10 K:BB across 64 innings into a home matchup against the Marlins next week.
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Louie Varland RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Earns two-inning save
Varland earned the save in Friday's 6-2 win over the Pirates, striking out three without allowing a baserunner over two scoreless innings.
Varland was called on to protect a 3-1 lead with two men on and no outs in the eighth inning and escaped the jam while allowing one inherited runner to score. He then returned for the ninth after the Blue Jays tacked on three more runs and retired the side once again. It marked the second time the 28-year-old has logged two frames in his past four outings, and he's now yielded just two earned runs through 25 appearances this season. Overall, he's 7-for-7 in save chances with a 0.65 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 40:9 K:BB across 27.2 innings.
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Bryan Baker RP | TB
Rays' Bryan Baker: Earns 14th save
Baker earned the save in Friday's 4-2 win over the Yankees, allowing one hit and no walks with one strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.
Baker was summoned to finish off a late Rays comeback and worked around a one-out walk to slam the door on 19 pitches. The 31-year-old has now converted three straight save chances after blowing a save May 13, and he owns a 1.80 ERA across 11 appearances in the month. On the year, he's 14-for-17 in save opportunities with a 2.53 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 25:9 K:BB across 21.1 innings.
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Nick Martinez SP | TB
Rays' Nick Martinez: Strong again in no-decision
Martinez did not factor into the decision in Friday's 4-2 win over the Yankees, allowing one run on nine hits and one walk with one strikeout over six innings.
Martinez surrendered a solo homer in the fifth inning but otherwise kept the Yankees at bay despite allowing 11 hard-hit balls. It continued a fantastic run for the veteran, who has now yielded two earned runs or fewer in each of his 10 outings this season while logging six quality starts. He'll carry a sparkling 1.51 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 36:12 K:BB across 59.2 innings into a road matchup against the Orioles next week.
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Jonny DeLuca RF | TB
Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Likely IL bound
Manager Kevin Cash said that DeLuca suffered a hamstring injury during Friday's game against the Yankees and will likely be placed on the injured list, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The severity of DeLuca's injury remains unclear, but the Rays have already determined that the situation warrants keeping him on the shelf for at least 10 days. Victor Mesa is expected to take DeLuca's place on the active roster, as he was removed from his game at Triple-A Durham shortly after DeLuca went down.
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Gerrit Cole SP | NYY
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Throws six scoreless in return
Cole did not factor into the decision in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Rays, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out two over six scoreless innings.
In his first major-league start in 569 days, Cole needed just 72 pitches to spin six scoreless frames. He generated only five whiffs but filled the zone with 50 strikes and limited the Rays to three hard-hit balls while averaging 96.1 mph on both his four-seamer and sinker. It was clearly an encouraging showing for the 35-year-old, who lines up for a road matchup against the Royals next week.
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Zachary Neto SS | LAA
Angels' Zach Neto: Retakes leadoff role
Neto has started at shortstop and batted leadoff for each of the Angels' past five games.
Neto hasn't hit well over that stretch, going just 2-for-20 with a home run, two RBI and a 1:8 BB:K. However, he seems to have retaken the leadoff spot after moving down to sixth in the order for a few days in mid-May. Neto hasn't met expectations with a .720 OPS through 51 contests on the campaign, but he's still managed to produce eight homers, 22 RBI, 32 runs and seven stolen bases.
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Kyle Manzardo 1B | CLE
Guardians' Kyle Manzardo: Comes off bench to play hero
Manzardo went 1-for-1 with a solo home run in Friday's 1-0 win over the Phillies.
The 25-year-old ceded first base to Rhys Hoskins with southpaw Cristopher Sanchez on the mound for Philly, but after tossing eight scoreless innings Sanchez was lifted from the game. Manzardo came off the bench as a pinch hitter to face Jhoan Duran and drove a first-pitch splitter over the wall in left field for the game's only run. It was Manzardo's fifth long ball of the season, and four of them have come in May -- over 17 games on the month, he's batting .300 (15-for-50) with 10 RBI and 15 runs.
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Cade Smith RP | CLE
Guardians' Cade Smith: Nails down 17th save
Smith struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his 17th save of the season in a 1-0 win over the Phillies.
Kyle Manzardo produced the game's only run with a solo shot off Jhoan Duran in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for Smith to complete a combined shutout with Gavin Williams. Smith's 17 saves leads the majors, and he's been tagged for an earned run in only one of his last 12 appearances, posting a 0.71 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 21:1 K:BB in 12.2 innings over that dazzling stretch.
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Gavin Williams SP | CLE
Guardians' Gavin Williams: Wins pitchers' duel Friday
Williams (7-3) picked up the win Friday, scattering four hits over eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory over the Phillies. He struck out 11 without walking a batter.
Cristopher Sanchez and Williams put on an absolute pitching clinic for eight frames before Kyle Manzardo played hero with a pinch-hit solo shot off Jhoan Duran in the top of the ninth. For his part, Williams didn't allow a runner to get past second base while tying his season high in strikeouts, firing 70 of 99 pitches for strikes and generating 33 called or swinging strikes. The big right-hander will take a 3.25 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 84:22 K:BB through 69.1 innings into his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Nationals.