MLB Player News

Ober is scheduled to start Friday's series opener in Cleveland.

As anticipated, Ober will receive another turn through the rotation while Kenta Maeda (triceps) and Tyler Mahle (elbow) are stuck on the injured list. In his return from Triple-A St. Paul last weekend, Ober took a no-decision but was excellent over 5.2 innings against the Royals, striking out six while allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks.

Bieber did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over eight innings during a 4-3 loss to the Yankees in extras. He struck out four.

Aside from a pair of solo home runs in the fifth, Bieber was efficient and carved up the Yankees across a season-high eight innings. He currently sports a 2.96 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP through seven appearances, but there's some concerning trends to the start of his season. The long ball is slowly emerging as an issue for the right-hander, who's now surrendered four home runs over his past four starts, and his strikeout numbers are also down from previous years. He has 30 strikeouts through 45.2 innings after punching out 198 over 200 innings last year, and before that Bieber had posted at least one strikeout per inning over each of his previous four campaigns.

Schmidt did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two unearned runs on six hits and two walks over 4.1 innings during a 4-3 win over Cleveland in extras. He struck out four.

Both of Schmidt's first-inning runs were unearned due to a fielding error by Anthony Rizzo, but the right-hander was still shaky and got pulled in the fifth after allowing a one-out single to Jose Ramirez. Schmidt has given up multiple runs in each of his first seven starts this season and has yet to complete more than six innings. His 5.83 ERA and 1.70 WHIP need work, but his 36:9 K:BB through 29.1 innings is encouraging. He'll look to find a rhythm during his next start, which will likely come during a three-game set versus Oakland.

McClanahan (6-0) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over six innings during an 8-1 win over Pittsburgh. He struck out nine.

McClanahan gave up a solo home run to Andrew McCutchen, but he got plenty of run support and recorded at least nine strikeouts for the third time this season en route to his sixth win. The left-hander has given up four homers over his past three starts after not allowing one through his first four outings, but he's yet to give up more than two runs in a game through his first seven appearances. McClanahan has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB thus far and currently sports a 2.03 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and a 51:16 K:BB through 40 innings.

Sears did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a 7-2 loss to Seattle. He struck out seven.

Sears turned in his first scoreless outing of the season, but he missed out on his first win as Oakland's bullpen couldn't maintain a 2-0 lead. It was excellent rebound game for the southpaw after allowing six runs over 4.1 innings during his previous start against the Angels last week. While the 27-year-old has an ugly 5.06 ERA with seven homers allowed, his 1.19 WHIP and 34:8 K:BB provide some small hope for a turnaround. Sears is tentatively slated to face the Yankees in his next start.

Gilbert did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over six innings against the Athletics. He struck out six.

Gilbert pitched as well as fantasy managers could've hoped for, keeping Oakland in the park and posting a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The right-hander has proven to be a solid option, sporting a 1.07 WHIP to go along with 40 strikeouts across 33.2 innings. The 25-year-old is tentatively slated to face the Rangers at home in his next start.

Gibson (4-1) took the loss against Kansas City on Wednesday, allowing six runs on 10 hits and no walks over 6.2 innings. He did not record any strikeouts.

Gibson's outing started well, as he gave up just one run over his first five frames. The Royals tagged him for another run in the sixth, but it was the seventh when things fell apart for the veteran right-hander. Gibson gave up four hits in that frame -- including a double and a triple -- and was charged with four runs by the time the inning was over. Meanwhile, the Orioles couldn't push over any runs against five KC pitchers, leading to Gibson's first loss of the campaign. The six runs and 10 hits he allowed Wednesday were both season-worst marks.

Greinke (1-4) earned the win over Baltimore on Wednesday, pitching five scoreless innings during which he allowed three hits and struck out three batters.

Greinke needed just 44 pitches to complete five frames, and it's unclear why he was pulled with such a low pitch count. Regardless, the veteran managed to pick up his first win of the campaign, becoming the first pitcher since Greg Maddux in 2003 to earn a win with 44 or fewer pitches, per Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts. Wednesday's performance was an impressive bounce-back for Greinke after he allowed seven runs over 3.2 frames against Minnesota in his previous start.

Varland pitched 4.2 innings against the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six batters. He did not factor in the decision.

Luis Robert tagged Varland with a three-run homer in the first inning, but Minnesota came back with four runs between the third and fourth frames to hand the righty hurler a lead. However, Varland gave up a run on three singles and a walk in the bottom of the fourth, and he was pulled after 89 pitches with two outs in the fifth. The 25-year-old's final line wasn't great, but he did show some good swing-and-miss stuff, racking up 15 whiffs and six strikeouts. With Tyler Mahle (elbow) and Kenta Maeda (triceps) both on the 15-day injured list and expected to miss more than the minimum, Varland will likely stick in the rotation for several more starts.

Cease didn't factor in the decision against Minnesota on Wednesday, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six batters over five innings.

Cease was spotted a three-run lead after the first inning, but he fell behind by allowing four runs between the third and fourth frames. However, Chicago came back to earn the victory and take Cease off the hook for a second straight loss. The right-hander continued to struggle with his control in Wednesday's outing, and he's now issued four or more walks in three of his seven starts this season. Cease has managed a strong 11.0 K/9 through 35.1 innings, but the walks have played a big part in his disappointing 4.58 ERA and 1.44 WHIP.