MLB Player News

Francis (7-3) earned the win against the Angels on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit and three walks with 12 strikeouts over eight innings.

Francis carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning before Taylor Ward ended his outing with a solo home run. Francis threw a career-high 117 pitches, including a ridiculous 84 strikes, and registered double-digit punchouts for the first time ever. The 28-year-old has now completed at least seven innings in three consecutive outings while yielding just five total hits and two earned runs in that span. On the year, he owns a 4.02 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 70:19 K:BB across 71.2 innings and will try to keep the good times rolling against the Red Sox next week.

Blalock (1-0) earned the win against the Yankees on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks with five strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Blalock was given an early lead and pitched well enough to earn his first major-league victory. While some efficiency issues have prevented him from earning a quality start, the rookie has allowed three earned runs or fewer while pitching into the sixth inning in each of his three starts with the Rockies. On the season, he owns a 3.06 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 11:8 K:BB across 17.2 innings and lines up for a home matchup with the Marlins next week.

Stratton was diagnosed Saturday with a left knee patella tendon rupture, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

Stratton will undergo imagining to determine the severity of the injury. The 27-year-old slipped and awkwardly fell into the wall while chasing down a wild pitch during Saturday's game against the Reds and was subsequently carted off. Stratton has been a reliable arm out of the bullpen for the Pirates, logging a 3.58 ERA in 37.2 innings prior to Saturday's game.

Stratton was carted off the field Saturday against Cincinnati with an apparent left knee injury after slipping and falling into the wall tracking down a wild pitch, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Stratton looked to be in serious pain after crashing into the wall and required a cart to exit the field of play. He was grabbing at his left knee following the collision. While it doesn't look good, there should be an update on Stratton's health postgame.

Sborz (shoulder) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Saturday.

Sborz has been on the injured list since Aug. 11 due to right shoulder fatigue. It's unclear how many appearances the Rangers want the 30-year-old to make before they activate him off the IL, though a return before the end of the month hasn't yet been ruled out.

The Giants optioned Roupp to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday.

Roupp's demotion clears room on the Giants' 26-man active roster for right-hander Camilo Doval, who was recalled from Triple-A. In his four major-league outings after being recalled from Sacramento on Aug. 9, Roupp allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out eight over 6.2 innings. He'll likely shift back into the rotation as he rejoins the Triple-A club.

The Giants recalled Doval from Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Doval was optioned to Sacramento on Aug. 9 after blowing his fifth save of the season the day prior. Over his final four minor-league outings, Doval threw 4.2 scoreless innings while recording five strikeouts to earn the call back to the majors. Ryan Walker had taken over as the Giants' closer since Doval's demotion and has gone 3-for-3 in save chances, so Doval could have to settle for a setup role now that he's back with the big club.

Contreras (2-3) took the loss and blew a save against the Blue Jays on Friday, allowing two runs on two hits without retiring a batter.

With the Angels up by a run in the eighth inning, manager Ron Washington turned to Ben Joyce -- who has been closing of late -- to face the heart of Toronto's order. Joyce got the job done, leaving Contreras to try to follow suit in the ninth. The latter couldn't close things out, however, as he gave up back-to-back solo homers to Joey Loperfido and Addison Barger to take the defeat. Contreras had been pitching well coming into Friday, allowing just one earned run and posting a 16:4 K:BB over his prior 14 frames.

The Astros optioned Dubin to Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Dubin fired 8.1 scoreless frames and struck out nine batters after returning to the Astros' bullpen July 30. However, he will be forced back to the minors following the return of Kaleb Ort, who returned from the paternity list Saturday. If Dubin is able to keep his hot streak alive in the minors, he figures to have a good chance of returning to Houston before the end of the year.

The Astros reinstated Ort from the paternity list Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

After spending the three-day maximum away from the team following the birth of his child, Ort will now return to the Astros' bullpen. In order to make room on the roster, Shawn Dubin was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land.