MLB Player News

Castillo (14-7) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight over seven innings to earn the win Tuesday over the Athletics.

Castillo earned his fifth quality start in his last six outings with a solid performance Tuesday. It took the Athletics until the seventh inning to get on the board, and the Mariners' lead was never in any real danger. Castillo now has a 3.06 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 207:50 K:BB through 188.1 innings across 31 starts this season. He's lined up for a critical home start versus the Astros early next week as the Mariners continue to battle for the AL West lead.

Blackburn (4-6) took the loss Tuesday versus the Mariners, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings.

Blackburn turned in a fine outing, but the Athletics couldn't get any runs on the board until the seventh inning. This was the first time in three starts Blackburn has completed five frames. The right-hander is now at a 4.11 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 101:39 K:BB through 100.2 innings over 20 outings (19 starts) this season. Blackburn is tentatively lined up for a road start versus the Twins next week, assuming the Athletics stick to the plan for a six-man rotation for the remainder of this week.

Urena did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits over six innings against the Nationals. He struck out four.

While he wasn't able to pick up the win Tuesday, it was an impressive performance from Urena, who held the Nationals scoreless through his first five innings. In three starts (16.1 innings) with Chicago, Urena's surrendered eight runs on 15 hits while tallying 15 strikeouts. Overall, the veteran right-hander is 0-6 with a 7.27 ERA across 34.2 innings between the White Sox and Rockies this season. Urena is currently scheduled for a home matchup with the Diamondbacks in his next outing.

Schmidt (9-9) took the loss Tuesday, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks over five innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out one.

It's been a tough stretch for Schmidt, who's pitched to a 5.48 ERA over his last four starts (21.1 innings). He was hurt by the home run ball Tuesday -- three of Toronto's runs came on a pair of homers, including a George Springer blast to lead off the game. Overall, Schmidt sports a 4.65 ERA with a 1.33 WHIP and 143:43 K:BB through 30 starts (151 innings) this season. The 27-year-old right-hander will look to get back on track in his next start, currently scheduled for this weekend against Arizona.

Kopech will serve as Chicago's opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Wednesday will mark the first time Kopech has started a game since moving to the bullpen Sept. 8. Since then, he's surrendered six runs across just 2.2 innings while striking out four batters and walking two. The 27-year-old righty is certainly capable of pitching deep into the game, but the plan will likely be to pull Kopech after an inning or two -- especially if he gets into trouble early.

Kikuchi was removed from Tuesday's 7-1 win over the Yankees with a left upper trap muscle cramp, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Kikuchi (10-6) was able to pick up the win after striking out seven through five innings of one-run ball before the cramp forced him out of the game. The southpaw's status for his next start -- tentatively scheduled for Sunday in Tampa Bay -- remains up in the air, and he should be considered day-to-day until more details are provided.

The Tigers placed Faedo on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right finger blister.

Faedo's move to the injured list is retroactive to Sunday, which leaves just enough room for him to return for the final game of the season Oct. 1. In the meantime, Brendan White will come up from Triple-A Toledo to fill Faedo's roster spot.

Flaherty was transferred to the Orioles' bullpen Tuesday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Flaherty has put up a 7.11 ERA and 1.67 WHIP across 31.2 innings since joining the Orioles, and he'll now lose his spot in Baltimore's rotation as a result. Manager Brandon Hyde said there's a chance Flaherty returns to the rotation down the line, but the 27-year-old righty will likely need to show major improvement in order for that to happen.

The Royals selected Veneziano's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

The left-hander has a 4.22 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 79:43 K:BB across 89.2 innings (18 appearances) for Omaha this season, and he'll receive a look with the major-league club down the stretch. Veneziano could help fill the rotation spot of Brady Singer, who landed on the injured list Tuesday with a back strain.

Keller was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to symptoms associated with thoracic outlet syndrome.

Keller dealt with symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome earlier this season while on the injured list with a shoulder impingement, and those symptoms apparently resurfaced since being reinstated from the injured list Sept. 9. The right-hander will finish 2023 having pitched in just 11 games, and he had a 4.76 ERA, 1.94 WHIP and 31:45 K:BB over 45.1 innings. He's scheduled to hit free agency during the offseason, but the injury will cloud his outlook for 2024.