MLB Player News

Giolito (8-13) earned the win Friday, allowing two hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings against Texas. He struck out 12.

Following two rough starts where he allowed a total of 13 runs and six home runs in his first outing for Cleveland, Giolito was brilliant Friday in allowing only three baserunners and no runs while inducing 16 swinging strikes on his way to a season-high 12 strikeouts, as the Rangers were flailing all night. This marked his first start since April 2021 as a member of the White Sox in which he has gone at least seven innings without allowing a run. He'll look to follow up on this dominant performance in his next start, tentatively scheduled to take place in a mid-week matchup with the Royals.

Gray (8-8) took the loss Friday, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over 3.2 innings against the Guardians. He struck out three.

While it was not his best effort, Gray's loss also owes something to Andrew Heaney, who got charged with six runs over two innings after relieving the right-hander, and the Rangers offense, which was stymied until the ninth. Gray has allowed at least three earned runs in his last five starts and seven of his last nine for an ERA of 5.72 over that stretch. With the Rangers in a dog fight to win the AL West or at least secure a wild-card spot, Gray will look to right the ship in his next start, tentatively scheduled to take place mid-week at home against Boston.

Berrios (11-10) earned the win Friday, allowing five hits and zero walks over seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over Boston. He struck out eight.

This is the fourth time in 30 starts that Berrios has gone at least seven innings without allowing a run. After a rough August that saw him go 1-3 with a 5.53 ERA, Berrios has delivered three consecutive quality starts in September with a 1.80 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 22 strikeouts over 20 innings. He'll look to continue this momentum and remain a key cog in the Blue Jays' playoff push in his next start, tentatively scheduled to take place in New York during a mid-week showdown against the Yankees.

Bello (12-9) took the loss Friday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk over six innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out 10.

The only blemish to Bello's line came when Vladimir Guerrero blasted a two-out, three-run homer in the third. Otherwise, Bello was brilliant, striking out a career-high 10 batters and allowing only two additional baserunners on the evening. It marks his 15th quality start in 26 starts this season. The 24-year-old starter will take a solid 3.71 ERA into his next start, tentatively scheduled to take place next week in Texas.

McKenzie (elbow) struck out four and gave up one run on one hit and one walk over three innings in a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Akron.

McKenzie tossed 44 pitches in his first appearance at any level since he was shut down in late June with a right UCL sprain. Both he and Shane Bieber -- who tossed 3.2 innings for Akron on Tuesday -- appear to be on similar timelines for returns from the 60-day injured list, though both hurlers are likely to require at least one more rehab start or simulated game before being activated. Though McKenzie is tracking toward a return to the Cleveland rotation in late September, his innings and pitch counts could be monitored carefully down the stretch. The Guardians face long odds to unseat the Twins atop the AL Central and may not be incentivized to fully unleash McKenzie and Bieber in the final two weeks of the season if a playoff spot is out of reach.

Paddack (elbow) struck out six over four innings and gave up two earned runs on four hits and no walks in a rehab start Tuesday with Double-A Wichita.

In his second rehab appearance as he gears up for a return from Tommy John surgery, Paddack tossed 58 pitches and relayed after the game that he feels "outstanding," per MLB.com. Paddack was scheduled to throw a bullpen session later this week before heading to Triple-A St. Paul, where he's expected to make his next rehab appearance in a relief role. If all goes well during the upcoming appearance, Paddack could be activated from the 60-day injured list as soon as Sept. 22 to fill a multi-inning role out of the Minnesota bullpen.

Ober was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Ober will make a spot start for the Twins on Friday against the White Sox as the Twins give their regular rotation members a little breather in the final month of the regular season. The right-hander struck out three over five innings of one-run ball in his last start for St. Paul. Ober posted a 2.61 ERA for the Twins in the first half but was demoted after holding a 5.85 ERA in eight starts after the All-Star break.

Bradish (11-7) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on seven hits over seven innings against the Rays. He struck out five without issuing a walk.

After giving up three runs on four hits in the third inning, the 27-year-old righty retired 13 consecutive Rays before Luke Raley's decisive solo homer in the seventh inning handed Bradish his first loss since July 26. In seven starts between losses, he went 5-0 with a 2.38 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 50:12 K:BB across 41.2 impressive innings. Bradish is currently lined up to face another tough lineup when the Orioles travel to Houston next week.

Civale did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk over five innings against the Orioles. He struck out eight.

After surrendering solo home runs in the second and fourth frames, Civale escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth, limiting the damage to just one run in the inning. The 28-year-old hasn't thrown more than 5.1 innings in any of his last five starts and despite an impressive 13.1 K/9, posting a 5.33 ERA across 25.1 innings during that stretch that has caused his season-long ERA to rise above 3.00 for the first time since early July. He will likely take the mound next in an upcoming home matchup with the Angels.

Gausman (11-9) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and six walks over 4.2 innings against the Rangers. He struck out five.

The 32-year-old ace endured a tough outing Thursday, issuing a season-high six walks. Corey Seager led the the charge for the Rangers with a solo home run in the first inning and a two-run double in the second, while Jonah Heim added a solo homer in the third. This marked the second time in three September starts that Gausman failed to complete five innings, inflating his ERA to 4.15 and WHIP to 1.35 across 56.1 second-half innings. Despite the inconsistency, he has maintained impressive strikeout numbers this season, boasting an 11.6 K/9 while accumulating an AL-leading 222 punchouts in 172 innings. He is expected to get his next start in New York against a struggling Yankees' offense.