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Michael Kopech SP | LAD
White Sox's Michael Kopech: Wild again in loss
Kopech (4-10) was handed the loss Sunday against the Guardians after allowing three runs on four hits and five walks while striking out two in five innings.
Kopech had a troublesome second inning after he issued four walks to put the Guardians in front 1-0. He settled down in the second and third before allowing solo home runs to Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez in the fifth. It has been a rough handful of starts for Kopech since returning from the IL on July 14. In four starts since coming back, the 27-year-old owns a 6.30 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and 12:14 K:BB in 16.1 innings. Kopech is expected to take the bump against the Guardians once again next weekend and will look to come out with a better result.
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Aaron Civale RP | CHC
Guardians' Aaron Civale: Blanks White Sox
Civale (5-2) earned the win Sunday over the White Sox after tossing six shutout innings while allowing three hits and two walks. He struck out four.
Civale worked an efficient outing after needing only 81 pitches to complete six frames. He allowed five hits or less in each of his six starts in July and capped things off this month with his fourth quality start. There have been rumblings that Civale could be on the move after his recent success. He finishes July going 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 25:7 K:BB in 37.1 innings. He's tentatively lined up for another weekend start against the White Sox.
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Tarik Skubal SP | LAD
Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Uneven performance Sunday
Skubal allowed four runs on six hits across 4.2 innings and did not factor into the decision in Sunday's game against the Marlins. He had no walks and struck out four.
One game after logging five scoreless innings to earn his first win of the season, Skubal was less dominant Sunday, and he failed to complete five innings for the fourth time in five starts. The Tigers are being cautious with their lefty in his return from flexor tendon surgery, and he was limited to 77 pitches in this one. Skubal can be a good fantasy pitcher, though his workload restrictions cap his upside at the moment, and that may not change until 2024. He's tentatively set to take the mound again next Sunday against the Rays.
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Luis Castillo SP | CHW
Mariners' Luis Castillo: Tosses six shutout frames
Castillo (7-7) yielded two hits and a walk over six scoreless innings Sunday, striking out seven and earning a win over Arizona.
Castillo retired the last eight batters he faced and allowed just one Diamondback to reach scoring position in his dominant outing. He's issued two or fewer walks in seven straight outings, posting a 48:6 K:BB during that stretch. His season ERA is down to an impressive 2.88 with a 149:33 K:BB through 131.1 innings. Castillo's next start is projected to be on the road against the Angels.
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Luis Severino SP | ATH
Yankees' Luis Severino: Serves up nine runs in loss
Severino (2-5) allowed nine runs on 10 hits and two walks over 3.1 innings Sunday, striking out five and taking a loss against the Orioles.
Baltimore jumped all over Severino early in Sunday's game, plating seven runs in the first inning and two more in the fourth. It's the fourth time in just 12 starts this season that he's given up at least seven runs. Three of those ugly outings came during July, saddling Severino with a bloated 10.38 ERA for the month. Severino's season mark has jumped to 7.49 through 57.2 frames. His next start is currently projected to come at home against the Astros next weekend.
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Dean Kremer SP | MIN
Orioles' Dean Kremer: Fans seven in no-decision
Kremer allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over four-plus innings in Sunday's win over the Yankees. He struck out seven and did not factor in the decision.
Kremer came out to begin the fifth inning but was pulled after allowing a leadoff single on his 90th pitch of the contest. It was his shortest start since tossing just three frames June 30. Kremer posted a 3.45 across 28.2 innings in five July starts. His season ERA sits at 4.66 alongside a 111:35 K:BB through 119.2 innings. Kremer's next outing is lined up to be at home against the Mets.
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Luis Medina RP | ATH
Athletics' Luis Medina: Takes hard-luck loss
Medina (3-8) allowed two runs on six hits and struck out six without walking a batter over 5.1 innings, but he took the loss Sunday versus the Rockies.
Medina threw 60 of 91 pitches for strikes and did well to keep the ball in play. Ryan McMahon was his main nemesis, as the Colorado infielder had a pair of run-scoring knocks in the contest. Medina has allowed a total of three runs over 16 innings across three starts since the All-Star break, but he has just one win to show for it. He's at a 5.35 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 76:36 K:BB through 15 appearances (11 starts) this season. Medina is projected to make his next start at home versus the Giants.
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Nathan Eovaldi SP | TEX
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Eyeing minimum-length IL stay
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday that he expects Eovaldi (forearm) to return from the 15-day injured list Aug. 11 when first eligible, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Eovaldi was placed on the IL with a right forearm strain Sunday after he noticed a dip velocity in his most recent start July 18 and still didn't feel 100 percent following a bullpen session in Houston earlier in the week. Though forearm strains often entail absences much longer than 15 days, Bochy and the Rangers brass apparently have optimism that Eovaldi will be able to buck the trend. Bochy noted that he's "pretty confident" with Eovaldi's prognosis moving forward, though the right-hander is still scheduled to meet with Rangers team physician Keith Meister -- who is also a renowned orthopedic surgeon who specializes in elbow and shoulder injuries -- when the team returns to Arlington on Monday.
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Nestor Cortes SP | PHI
Yankees' Nestor Cortes: Next rehab start coming Wednesday
Cortes (shoulder) will make his third rehab start Wednesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
The Yankees haven't yet revealed which minor-league affiliate Cortes will pitch for during Wednesday's appearance, but he's slated to throw around 60 pitches in what's expected to be his final rehab start. Assuming he feels good after his minor-league appearances, he'll likely be able to rejoin the Yankees' rotation Aug. 7 or Aug. 8.
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Jordan Montgomery RP | TEX
Rangers' Jordan Montgomery: Traded to Texas
The Cardinals agreed to trade Montgomery and Chris Stratton to the Rangers on Sunday in exchange for minor-leaguers Thomas Saggese, Tekoah Roby and John King, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The Rangers bolstered their rotation Saturday with the acquisition of Max Scherzer, and the organization is going all in with two more major additions to its pitching staff less than a day later. Montgomery has been a reliable rotation piece over the past three years with a 3.59 ERA in 83 starts, and he'll provide a significant boost to Texas' starting unit after it recently lost Nathan Eovaldi (forearm) to the injured list.