MLB Player News

Houck (5-9) earned the win over the Yankees in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader. He allowed four hits and issued three walks while striking out seven batters over six scoreless innings.

Houck excelled in the outing, racking up 19 whiffs and seven punchouts. He finished without yielding a run for the first time if 18 starts this season, bouncing back nicely from a five-run, 5.1-inning performance against Baltimore his previous time out. Houck also notched his first quality start since June 10, which was one appearance prior to a start June 16 during which he suffered a facial fracture that kept him out of action for over two months. The right-hander has compiled a 4.94 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 87:34 K:BB over 93 innings overall this season.

Miller is listed as the Athletics' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Padres.

The Athletics plan to be cautious with Miller's usage for the rest of 2023 after he recently returned from a UCL sprain in his elbow that kept him on the shelf for most of the season, so he'll likely work anywhere between 1-to-3 innings Saturday before turning the game over to the bullpen. He excelled in his most recent turn as an opener in front of Ken Waldichuk in Monday's win over Houston, striking out three while allowing no runs on one hit and one walk over two innings. Waldichuk is listed as the Athletics' starter for Sunday's series finale with the Padres, so Miller will likely be opening for Luis Medina on Saturday.

Gipson-Long is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Angels in Anaheim, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

As expected, Gipson-Long will stick around with the big club to make a second turn through the rotation after he limited the White Sox to two runs while striking out five over five innings en route to picking up a win in his MLB debut. Gipson-Long showcased swing-and-miss stuff during stops at Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo prior to getting called up last weekend, but his lack of prospect pedigree and minimal MLB experience still make him a risky streaming option against the Angels.

Wentz is scheduled to pitch either as a starter or bulk reliever in Sunday's game against the Angels, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Wentz faltered in his return to the rotation Tuesday, failing to escape the third inning in his start against the Reds while allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks. The Tigers still plan to keep Wentz in the fold as part of a six-man rotation, though manager A.J. Hinch could elect to deploy the lefty behind an opener Sunday with the hope of coaxing better results from him. In four appearances out of the bullpen this season, Wentz has turned in a 4.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 12.7 K-BB% over 15.1 innings.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Weaver could start a game this weekend in Pittsburgh, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Weaver was claimed off waivers from the Mariners on Tuesday and officially joined the Yankees' active roster for the second half of Thursday's doubleheader in Boston. The 30-year-old right-hander has struggled to a 6.77 ERA in 110.1 major-league innings this season and should probably be ignored in the majority of fantasy leagues, regardless of his role.

Urena is scheduled to start Thursday's game against the Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field.

He'll be making his second straight turn though the rotation after he struck out three and allowed one run on four hits and two walks across four innings while taking a loss against the Tigers in his White Sox debut last week. Between stops with the White Sox and Rockies this season, Urena owns an 8.46 ERA, 2.10 WHIP and 12:16 K:BB in 22.1 innings, so he'll be difficult to rely on even in the deepest of fantasy leagues.

Turnbull (toe) is listed as Thursday's scheduled starter for Triple-A Toledo, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Turnbull hasn't pitched in more than three weeks because of a cracked toenail but appears ready to give it a go Thursday. It's been a lost season for the right-hander, as injuries have limited Turnbull to 52.1 innings, and he's struggled both in the majors (7.26 ERA) and minors (6.75 ERA).

Allen did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and three walks over five innings against the Giants while striking out five.

Allen got himself in a jam right out of the gate, surrendering back-to-back singles to open the first inning, which would eventually lead to one run coming across for San Francisco. However, the rookie left-hander allowed just two hits and two walks from the second inning on and was in line for his eighth win prior to the Giants' late comeback. Allen has now pitched five innings of one-run ball in back-to-back starts, lowering his season ERA to 3.60. On the downside, he's also issued multiple walks in each of those starts and in seven of his last nine outings overall.

Blackburn (4-5) took the loss against Houston on Wednesday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out two batters over three innings.

Blackburn struggled to get the ball over the plate in the outing, as only 36 of his 69 pitches went for strikes. The right-hander walked three batters, with the final two coming around to score on a Yordan Alvarez three-run homer in the third frame. This was the second straight three-inning start for Blackburn, who has allowed six runs on 10 hits with a 7:6 K:BB over six innings during that time. The recent ineffectiveness has pushed his season ERA up to 4.14, which is accompanied by a 1.54 WHIP and 97:38 K:BB over 95.2 frames.

Brown (11-11) earned the win over Oakland on Wednesday, issuing two walks and striking out seven batters over five scoreless and hitless innings.

Brown had been struggling coming into Wednesday, posting a 9.56 ERA and 2.06 WHIP over his previous four starts. The rookie bounced back in impressive fashion against the A's, holding them without a hit and racking up seven punchouts over five dominant frames. Brown's final pitch of the fifth was his 78th of the night, and there was no chance he'd be allowed to push for a complete game or a no-hitter (especially since he's already thrown a professional-high 146.1 frames on the campaign). He'll look to build upon this stellar start in what projects to be tougher matchup against Baltimore next week.