MLB Player News

Whalen is a candidate to make a spot start against the Astros on Sunday if Felix Hernandez is demoted from the starting rotation, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander was on the disabled list at Triple-A Tacoma earlier in the season with a shoulder injury, but he's made seven starts since returning July 6. Whalen most recently started for the Rainiers on Tuesday, so he'd be on his normal amount of rest if he were to get the callup. Whalen sports just a 7-7 record and bloated 5.12 ERA at the minor-league level this season, but he was impressive in his one previous spot start with the Mariners, throwing four scoreless innings against the Red Sox on June 15. Considering that Erasmo Ramirez (shoulder) -- reportedly the team's preferred option if it was to replace Hernandez -- will still make one more rehab start and is thus unavailable Sunday, the M's could also choose to stand pat and give the latter one more turn as a starter.

The Red Sox are expected to meet Thursday to discuss whether Johnson or Drew Pomeranz will remain the rotation, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

Johnson noticeably tired Wednesday when the game reached the sixth and seventh innings, but has been effective in his starts. That's more than can be said about Pomeranz, who's exhibited shaky command since coming off the disabled list in late July.

The Red Sox are expected to meet Thursday to discuss whether Pomeranz or Brian Johnson should remain the rotation, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

Pomeranz hasn't been good in three starts since coming off the disabled list, posting a 5.02 ERA while failing to pitch more than five innings in any of those outings. Johnson has fared better during his time in the rotation, although his length was challenged Wednesday when he tired in the sixth and seventh innings.

Treinen locked down the save Wednesday, working a scoreless inning with a strikeout and a walk against the Tigers.

Treinen allowed a one-out walk to Yasiel Puig, but he was able to work around it to lock down his 29th save. The 30-year-old continues to be a dominant force out of the back end of the Oakland bullpen, posting a terrific 0.93 ERA and 0.97 WHIP to go along with a 11.8 K/9.

Hauschild (1-1) took the loss Wednesday as the Blue Jays fell 10-5 to the Red Sox, giving up four runs on three hits and three walks over 2.1 innings without striking out a batter.

The right-hander's first big-league start was a dud, as Hauschild threw only 26 of 51 pitches for strikes before getting the quick hook. The Jays don't have many better options for a rotation spot at hand at the moment, so Hauschild will likely get another chance or two to prove himself. He will at least have a softer opponent in his next scheduled start Monday in Kansas City.

Johnson (3-3) picked up the win in Wednesday's 10-5 victory over the Blue Jays, surrendering five runs on six hits and two walks over seven innings while striking out six.

The southpaw may have lost his focus as he took a 7-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning -- Teoscar Hernandez took Johnson deep for a two-run shot in that frame before Randal Grichuk briefly made the game close with a three-run blast in the seventh. Johnson will carry a 4.00 ERA into his next start Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Barria (7-7) tossed 5.2 scoreless innings Wednesday against the Tigers to secure the win, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out five.

Barria kept the Tigers in check throughout Wednesday's matchup, allowing multiple baserunners on just one occasion (which prompted his removal with two outs in the sixth inning). The rookie hasn't pitched deep into games often this season -- lasting more than six innings on just one occasion -- but he still owns a serviceable 3.59 ERA across 17 starts (87.2 innings) with the big club. Next up for Barria is a road start against the Padres.

Hauschild will start Wednesday against the Red Sox.

The Blue Jays haven't named a new fifth starter since J.A. Happ was traded to the Yankees on July 29, but it appears Hauschild will have a chance to solidify a spot in the rotation. After reliever Tyler Clippard took the hill for one inning Aug. 2 against the Mariners as part of a bullpen game, Hauschild was deployed as the Blue Jays' primary reliever in his team debut. The right-hander was impressive out of the bullpen, tossing six scoreless frames and giving up four hits and one walk while striking out five to capture the win. He'll now be able to build on that performance Wednesday, though expectations should be tempered given his underwhelming numbers at Triple-A this season (4.88 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 97.2 innings) in addition to the tough matchup versus one of the majors' top offenses.

Beeks is expected to cover most of the innings in relief Wednesday behind opening pitcher Ryne Stanek in the Rays' game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Since being acquired from the Red Sox on July 25, Beeks has made his two appearances out of the bullpen, though he's acted as a de facto starter on both occasions. After a rocky Tampa Bay debut, Beeks rebounded in impressive fashion his last time out Aug. 2 against the Angels, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings to collect the win. Expect him to enter the contest in the second or third inning after Stanek's day is done.

Stanek will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher in Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

As has been the case in his prior 17 "starts" this season, Stanek will likely be capped at two innings before giving way to the bullpen. Jalen Beeks is slated to serve as the primary option in relief; the rookie covered five innings behind opener Hunter Wood in his last appearance Aug. 2 against the Angels. Though Stanek's short outings typically prevent him from factoring into decisions, he's been a useful asset for fantasy owners looking for ratio stabilization. The hard-throwing righty has accrued a 2.27 ERA and 1.01 WHIP to go with 56 strikeouts over 43.2 innings.