MLB Player News

Gray (7-5) picked up the win in Saturday's 9-8 victory over the Marlins, surrendering five runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six.

A Marcus Semien error in the fourth inning helped mitigate the damage to Gray's ERA, but it was still another shaky performance from the right-hander -- he's failed to complete six innings in three straight starts, and he's been tagged for four runs or more in five of his last six. Despite the summer swoon, he'll take a 3.72 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 95:39 K:BB through 113.2 innings into his next outing, which is likely to come next weekend in San Francisco.

Maeda (3-6) earned the win over Arizona on Saturday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks while striking out seven batters over six innings.

Maeda fell behind 1-0 in the second inning, but the Twins responded with an offensive outburst to go ahead 10-1 by the end of the sixth. The veteran hurler kept the Diamondbacks from countering, as he retired the final 14 batters he faced. Maeda struggled in his first start following the All-Star break, giving up three runs in three innings against Oakland. Since then, he's allowed two or fewer runs in each of his subsequent four outings, posting a 2.28 ERA and 31:4 over 23.2 frames during that span.

Syndergaard (1-5) pitched six innings against the White Sox on Saturday, allowing five runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out three batters.

While Syndergaard was able to give Cleveland decent length, throwing 83 pitches over six frames, he had trouble keeping the ball in the park. The right-hander served up four homers, including three across the third and fourth innings. Syndergaard at least seemed to be physically fine after departing his previous contest as a result of taking a comebacker off his lower right leg, but this was a step back compared to that outing, during which he allowed just one run over 5.1 frames. The veteran hurler is getting a shot in the Guardians' rotation due to a slew of injuries to other starters, but he's struggled to get big-league hitters out this season, compiling a 6.75 ERA over 14 starts between Cleveland and the Dodgers.

Kopech (5-10) earned the win over Cleveland on Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out three batters over 5.1 innings.

Kopech held the Guardians scoreless through five frames and was handed a 5-0 lead, but he allowed three straight one-out hits amid the chaos of a sixth-inning brawl between the teams and was unable to complete the frame. However, the right-hander nonetheless pitched well enough to emerge with his just his second win over his past 11 starts. Kopech didn't miss a ton of bats and again struggled to find the strike zone, and he's now walked at least three batters in all but one of his last eight outings. On a more positive note, he didn't allow any balls to leave the park Saturday, the first time he's held a team homerless over his past seven starts.

Anderson (5-3) allowed two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out six over five innings, taking the loss Saturday versus the Mariners.

Anderson had gone two starts without walking multiple batters before regressing Saturday. He particularly struggled in the third inning, which saw him give up three of the five baserunners and both runs on a Julio Rodriguez double. Anderson continues to return mixed results with a 4.92 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 86:44 K:BB through 104.1 innings over 20 outings (19 starts) this season. He is tentatively lined up for a challenging road start in Houston next weekend.

Kirby (10-8) allowed a run on three hits and struck out five without walking a batter over seven innings to earn the win Saturday over the Angels.

The lone blemish on Kirby's line was a Randal Grichuk solo home run in the third inning. This was a return to Kirby's impeccable control -- he'd issued eight walks over his last seven starts, an unusually high mark for the right-hander. He's logged 16 quality starts in 22 outings this season, pitching to a 3.32 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 124:14 K:BB through 135.2 innings on the year. Kirby is projected for a difficult home start versus the Orioles next weekend.

Skubal (2-1) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk over 5.1 innings against the Rays. He struck out six.

Skubal did a good job of pitching his way out of multiple jams throughout the contest, outside of the second inning, when he allowed one run to come across on a Manuel Margot single. The 26-year-old lefty would then hold the Rays scoreless over the next 3.1 innings before being relieved by Jose Cisnero. Skubal has now given up one run or fewer in four of his six starts, while the 5.1 innings marked his longest outing since he made his season debut in early July. He holds a very healthy 33:4 K:BB through 27 innings on the campaign.

Cortes did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing one run on one hit and one walk over four innings against Houston. He struck out eight.

Cortes walked Jose Altuve to open the game before striking out the side, all swinging, to get out of the inning. The lefty would then give up a solo home run to Altuve in the third, though it was the only hit he allowed over his four innings of work while posting a season-high eight strikeouts. Cortes even struck out the side in order before heading to the bench. He's now fanned at least five batters in each of his last four starts. The Yankees certainly have to feel good about what they saw out of Cortes in his return to the rotation following the shoulder injury.

Verlander (6-6) took the loss Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks over seven innings against the Yankees. He struck out four.

Verlander allowed back-to-back hits to start the bottom of the second, leading to a sacrifice fly from Anthony Volpe for the Yankees' first run of the game. The right-hander would then retire seven of the next nine batters he faced before serving up a hanging slider to Jake Bauers, who launched it over the wall in right field. Despite taking the loss, it was still a quality outing for Verlander in his return to Houston following the trade. He's now allowed two earned runs or fewer in four consecutive starts and in six of his last seven.

Miller (elbow) threw a bullpen session Saturday and said afterward that he will face live hitters next week, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old has been out since May with an elbow injury, but he now has four bullpen sessions under his belt and will look to clear the next major hurdle in his recovery next week. Miller reiterated that his goal is to pitch for the A's again this season. He only made four starts before going down, but Miller impressed in that small sample (3.38 ERA, 0.98 WHIP) and looks like a potential long-term rotation piece for Oakland.