MLB Player News

Messick (4-1) earned the win Friday against Minnesota, giving up one earned run on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven batters over 5.2 innings.

Messick was cruising on the mound for the majority of his start, but things took a quick turn in the sixth when he allowed five consecutive batters to record a hit. Ryan Jeffers' RBI single was the lone blemish on Messick's line, though there could have been another if Petey Halpin hadn't cut down Jeffers at the plate from center field. Messick will take an impressive 2.30 ERA and 0.98 WHIP into his next start, which is tentatively scheduled to come against the Angels on Wednesday.

Rocker (1-4) took the loss Friday against the Cubs, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts across 3.2 innings.

Rocker again struggled, as he possesses below-average stuff with depressed velocity this season. In two starts this month, Rocker has surrendered eight runs on 11 hits, including two homers, and three walks with five strikeouts across 5.2 innings. Just two of Rocker's seven starts this season have qualified as quality outings. His ERA has swelled to 5.01 with a 27:13 K:BB across 32.1 innings. Rocker is lined up to face the Diamondbacks at home for his next start.

Jones went 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts in Friday's 6-0 loss to the Brewers.

Jones batted sixth in his major-league debut and was fanned by Jacob Misiorowski in both of his first two plate appearance before drawing a walk in the top of the fifth inning. Strikeouts have been a problem for Jones in the minors, as he struck out over 35 percent of the time at each of his minor-league stops last season before dropping that number to 32.4 percent across 142 plate appearances at Triple-A prior to his promotion. Jones will look to provide a power presence in the middle of the lineup while Giancarlo Stanton (calf) and Jasson Dominguez (shoulder) are on the shelf.

Fried (4-2) took the loss Friday against the Brewers, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts across six innings.

Fried set the Brewers down in order on nine pitches in the first inning but lost control in the second inning, as six of the first seven batters reached for Milwaukee, leading to four runs. Aside from the one bad inning, Fried otherwise looked good and had his plus stuff. It was Fried's second five-run outing of the season. In his other seven starts, the left-hander has surrendered just nine runs across 47.1 innings. On the season, Fried owns a 2.91 ERA and 48:18 K:BB over 58.2 frames, as the strikeouts are at a career-low rate. He'll look to rebound next week, as he's lined up to face the Orioles in Baltimore on Wednesday.

Early (3-2) earned the win against the Rays on Friday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven scoreless innings.

Early escaped a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the third inning and was lights out from there, yielding just two baserunners over his final four frames. He induced only eight whiffs on 96 pitches but filled the zone with 70 strikes in his best outing of the season. The young southpaw has now held opponents to three earned runs or fewer in seven of eight starts, with the lone exception being a five-run hiccup Saturday. He'll carry a 3.16 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 39:18 K:BB across 42.2 innings into a home matchup against the Phillies next week.

Smith will serve as the opening pitcher during Saturday's game against the Royals, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Smith has been one of the Tigers' most reliable bullpen options so far this season, logging a 1.59 ERA and 1.15 WHIP alongside a 16:4 K:BB in 11.1 innings. He'll be trusted to handle the first inning or two of Saturday's contest before turning things over to bulk reliever Ty Madden.

Scholtens (3-2) took the loss against the Red Sox on Friday, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks with four strikeouts over 4.2 innings.

Scholtens limited the Red Sox to just two hits, though both were home runs. It was still an improvement from the five-run loss he took in his only other start of the season April 20, and the 32-year-old has now yielded two earned runs or fewer in five of six outings while working mostly in bulk relief. Overall, he owns a 3.29 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 21:10 K:BB across 27.1 innings. If he draws another start, it would likely come in a road matchup against the Blue Jays next week.

Rafaela went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over the Rays.

Rafaela gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead with a solo shot off Jesse Scholtens in the fourth inning. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a strong start to the month, going 10-for-31 with two home runs, six RBI and two stolen bases through eight games since the calendar flipped to May. On the year, he's slashing .278/.345/.413 with three homers, 16 RBI, 17 runs scored and two steals across 139 plate appearances.

Detmers (1-3) took the loss against the Blue Jays on Friday, allowing two runs on two hits and six walks with three strikeouts over 3.2 innings.

Detmers limited the damage but lacked command from the start, throwing just 56 of 99 pitches for strikes while issuing a season-high six walks. It marked the first time he failed to complete four innings all season and snapped a streak of four straight outings working into the sixth frame or beyond. The southpaw owns a 4.33 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 47:15 K:BB across 43.2 innings and lines up for a road matchup against the Guardians next week.

Cease (3-1) earned the win over the Angels on Friday, allowing five hits and no walks while striking out 10 over seven scoreless innings.

Cease was simply dominant, generating 19 whiffs on 97 pitches while limiting the Angels to just one extra-base hit. It marked the second straight seven-inning outing for the 30-year-old, and he's now registered double-digit strikeouts three times this season. He'll carry a 2.58 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 66:18 K:BB across 45.1 innings into a home matchup against the Rays next week.