MLB Player News

Rasmussen (11-7) gave up two earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out three over seven innings to earn the win in a 7-3 victory over the Astros on Friday.

Rasmussen continued his superb 2022 campaign with a win over the best team in the American League to clinch the Rays a postseason berth. Rasmussen did not walk a batter and lasted seven strong innings despite throwing only 73 pitches. The 27-year-old right-hander has shown excellent control by walking only 31 batters in 146 innings pitched this season. He is tentatively expected to make his final regular season start of the year at Boston next week, although that could change depending on how the Rays plan to use him in the playoffs.

Valdez (16-6) gave up six earned runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out two over 5.1 innings to take the loss in a 7-3 defeat against the Rays on Friday.

Valdez struggled for his second start in a row after putting together an MLB-record 25 consecutive quality starts earlier in the season. The Rays made plenty of contact and Valdez gave up six earned runs in a game for only the second time this year. Nevertheless, 2022 has been a breakout campaign for Valdez who significantly upped his workload by pitching 196.1 innings to date with an ERA of 2.89. Depending on how the Astros decide to structure their rotation in the playoffs, the left-hander could be in line to make one last regular season start against the Phillies.

Martin (3-5) allowed a run on six hits and a hit batter while striking out eight over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Padres on Friday.

Martin limited the damage to a Josh Bell RBI single in the second inning. This was the second time in three starts since returning to the majors that Martin allowed just one run, and his eight strikeouts marked a season high. The right-hander now has a 3.65 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 47:17 K:BB through 61.2 innings across 13 appearances (eight starts). He's tentatively projected for one more start, which would be against Minnesota next week.

Waldichuk allowed a run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight over five innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners.

Waldichuk had some trouble in the first inning, with the lone run against him scoring on a Ty France RBI double. After that, Waldichuk didn't allow more than one baserunner in any of the next four innings before turning things over to the Athletics' bullpen. The rookie southpaw's strong effort lowered his ERA to 6.18 and his WHIP to 1.37 through 27.2 innings across six starts. He's added a 29:9 K:BB while going 1-2 in his first taste of big-league action. Waldichuk is tentatively lined up for one more start, which would be a home date against the Angels.

Gilbert allowed a run on three hits and two walks while striking out four over eight innings in a no-decision versus the Athletics on Friday.

Gilbert pitched well enough to win, but he didn't get the necessary run support. He allowed more than one run just once in six starts in September, yielding eight runs across 36 innings in that span for an ERA of 2.00. His gem Friday lowered his season ERA to 3.20 with a 1.18 WHIP and 174:49 K:BB through 185.2 innings across 32 starts. He is tentatively lined up for one more regular-season start during next week's series versus the Tigers, though the Mariners may opt to hold him in reserve if he figures into their playoff rotation.

German (2-4) allowed two runs on three hits and three walks over 5.1 innings Friday, striking out six and taking a loss against the Orioles.

After allowing a run in the first inning, German kept Baltimore scoreless for the following four frames before he was tagged with another run in the sixth. The 30-year-old is now sporting a 3.31 ERA with a 52:18 K:BB through 68 frames this season. German, who hasn't picked up a win since Aug. 22, is lined up to make his final start of the regular season in Texas next week.

Lyles (12-11) yielded one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings Friday, striking out nine and earning a win over the Yankees.

Lyles was dominant Friday, firing 72 of 106 pitches for strikes including 16 whiffs -- tying his season best. The only damage against him came from Oswaldo Cabrera's solo shot in the fifth frame. Over his last three outings, Lyles has posted a 2.00 ERA with a 15:2 K:BB through 18 frames. He's lined up to make his final start of 2022 next week at home against Toronto.

Civale (4-6) allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits through six innings Friday, striking out five and earning a win over Kansas City.

The 27-year-old served up a two-run homer to Drew Waters in the third inning and a solo shot to Michael Massey in the fifth. Civale has given up two or fewer earned runs in eight of his last nine starts, posting a 3.00 ERA during that stretch. He'll carry a 5.04 ERA into his projected home matchup with the Royals next week to close out his season.

Singer (10-5) allowed six runs on seven hits and a walk over 5.2 innings Friday, striking out six and taking a loss against Cleveland.

Singer kept the Guardians off the board through four innings before coughing up an RBI single to Will Brennan in the fifth frame. Cleveland then piled on five runs in the sixth, including Jose Ramirez's three-run shot. Singer had won six straight decisions dating back to Aug. 9 before Friday's rough outing, posting a 1.89 ERA and a 50:12 K:BB during that stretch. The 26-year-old righty finishes the 2022 campaign with a 3.23 ERA and a 150:35 K:BB through 153.1 innings.

Urquidy will move to the bullpen for the rest of the season, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros have upwards of seven deserving starting pitchers on the big-league roster, and with six games left this season, Urquidy will transition to relief. He wouldn't have been a part of the postseason starting rotation, so this gives him time to get accustomed to his role going forward. Framber Valdez would be on schedule to pitch the final game of the season, but the Astros could also start Hunter Brown if they want to save Valdez for the playoffs.