MLB Player News

Winless Hector Santiago has been removed from the starting rotation by the Angels, a source has told the Los Angeles Times. That news has yet to be confirmed.

The finals straw might have been when he walked off the mound before Mike Scioscia arrived after his removal in the third inning of his last start.

Santiago is 0-6 with a 5.18 ERA with 18 walks in 34 2/3 innings.

The Astros have recalled right-hander Paul Clemens from Triple-A Oklahoma City a week after demoting him. He is set to join the team Friday, per MLB.com. He will replace DL-bound fellow reliever Jose Cisnero. Cisnero has been dealing with an elbow issue

Mariners closer Fernando Rodney struck out one and worked his way around a pair of walks in a scoreless ninth inning, securing a 1-0 win over the Royals and his 10th save of the season on Thursday.

Rodney needed 17 pitches to make it out of the frame unscathed. He is 10 of 11 in save chances with a 2.45 ERA and 21:8 K:BB ratio in 14 2/3 innings.

White Sox pitcher Scott Carroll could not record an out in the fifth inning Thursday in a terrible performance against the Cubs at home. He was shelled for 11 hits and six earned runs in four innings as he dropped to 1-2 on the year.

With the 12-5 loss, Carroll saw his ERA balloon from 0.68 to 3.63. Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro delivered the big blow with two-run home runs, respectively.

Carroll is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday at Oakland. He allowed two unearned runs in six innings in his previous start away from home on May 3 against Cleveland.

Astros reliever Jose Cisnero returned to Houston and was examined by a team doctor on Thursday after experiencing discomfort in his elbow, MLB.com reports. Cisnero experienced the discomfort Tuesday against the Tigers. He game up two runs in an inning of work during that outing.

"He had some discomfort, and so we let him come in the next day and get evaluated and we felt we needed to have him see our doctors and we sent him here," general manager Jeff Luhnow said.

Let me preface this analysis by saying it's not for every league. On the spectrum of stashes, Drew Pomeranz still ranks behind Trevor Bauer, and obviously, an upside pitcher who already has a starting role, like Shelby Miller or Zack Wheeler, is more valuable than an upside pitcher who doesn't. But just in case Pomeranz's impressive spot start against the Mariners Wednesday opens the door for him to replace Tommy Milone down the line, I'd be looking to stash him in leagues deep enough to justify it.

He's an upside pitcher himself, lest you forget -- the prize of the deal that sent Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians in 2011. Jimenez was coming off a near-Cy Young season in 2010, and yet the consensus at the time was that the Rockies won the deal. The fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft, Pomeranz was considered something special.

But of course, Coors Field has a way of ruining even the most special, first by preventing the numbers they're used to and then by instilling them with bad habits as they seek to "correct" themselves.

Pomeranz's start confirmed what his relief work suggested: Now that he's back in a normal pitching environment, he's deserving of hype all over again.

Indians closer John Axford believes his work with pitching coach Mickey Callaway has helped him emerge from a mini-slump that caused him to blow two games on the current homestand. He pitched a scoreless inning Wednesday after allowing four runs with three walks in his previous two appearances.

"I'm just working on a small thing that (Callaway) and I noticed and it's been feeling better the last couple times out, for sure," Axford told MLB.com.

The two noticed a flaw in the pitcher's posture that was making his breaking ball run east to west rather than north to south. They have also been working on his arm slot on his fastball to allow him to keep it in the strike zone.

Angels pitcher Hector Santiago was pummeled by the Yankees Wednesday, giving up six runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks in just 2 1/3 innings while striking out two in his team's 9-2 loss to the Yankees.

Santiago (0-6) has been a disaster over the first part of the season, and his own throwing error helped lead to a five-run first inning. He then surrendered a home run in the second inning and was pulled with two on in the third inning. Santiago owns 5.19 ERA and 30:18 K:BB ratio in 34 2/3 innings. He's scheduled to take on the Phillies Tuesday.

Orioles pitcher Ryan Webb picked up a win Wednesday after pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings in his team's 4-3 win over the Rays.

Webb (1-0) induced four groundballs for outs against the four batters he faced, with his team taking the lead for good in his break between innings. He owns a 4.97 ERA and 11:3 K:BB ratio in 12 2/3 innings.

Indians closer John Axford earned his first win Wednesday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning before a walkoff RBI single gave the Indians a 4-3 win over the Twins.

Axford (1-3) gave up a hit and a walk while striking out one in his inning of work to bounce back after surrendering four runs over his last two appearances (both losses). He owns a 4.50 ERA and 13:11 K:BB ratio in 14 innings.