MLB Player News

Kirby took a no-decision while tossing eight scoreless innings Wednesday in a 1-0 win over the Yankees in 10 innings. He allowed just three hits and no walks and struck out seven.

Kirby put together a spectacular performance after he was roughed up by the Pirates the last time he took the mound. The 25-year-old was touching 99 miles per hour with his fastball and showed off his impeccable command of his entire arsenal of pitches. Wednesday marked the third time this season he's reached seven strikeouts in an outing and the fifth time he's gone without walking a batter. He has just six walks through 71 innings and leads all of baseball with a 9.67 K/BB to go with a 3.04 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Kirby lines up to go toe-to-toe with the Padres on the road next week.

Bieber did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and two walks over four innings during a 12-8 win over the Orioles. He struck out four.

Bieber finished with season-worst marks in innings pitched, hits allowed and runs allowed, but he was let off the hook thanks to a five-run fifth by the Guardians' offense. It was by far the worst outing of the campaign for the right-hander, who entered the contest with a 3.04 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across his first 11 starts (71 innings). His decline in strikeouts this season -- he currently has just 53 strikeouts across 75 frames -- portends more regression to come with the ratios.

Brown (5-2) took the loss against Minnesota on Wednesday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight batters over 4.2 innings.

The strikeout stuff continues to be there for Brown -- he has now fanned eight or more batters in four straight contests -- but he gave up a season-high five runs and was unable to complete five innings. All of Minnesota's hits against him were singles, though four of them came in the third frame and led to three runs. Brown has had a few mediocre outings this season, but he's been solid overall, posting a 3.61 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 74:20 K:BB across 62.1 frames.

Varland moved to 3-1 on the season Wednesday after tossing seven scoreless innings and allowing four hits and one walk while striking out five batters in an 8-2 win over Houston.

Varland suffered his first loss of the campaign against Toronto in his previous start, but he got back in the win column with a sterling effort Wednesday. The right-hander tossed a season-high seven innings and held the Astros scoreless, notching his fifth quality start through seven appearances. None of the four hits Varland allowed went for extra bases, and he continued to demonstrate good control -- he's surrendered one or fewer free passes in each of his past four starts. Varland originally slid into the rotation as a result of an injury to Tyler Mahle (elbow). Mahle won't return to action this season, but it's unclear if Varland will keep his spot in the rotation when Kenta Maeda (triceps) makes it back to the majors, potentially within the next two weeks.

Paxton took a no-decision in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to Cincinnati after allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over five innings.

Paxton looked very good in the outing, notching twice as many punchouts (eight) as hits allowed (four). He racked up an impressive 22 swinging strikes but couldn't go deeper into the contest since he needed 100 pitches to get through five frames. Paxton was knocked around to the tune of five runs over three frames against the Angels his last time out but has otherwise been a nice addition for Boston since coming off the IL on May 10, yielding two or fewer earned runs in his other three starts. Paxton also appears to still have above-average swing-and-miss stuff, as he's tallied 27 strikeouts across 19 innings overall.

Rodon (back/forearm) will throw another bullpen session Friday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Friday will mark Rodon's third bullpen session since he resumed throwing May 14. While he still doesn't have a timetable in place for a return, the fact he still hasn't faced hitters yet signals that it could be a few more weeks before Rodon makes his season debut.

Kaprielian (0-6) took the loss Wednesday, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk over 4.2 innings during a 4-2 defeat against Atlanta. He struck out four.

Kaprielian allowed three or fewer runs for the third time over his past four starts, but he still suffered his sixth loss of the season. The veteran right-hander moved to a relief role in mid-April before being sent to Triple-A Las Vegas, but he got another shot in the rotation in mid-May with Drew Rucinski (illness) and Paul Blackburn (finger) sidelined and has been relatively successful. Blackburn has since been activated, but Kaprielian appears to have done enough to remain in the rotation for the time being. His next start is tentatively scheduled during a three-game set in Pittsburgh.

Eflin did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk over six innings against the Cubs. He struck out five.

Eflin settled down after allowing two runs in the first inning, blanking the Cubs over his subsequent five frames before surrendering a leadoff double to Seiya Suzuki in the seventh. It's the third consecutive quality start for Eflin, who's pitched at least six innings in his last six outings. He's 7-1 with a 3.30 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 57:8 K:BB through 10 starts (60 innings) this season.

Schultz (forearm) is set to make his pro debut with Low-A Kannapolis on Friday, James Fox of FutureSox reports.

Schultz has been working his way back from a forearm strain suffered in spring training but has reportedly looked terrific during workouts in Arizona. It's an aggressive assignment considering Schultz won't turn 20 until August and has not yet made an appearance in affiliated ball, but it's one which points to how highly the White Sox think of the young hurler.

Lynn (4-6) took the loss Wednesday, allowing eight runs on eight hits and two walks over four innings against the Angels. He struck out four.

Lynn gave up three home runs in the losing effort, including a pair of two-run shots to Shohei Ohtani. The 36-year-old Lynn had been pitching better coming into Wednesday's outing, logging three consecutive quality starts with a 1.89 ERA in that span. His ERA is now up to 6.55 with a 1.51 WHIP and 76:26 K:BB through 12 starts (67.1 innings) this season. Lynn will look to get back on track in his next outing, currently lined up for next week against the Yankees.