MLB Player News

Eflin (9-3) picked up the win Friday, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings in an 11-3 victory over the Royals. He struck out seven.

The damage came on early homers by Nick Pratto and Salvador Perez (hamstring), but Eflin settled down while the Tampa Bay offense got rolling. The quality start was his sixth in his last seven trips to the mound, a stretch in which the right-hander sports a 3.32 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 40:10 K:BB through 43.1 innings. Eflin will look to stay sharp in his next outing, likely to come next week in Arizona.

Greinke (1-8) took the loss Friday, coughing up seven runs on nine hits and a walk over 4.2 innings as the Royals were dropped 11-3 by the Rays. He struck out three.

A three-run shot by Jose Siri in the second inning set the tone for the night, as Greinke continues to have trouble keeping the ball in the park. The 39-year-old righty has served up five homers in his last four starts and has a 15.3 percent HR/FB% on the season, leading to a 5.31 ERA -- his worst mark since he was a rookie in 2005. Greinke will try to get back into the win column in his next outing, likely to come at home next week against the Guardians.

France (2-3) took the loss Friday, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks over six innings against the Dodgers. He struck out four.

France added another solid outing to his 2023 campaign despite the loss. The right-hander's 2-3 record is deceiving, as his only bad start of the year was May 17 against the Cubs (six runs allowed over 3.2 innings). His next appearance is tentatively slated to be against the Cardinals on Thursday, when he'll look for his fifth straight quality start.

Wentz (1-8) took the loss Friday, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks over five innings against the Twins. He struck out four.

Friday saw Wentz take a step backward after he fanned a career-high nine against Minnesota his last time out. The Twins were ready for him this time around, launching two long balls, and Wentz has now dropped five straight decisions. The Tigers aren't going anywhere and the southpaw is only 25 years old, but his audition in the rotation figures to end when Matt Manning (foot) and Tarik Skubal (elbow) come off the IL. Wentz's command and control issues point to a move to the bullpen down the road.

Quantrill (shoulder) is expected to begin his rehab assignment Sunday with Double-A Akron, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Quantrill was initially expected to take the mound Friday for Triple-A Columbus before the change of plans. He's expected to rejoin the Guardians on a road trip to Kansas City next week if all goes well in his rehab start.

Gibson (8-5) took the loss Friday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks over three innings against Seattle. He struck out four.

The right-hander produced a scoreless opening frame but floundered in the following two innings, as he needed 86 pitches to record just nine outs. It's the fifth time this season Gibson has issued as least three walks, though he has a 3.58 ERA and 3-2 record in those games. The 35-year-old will carry a 4.30 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 69:30 K:BB over 92 frames on the season into his next start, which projects to come at home next week against red-hot Cincinnati.

Sandoval gave up three runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out three over five-plus innings in a no-decision versus the Rockies on Friday.

Given the traffic on the bases, this could have been a far worse start at Coors Field for Sandoval. It's the second time in his last three outings that he's given up at least 10 hits, and the leadoff home run he allowed to Jurickson Profar in the first inning was just the sixth long ball Sandoval's surrendered this year. He continues to effectively limit damage with a 4.16 ERA despite a 1.47 WHIP and 57:30 K:BB over 75.2 innings through 14 starts. The southpaw is projected for a home start versus the White Sox next week.

Gilbert (5-4) earned the win Friday, giving up one run on two hits and one walk over seven innings against the Orioles. He struck out five.

The right-hander allowed just two baserunners through six scoreless frames, but Anthony Santander broke through for Baltimore with a solo homer in the seventh. Gilbert has flashed his top-of-the-rotation potential at times this season but hasn't been able to maintain that level of performance consistently, and he came into Friday having given up five or more earned runs in two of his previous four starts. He has a 4.07 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 89:17 K:BB through 86.1 innings this year and projects for a favorable matchup versus Washington next week.

Giolito (5-5) allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk while striking out 10 over six innings to take the loss Friday versus the Red Sox.

The 10 strikeouts were a season high for Giolito, and he turned in his third quality start in four outings in June. The right-hander just didn't get enough run support, taking his first loss in five starts. Giolito is at a 3.41 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 99:29 K:BB over 92.1 innings through 16 starts this season. He's lined up for a road start versus the Angels next week.

Maeda (1-4) earned the win Friday, allowing three hits and two walks over five scoreless innings against the Tigers. He struck out eight.

Making his return after nearly eight weeks on the shelf with a triceps strain, Maeda shined across five scoreless en route to his first win of the season. He got 14 called strikes and 11 swinging strikes on 83 total pitches. The veteran had an ugly 9.00 ERA and 1.62 WHIP across his first four starts prior to landing on the injured list, and he tentatively lines up for a tough matchup in Atlanta next week, but a healthy Maeda can still be useful in fantasy when deployed judiciously.