MLB Player News

Ober (5-4) earned the win Saturday against the Orioles after he allowed just two hits and no walks across seven scoreless innings. He struck out eight.

The 27-year-old needed only 85 pitches to get through seven frames, and the Minnesota bullpen maintained a 1-0 advantage to give him his second win in his past eight starts. Despite the lack of victories during that stretch, Ober has pitched well of late with quality starts in five of his last six outings, and he has a 37:4 K:BB during that six-start span. A rematch at home versus Baltimore likely awaits next weekend for the right-hander.

Miller, who exited Friday's start against the Rays with a blister on his right middle finger, may be forced to miss his next turn through the rotation, Brandon Gustafson of SeattleSports.com reports. "We're concerned," manager Scott Servais said. "We'll be hopeful he'll make his next start, but right now it's up in the air."

Miller would line up to face the Giants on Wednesday for his final pre-All-Star-break start, and despite the rookie's initial optimism after exiting the game Friday, he could be looking at a shutdown that extends through the Midsummer Classic. Servais explained prior to Saturday's game that Miller's finger was still very sore, adding that although the right-hander was receiving treatment designed to get his nail down, a lot would be determined by whether he was dealing with pockets of blood below the surface. Given Miller's importance to Seattle's injury-hampered rotation, the team may well err on the side of caution and take full advantage of the extended layoff afforded by the upcoming pause in play to try and get him back to full health. Servais stated he expected to have a firmer grasp on Miller's progress after Sunday's series finale versus the Rays, which could tee up an early-week decision on Wednesday's starter.

Kikuchi (7-3) took the loss Saturday, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.1 innings against Boston. He struck out seven.

Kikuchi was first victimized by a two-run home run from Rafael Devers in the top of the third to put the Blue Jays down 2-1. He would again run into trouble in the fifth after giving up a leadoff single to Rob Refsnyder, surrendering another three runs in the inning on four hits as Boston added to its lead. It marked the lefty's first loss since May 24 against the Rays, which was also the last time he allowed five runs in a start this season. Kikuchi had made it through at least six innings in each of his previous two starts and now sports a 40:8 K:BB since the start of June following his seven-strikeout performance.

Crawford (3-4) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out five.

Crawford gave up a leadoff home run to George Springer to open the bottom of the first but was able to keep his composure, allowing just one more run over the next 4.2 innings, which again came on the long ball. The right-hander produced 14 swinging strikes on the afternoon while recording five strikeouts for the third time in his last four starts. Crawford has now won two of his last three decisions, though he's also allowed two home runs in back-back-back starts after not allowing more than one in any of his appearances since April 3 against the Pirates.

Severino (1-3) took the loss Saturday, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits and three walks over four innings against St. Louis. He struck out two.

Severino ran into trouble in the bottom of the third, allowing back-to-back singles to open the frame before surrendering a three-run homer to Paul Goldschmidt. But the right-hander's troubles didn't end there as the Cardinals went on to add another two runs in the inning and two more in the fourth. The seven earned runs allowed tied his season high and Severino has now lost three of his last four decisions. He's also walked at least three batters while giving up at least seven hits in three of his last four starts.

Bibee (5-2) earned the win over the Cubs on Saturday, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over 5.2 scoreless innings.

Bibee struck out two of the three batters he faced in the sixth inning, but he gave up a one-out infield single and wasn't allowed to finish the frame. That cost him a quality start, though the rookie right-hander nonetheless shined, tying a career high with nine punchouts while recording his first scoreless MLB appearance. Bibee has cemented his place in the Guardians' rotation by allowing just one earned run over his past 11.2 frames across two starts, notching a 16:6 K:BB over that span. He's impressed with a 3.46 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 67:23 K:BB in 65 innings overall this season.

Lynch (2-3) earned the win over the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Kansas City staked Lynch to a 5-0 lead after one inning, but he gave three of those runs back in the second. However, Los Angeles didn't score against him again, and the southpaw managed to finish five frames despite needing 108 pitched to do so. The victory was the second in three starts for Lynch after he failed to notch a win over his first four outings. He's been solid over his past three starts, posting a 2.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP despite an unappetizing 8:6 K:BB over 18 innings.

Muller did not factor in the decision against the White Sox on Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits and four walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Muller was recalled Saturday after toiling at Triple-A Las Vegas for the past five-plus weeks. He managed to keep Oakland in the contest with five innings during which he allowed three runs, though the southpaw wasn't exactly effective in allowing six hits and tying a season high with four walks. Muller may remain in the rotation for now with James Kaprielian (shoulder) on the injured list, though the former hasn't been effective in the majors this season with a 7.79 ERA and 1.96 WHIP over 52 innings.

Cease allowed three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters over 5.1 innings in a no-decision against the White Sox on Saturday.

Cease had struck out at least nine batters in three straight games coming into Saturday, but he punched out just five against Oakland. The right-hander entered the sixth inning with a one-run lead, but he was pulled after giving up a one-out triple followed by a double that tied the score. Cease logged his seventh straight no-decision, though he's pitched well with a 3.32 ERA and 55:17 K:BB over 38 innings during that span.

Anderson allowed five hits and two walks while striking out three over five scoreless innings, taking a no-decision in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Anderson did his part, but Sam Bachman and Chris Devenski let the game slip away from the Angels. Anderson hadn't pitched a scoreless outing since his first start of the year April 2 versus the Athletics, and he gave up 14 runs over 22 innings across four starts in June. The veteran southpaw is at a 5.20 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 63:35 K:BB across 79.2 innings through 15 starts overall. His last start of the first half is projected to be on the road against the Dodgers.