MLB Player News

Thornton (4-9) took the loss after yielding four runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out six over five innings Friday against the Astros.

Thornton gave up all four of his runs in the fifth inning, allowing a three-run blast before getting yanked. The 25-year-old has allowed three or fewer earned runs in four straight outings, though he owns a 5.34 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 123 punchouts over 129.2 innings this season.

Pruitt surrendered four hits while striking out six over 5.1 scoreless innings Friday night against the Indians. He didn't factor into the decision.

Pruitt put together a solid outing, though the Rays wouldn't crack the scoreboard until the seventh inning, so he wasn't able to pick up the victory. The 29-year-old right-hander has posted a 4.78 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with a 33:9 K:BB over 37.2 innings this season for Tampa Bay.

De Leon was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

De Leon threw one inning and was the pitcher of record in Thursday's victory in Houston, his first big-league win since 2017. He was swapped out for a fresher arm in Ricardo Pinto, but De Leon will be eligible to return when Durham's season ends.

De Leon (1-0) was credited with the win over the Astros on Thursday, allowing an unearned run on a hit and a walk over an inning. He struck out one.

De Leon surrendered an unearned run courtesy of an error by third baseman Matt Duffy in the seventh inning, but by virtue of having recorded an out to close out the bottom of the sixth before the Rays mounted a three-run comeback in the next frame, the right-hander became the pitcher of record. It was De Leon's first big-league win since 2017, marking the culmination of his long road back from Tommy John surgery in March 2018.

Hand retired the Tigers in order with one strikeout during the ninth inning while recording his 33rd save in a 2-0 victory Thursday.

After eight shutout frames from starter Mike Clevinger, Hand was equally impressive, retiring the side during the ninth in just seven pitches. Hand hasn't experienced the best August, but he's ending the month on a good note, as he's now posted four straight shutout frames. He is 6-4 with 33 saves, five blown opportunities, a 3.11 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 55 innings this season.

Norris (3-11) allowed one run on two hits with one walk and four strikeouts across three innings while taking a loss against the Indians on Thursday.

The 26-year-old was expected to pitch about three frames, as the Tigers have rolled back his workload. He responded well to that plan Thursday, but the Tigers offense mustered nothing against Mike Clevinger and the Indians pitching staff, so he still took the loss. Norris has allowed one run over his last nine innings, but that's over three starts; as long as he's limited to three frames, his fantasy value is obviously capped. Norris owns a 4.66 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 111 strikeouts in 129.1 innings this season. His turn will come up again Tuesday at the Royals.

Leclerc (2-4) was charged with the loss against the Mariners on Thursday after surrendering two runs on two hits and a pair of walks with one strikeout over one inning.

With the game tied 3-3, Leclerc came into the ninth inning and allowed his first two batters to reach. He then gave up the go-ahead run in the form of a sacrifice fly to Austin Nola. Unfortunately, it didn't end there, as Omar Narvaez tacked on another run with an RBI single. The loss comes as quite the disappointment for the once top-tier reliever, who has just nine saves this year along with a 4.37 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.

Hendriks allowed one earned run on three hits but struck out five across 1.2 innings to earn the save Thursday against the Royals.

Hendricks entered the game in the eighth inning with a two-run lead and a runner on third. He surrendered an infield single to the first batter he faced, but struck out the next two hitters to avoid more damage. In the ninth inning, he allowed two more hits to cut the lead to one but whiffed hitters to account for all three of his outs. Hendriks now has 17 saves on the season and this performance ended a stretch of 10 consecutive scoreless appearances. His overall line looks stellar, as he's maintained a 1.53 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 100 strikeouts across 70.2 innings.

Pagan earned the save against Houston on Thursday, pitching 2.1 innings and giving up one run on two hits while striking out three.

Pagan entered with two outs and two Astros on base in the seventh inning with the Rays clinging to a one-run lead. He retired Jose Altuve to end the threat, then gave up a single run over the next two innings to pick up his 15th save. It was the seventh time Pagan has worked two or more innings this season, though Thursday was the first such appearance that resulted in a successful save. He may be looked to for more extended outings in September as long as Tampa Bay remains in the thick of the race for a wild-card spot.

Richards did not factor into the decision against Houston on Thursday, hurling 2.1 innings and giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks while striking out four.

Richards, working as a primary pitcher for the first time in three appearances with the Rays, entered with two Astros on base in the second inning and served up an RBI double to allow an inherited run to score. He then gave up a homer to George Springer leading off the third and got himself into trouble with a pair of walks and a throwing error in the fourth before exiting the game. Although Richards has allowed only three earned runs while striking out 15 hitters in 11.2 innings since joining Tampa Bay, the team appears determined to keep his pitch count low as he has averaged a mere 72.3 pitches in his three outings. His next appearance is scheduled for Tuesday against Baltimore, though it remains to be seen whether he'll work behind an opener or as a traditional starter.