MLB Player News

Lively (10-8) allowed two runs on five hits and two walks over six innings Sunday, striking out five and taking a loss against the Brewers.

Lively delivered his second quality start of the month but was still stuck with the loss as Cleveland was shut out in the series finale in Milwaukee. He gave up a run in each of the first two innings before turning in four straight scoreless frames to end his day. Lively is 2-4 despite a solid 3.86 ERA over his last seven starts. For the year, he owns a 3.68 ERA with a 98:40 K:BB through 120 innings. Lively's next outing is projected to be at home against Texas.

Crawford (8-10) took the loss Sunday against the Orioles, allowing three earned runs on two hits and one walk while striking out four in 5.1 innings.

Crawford pitched well Sunday, throwing just 75 pitches while limiting the potent Orioles offense to just two hits. Unfortunately for Crawford, one of those hits was a solo home run by Adley Rutschman in the fifth, breaking the scoreless tie. Home runs have been a recurring issue for Crawford, who has surrendered a whopping 14 long balls in 29.1 innings since the All-Star break. The right-hander now owns a 4.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 133:36 K:BB in 142 innings (25 starts) this season. He lines up to face the Diamondbacks next weekend.

Criswell is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Astros in Houston.

After returning from the COVID-19 injured list Friday, Criswell worked in bulk relief behind opener Brennan Bernardino later that night in the Red Sox's 12-10 win over the Orioles, picking up a win despite allowing six earned runs on nine hits and four walks over 3.1 innings. The poor outing won't prevent him from settling in as the Red Sox's new No. 5 starter in place of James Paxton (calf), who was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday and is out indefinitely. Criswell lacks strikeout upside but has done a good job inducing weak contact this season (50 percent groundball rate) while accruing a 4.56 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 75 innings with Boston.

Lopez allowed six hits and three walks while striking out three over six scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Sunday.

Lopez wasn't dominant, but he was good enough for the first six innings. He threw 71 of 107 pitches for strikes, but his strong outing went to waste when Jorge Alcala gave up five runs in the seventh inning. This was Lopez's first scoreless outing since June 23, but he's managed to earn a quality start in five of his last six appearances. For the year, he has a 4.47 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 152:32 K:BB through 141 innings over 25 starts. Lopez is projected to make his next start at home versus the Cardinals.

Matthews is scheduled to start Monday's game against the Padres at Petco Park.

The Twins called up both Matthews and Louie Varland from Triple-A St. Paul last week to make starts, but after Varland was sent back to the minors following his outing, Matthews will stick around as the fifth member of the big-league rotation. After producing an eye-popping 114:7 K:BB in 97 innings across three stops in the minors this season prior to his call-up, Matthews continued to exhibit sharp control in his MLB debut last Tuesday, striking out five and giving up two earned runs on five hits and no walks over five innings en route to notching a win over the Royals. Matthews tentatively lines up for two starts during the upcoming week, with his second turn set to come next Sunday at home versus the Cardinals.

Boyle is scheduled to start Monday's game against the Rays at Oakland Coliseum.

After getting recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas last Tuesday, Boyle immediately stepped into the rotation as a replacement for Ross Stripling, who was sent to the bullpen. In his first start for Oakland since May 5, Boyle took a no-decision in a 9-4 win over the Mets, striking out six over four innings while allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks. Through eight outings overall in the big leagues this season, Boyle owns a 2-5 record and 7.39 ERA across 31.2 innings.

Mahle allowed four runs on six hits and struck out one without walking a batter over three innings in a no-decision versus the Twins on Sunday.

Mahle struggled early, giving up three runs in the first inning to his former team. Ryan Jeffers had a two-run blast in that frame and an RBI single in the third, and Mahle was done at 61 pitches (41 strikes), making this the shortest of his three starts since he returned from Tommy John surgery. He's pitched to a 4.97 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB over 12.2 innings in those appearances. He's tentatively projected for a road start in Cleveland in his next outing.

The Angels are expected to select Cueto's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake during the upcoming week, Hector Gomez of Z101Digital.com reports.

Cueto has been pitching with Salt Lake since signing a minor-league deal with the Angels on July 20. Through four starts, he's maintained a 3.09 ERA and 1.37 WHIP while working at least five innings on each occasion. He should slot into the rotation while Jose Soriano (arm) is on the shelf. Wednesday's game in Kansas City looks to be the first chance Cueto will have to make a start in Soriano's stead.

Kirby (9-9) earned the win Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings against the Pirates. He struck out five.

Kirby scattered just two hits through the first five innings as the Mariners provided the righty a 7-0 cushion. A Joey Bart two-run homer in the sixth was the first and only blemish against Kirby, who contributed his 16th quality start of the season. The 26-year-old righty put a halt to the Mariners' five-game skid, rebounding from allowing career highs in runs (11) and hits (13) against Detroit in his last start to allow two runs or fewer for the 17th time over 25 starts. He'll carry a 3.40 ERA and 1.08 WHIP into a scheduled home matchup next week against the Giants.

Scherzer (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Sunday and is scheduled to pitch again Wednesday, possibly in a rehab start or live batting practice, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The right-hander threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday and was quickly back on the mound Sunday, which is encouraging as he makes his return from a bout of shoulder soreness that required a nerve injection. Scherzer last took the mound for Texas in late July, and he could be back in the rotation before the end of August if he can continue trending in the right direction Wednesday.