MLB Player News

Allen didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks over 3.1 innings. He struck out three.

Called up as the 27th man to get the start in the nightcap of the twin bill, Allen needed 81 pitches (51 strikes) to record just 10 outs before getting the hook in line for the loss. Cleveland's offense was able to bail him out late, however. The southpaw is likely to return to Triple-A Columbus, but through two big-league appearances (one start) this season, he's posted a 2.45 ERA, 2.05 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB over 7.1 innings.

Rodriguez (3-3) took the loss against Detroit on Saturday, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three batters over four innings.

Rodriguez had a daunting task facing off against Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, and a Tigers four-run first inning essentially put the game out of reach for the Angels. Rodriguez needed 87 pitches to get through four innings, and he's now finished fewer than five frames in four of his eight starts so far this season. The 26-year-old hurler has been very up-and-down when healthy enough to pitch, giving up three or fewer earned runs on four occasions and six-plus runs three times. The blow-ups have been more impactful to his overall line than the decent appearances, as altogether Rodriguez has a troubling 8.23 ERA and 1.77 WHIP across 35 innings.

Williams (10-5) took the loss in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates, giving up five runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- over six innings. He struck out 11 without walking a batter.

Despite the right-hander's dominance over 84 pitches (65 strikes), he served up more than two long balls in a start for the first time this season to get saddled with his first loss in over a month. The 11 strikeouts tied Williams' season high, a mark he's reached four times now, including his last outing before the All-Star break. Williams will take a 4.00 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 145:37 K:BB over 119.1 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is set to come at home next week against the Twins.

Skubal (6-5) earned the win over the Angels on Saturday, allowing five hits and issuing no walks while striking out nine batters over seven scoreless innings.

Detroit put up four runs in the first inning, which were more than enough for the veteran southpaw. Skubal held the Angels without an extra-base hit and racked up 19 whiffs en route to nine punchouts -- an amount he has posted exactly in four of his past five outings. Skubal also notched his first scoreless start since his very first appearance of the campaign (March 26 versus San Diego). There has been plenty of trade chatter including Skubal's name, but there's no guarantee that the Tigers will move him, especially since they've won eight of their past 10 contests to pull within 5.5 games of the White Sox and Guardians in a tight AL Central.

Soto blew his fifth save of the season in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Guardians, allowing a hit and a walk in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning. He struck out two.

With the Pirates trying to protect a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning, Soto was brought in to replace Brandon Eisert with one out and two men on. Instead of getting the job done, Soto let both inherited runners score on a wild pitch and a single. It's his third blown save since the beginning of June against five successful conversions, a stretch in which he's coughed up an 8.31 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB over 13 innings and put his spot as Pittsburgh's closer in significant jeopardy.

McNeil went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI in a 15-1 thrashing of Washington on Saturday.

McNeil, who batted out of the No. 9 slot, was one of two Athletics to collect three hits Saturday -- the other was leadoff hitter Jacob Wilson. All three of McNeil's knocks were singles, but two of those hits knocked in a run. Prior to Saturday, the veteran infielder had gone 12 games without a multi-hit effort, batting just .152 (5-for-33) during that span.

Wilson went 3-for-6 with a home run, three total runs and two total RBI in a 15-1 rout of the Nationals on Saturday.

Wilson foreshadowed a big day by the A's offense when he launched a leadoff long ball off Zack Littell in the bottom of the first inning. The third-year infielder added two more hits, including a run-scoring single in the seventh. Wilson has carried a strong end to the first half with a standout start to the second -- he now has a six-game hitting streak during which he's batting .458 (11-for-24), though Saturday marked his first RBI of that stretch.

Curtis didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Guardians, allowing two hits and two walks over five scoreless innings of relief. He struck out four.

The Pirates elected to use Mason Montgomery as an opener for the nightcap before handing the ball to Curtis as the bulk reliever for his big-league debut, and the 24-year-old right-hander turned in an impressive performance. Curtis tossed 42 of 68 pitches for strikes and left the mound with Pittsburgh ahead 3-0, only to see the bullpen melt down late and cost him the win. He's struggled somewhat in the minors this season, managing a 4.96 ERA across 74.1 innings between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, but his 97:40 K:BB highlights his potential if he can sort out his control issues. Now that he's on the 40-man roster and has shown he can get big-league hitters out, he could be on the short list to join the rotation if Pittsburgh has a vacancy.

Littell (7-7) took the loss against the Athletics on Saturday, allowing eight runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

Littell's outing began ominously when Jacob Wilson led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run. That was one of five runs given up by the righty hurler in the first frame, so he probably deserves some kudos for ultimately making it through six innings. Nonetheless, Littell tied a season-worst mark with the eight runs he allowed, pushing his ERA up to an ugly 5.34 on the campaign. He had been showing some improvement with a 2.84 ERA and 16:3 K:BB across his final four starts before the All-Star break, but he's been very streaky this year -- in fact, the other three times he gave up eight runs came in consecutive outings in April.

Jones (2-1) picked up the win in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Guardians, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out nine.

The right-hander set a season high in strikeouts in his ninth start since returning from Tommy John surgery in late May, tossing 48 of 74 pitches for strikes. Jones' workload is still being monitored by the Pirates -- he's topped 80 pitches just once so far in 2026 -- and he's lasted five frames only three times, but he's delivered a 4.05 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 48:12 K:BB over 40 innings. Jones will look to build on this result in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Cubs.