MLB Player News

Burke (1-2) completed six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three batters in a win over Arizona on Tuesday.

Burke threw first-pitch strikes to only 10 of the 22 batters he faced, but he nonetheless managed to keep the Diamondbacks out of the scoring column until the fourth inning, at which point Chicago had given him a seven-run lead. The right-hander yielded another run in the fifth but nonetheless managed to pick up his first victory and second quality start of the campaign. Burke has mostly pitched well this season, allowing three or fewer runs in four of his first five starts. He's lined up to face Washington at home in his next outing.

Raleigh went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Athletics on Tuesday.

Raleigh accounted for Seattle's only extra-base hit of the game with a solo homer in the fifth inning. It was the star catcher's second long ball in as many days after he went deep just twice over his first 23 contests of the campaign. Raleigh is still sporting a meager .177/.266/.333 slash line and 30.3 percent strikeout rate, but his recent power surge could be an indication that he's beginning to turn things around at the plate.

Langeliers went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in a 5-2 win against Seattle on Tuesday.

Langeliers gave the A's a 4-2 lead with a 417-foot solo shot to center field in the seventh inning. It was his second home run in as many days and his eighth this season, tops among MLB catchers and tied for fourth most overall in the league. Langeliers is slashing .312/.379/.613 and has added 14 RBI along with 17 runs as he makes an early bid for his first All-Star berth.

Baz did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Royals, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four over 6.1 innings.

Baz worked through constant traffic but held things together until the fifth inning, when back-to-back hits led to a run and a sacrifice fly from Vinnie Pasquantino added another. The right-hander managed to push through 6.1 innings -- his longest outing of the season -- but he has now allowed at least six hits in four of his five starts, and the consistent contact against him proved costly. Baz owns a 5.08 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB across 28.1 innings this season and will face a tough test in his next outing against Houston.

Castillo tossed five innings against the Athletics on Tuesday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six batters.

Castillo gave up a run in the first inning and another in the fourth but kept Seattle in the contest throughout his time in the game. The right-hander wasn't very efficient, however, as he needed 95 pitches to complete five frames. That was partly because he had his swing-and-miss stuff working -- Castillo recorded 14 whiffs, and his six punchouts were his second most through five starts so far this season. The veteran hurler is still looking for his first victory, which he'll try to notch in what's projected to be a matchup versus Minnesota on the road his next time out.

Perkins earned a save against the Mariners on Tuesday, retiring all six batters he faced -- including two by strikeout -- over two innings.

Perkins entered in the eighth inning with the Athletics up 4-2. He retired all three batters he faced in that frame, and then returned for the ninth and struck out two of the three hitters who came to the plate against him to finish off the save. Joel Kuhnel has been the primary A's closer this season with four saves, and he may have been unavailable Tuesday after pitching two of the previous three days. With that being said, the team's closer situation is far from set in stone, and Perkins -- who has a closer-like 12:3 K:BB over 8.1 innings on the campaign -- could work his way into more save chances, especially if Kuhnel struggles at any point.

Lopez (2-1) earned the win over Seattle on Tuesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out one batter over 5.1 innings.

Lopez averaged over four walks across his first four starts of the campaign, so it was a significant improvement for him to issue just two free passes while throwing 52 of 86 pitches for strikes Tuesday. The left-hander recorded only one strikeout, but he mostly kept the Mariners in check, with the only extra-base hit against him being a solo homer by Cal Raleigh in the fifth inning. Lopez still has a poor 5.70 ERA and 1.90 WHIP on the campaign, and he's recorded more walks (19) than punchouts (17). Still, he's managed a 2-1 record and will look to improve upon that in his next outing, which is slated to be a home matchup against Kansas City.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Cubs.

Harper provided a late spark, launching a two-run homer off Riley Martin in the eighth inning for his fifth long ball of the season. He continues to swing a hot bat in April, going 21-for-64 (.328) with five homers during the month. After an ice-cold start to the year, Harper has raised his season line to .274/.365/.536 with five doubles, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored across 96 plate appearances.

Luzardo did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Cubs, allowing one run on five hits and four walks while striking out three over 4.2 innings.

Coming off a rough stretch in which he allowed a combined 13 earned runs over his last two starts, Luzardo showed some improvement Tuesday despite pitching through consistent traffic. He allowed a runner to reach third base in multiple innings, but the only damage came in the fifth after a leadoff walk and single forced him out, with an inherited runner eventually scoring. While the left-hander was able to limit runs, his command remained inconsistent, as he issued a season-high four walks and allowed five hits for the fifth straight start. Luzardo owns a 6.91 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 33:9 K:BB across 27.1 innings but he should receive a chance to improve his numbers with his next scheduled outing set against a weak San Francisco lineup.

Imanaga (2-1) earned the win Tuesday against the Phillies, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out one over seven innings.

Imanaga turned in his third consecutive quality start Tuesday, limiting Philadelphia to just two hits over his first five innings before Kyle Schwarber's solo homer in the sixth accounted for the only damage. The left-hander continues to excel at run prevention, allowing just three runs across his last four starts (24 innings). Through five outings, he owns a 2.17 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 32:6 K:BB. Imanaga will face a much tougher challenge in his next scheduled outing against a loaded Dodgers lineup that leads MLB in most offensive categories, including a .293 team batting average.