MLB Player News

Cole did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing four hits and two walks over 5.2 scoreless innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out four.

Cole and Alek Manoah both left their starts unblemished, so both come away with hard-luck no-decisions. Cole wasn't as dominant as he was against the Twins on Sunday, when he fired a two-hit shutout, but it's another scoreless appearance for the 32-year-old ace. This also makes five consecutive starts where Cole has given up no more than two runs, and his ERA is now a sparkling 0.79 to go along with a 36:10 K:BB over 34 innings. He's lined up to face the Rangers in Texas next week.

Manoah did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings against the Yankees. He struck out five.

Manoah was outstanding against the Yankees on Saturday, but he was matched zero-for-zero by Gerrit Cole and the New York bullpen. The right-handed Manoah needed just 85 pitches to get through his seven frames, with 57 of those landing for strikes. It's a nice rebound for the 25-year-old after he allowed 10 runs over nine innings in his previous two outings against the Rays and Tigers. If there's one concern, it's that Manoah has not missed bats at anything close to a high level in his five outings, as this makes five straight starts where he's struck out no more than five batters.

Blackburn (finger) had his rehab start scheduled for Friday with Triple-A Las Vegas postponed because of the blister he developed during his previous outing Sunday, MLB.com reports.

The right-hander continues to play catch for the time being, but manager Mark Kotsay says there's no current timetable for Blackburn's next rehab start. Blackburn had worked up to 62 pitches in Sunday's outing, yet the setback and time off between starts now appears likely to delay his big-league season debut into May.

DeGrom (wrist) threw a bullpen session Friday, but the Rangers have yet to confirm that he'll be able to start Sunday versus the Athletics, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that he'll have a better idea about deGrom's availability Saturday. DeGrom was removed from a start earlier this week with right wrist soreness after tossing four no-hit innings.

Kopech didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 8-7 loss to the Rays, surrendering five runs on six hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out a season-high nine.

As has been the norm for Kopech to begin the season, he looked dominant at times but also fell victim to one bad inning, in this case a four-run first by Tampa Bay. The right-hander generated 16 swinging strikes on 104 pitches, but his command remains erratic -- he's walked at least three batters in all four of his outings. Harold Ramirez's two-run shot in the opening frame was the eighth homer Kopech has served up in only 20.2 innings. He'll carry a 6.97 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 23:14 K:BB into his next start, likely to come next week in Toronto.

German (1-2) took the loss Friday, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks over six innings against Toronto. He struck out six.

German served up a two-run home run to Vladimir Guerrero in the first and a two-run shot to Brandon Belt in the sixth. The right-hander has now given up four homers in four starts and sports a 4.50 ERA, but he has a stellar 25:7 K:BB through 20 innings and his 1.05 WHIP is encouraging. His next start is tentatively scheduled against the Twins, who struck out 11 times the last time they faced German.

Kikuchi (3-0) earned the win Friday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over six innings during a 6-1 victory over the Yankees. He struck out three.

Kikuchi got some early run support, and aside from a solo home run from Oswaldo Cabrera in the second inning, he cruised through six frames en route to his third victory of the season. After four starts (21.1 innings), Kikuchi sports a 3.80 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP with a solid 20:5 K:BB. He's tentatively scheduled to pitch again during next week's three-game set against the White Sox.

Lorenzen did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing three hits and one walk over five scoreless innings during a 2-1 loss to the Orioles. He struck out four.

Lorenzen missed the first three weeks of the 2023 regular season due to a groin strain, so he was making just his second start of the year. It was a strong bounce-back performance after he served up six runs over four innings against the Giants in his season debut. He'll look to maintain his momentum during his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for Detroit's upcoming three-game road set in Milwaukee.

Wells did not factor into the decision Friday, pitching seven scoreless innings in which he allowed three hits and a walk during a 2-1 win over the Tigers. He struck out five.

Wells didn't allow a baserunner to reach second as he cruised through seven shutout frames against the Tigers. He was in line for his first win of the year thanks to a solo shot from Austin Hays in the bottom of the seventh, but the Tigers were able to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the ninth. Through four appearances (three starts), Wells sports a 2.70 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP with a strong 16:2 K:BB over 23.1 innings.

Kirby (2-1) earned the win Friday, allowing two runs on three hits over six innings against the Cardinals. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.

Kirby is off to a solid start in his second major-league season. The right-hander has pitched at least six innings in each of his last three appearances and also sports a stingy 1.06 WHIP. He is tentatively slated to face the Phillies on the road in his next start.