MLB Player News

Lyles (9-9) took the loss Sunday in Tampa Bay, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out nine in 4.1 innings.

Lyles is not known as someone to rack up strikeouts, but he punched out a season-high nine batters Sunday, including five in the first two innings. Randy Arozarena knocked a three-run homer to put the Rays on the board in the third, and Lyles was removed in the fifth inning with one out and two on. Since the beginning of July, the 31-year-old has a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 44:17 K:BB while allowing nine homers in 50 innings across nine starts. His next start will likely be at the end of the week against Boston.

Rasmussen (7-4) earned the win Sunday against Baltimore, striking out seven and allowing a run on one hit in 8.1 innings.

Rasmussen came within three outs of tossing a perfect game Sunday, but his efforts were thwarted when Jorge Mateo knocked a double on the first pitch of the ninth inning. It was an efficient outing as he tossed 87 pitches -- 62 for strikes. Rasmussen was removed with one out in the ninth after his second wild pitch of the inning led to a runner reaching safely after a dropped third strike. Since returning from a hamstring injury at the beginning of July, he's compiled a 1.94 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 33:9 K:BB in 41.2 innings over eight starts.

Wacha (shoulder) was activated from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The 31-year-old has been sidelined since late June by the shoulder injury, but he's been cleared to rejoin Boston's rotation after a two-game rehab stint with Triple-A Worcester. Wacha threw 79 pitches over 4.1 frames during his final rehab outing, so he shouldn't face any significant workload limitations in his first start back.

Stripling (hip) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday against the Guardians, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Stripling delivered five scoreless frames during his rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, and he'll remain on a five-day pitching schedule and rejoin Toronto's rotation in Wednesday's series finale versus Baltimore. The 32-year-old landed on the shelf at the end of July with a hip strain, and he may only have minor workload limitations in his first start back from the IL.

Flexen allowed an unearned run on one hit and four walks over two innings while recording two strikeouts during a relief appearance in a loss to the Rangers on Saturday.

Making his first appearance since transitioning to a bullpen role, Flexen clearly had some control issues, leading to him needing 43 pitches to record six outs. The veteran right-hander has been effective as a starter the majority of the season with a 3.86 ERA, and he'll likely be destined for multi-inning assignments akin to Saturday's while he remains a reliever.

Bello (groin) will make a minor-league rehab start for Double-A Portland on Sunday.

Bello exited his outing Aug. 3 against Houston with a left groin strain and was placed on the 15-day injured list.

McCullers (1-0) earned the win against Oakland on Saturday, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out five and walking four across six innings.

McCullers showed a little rust in his season debut after returning from the IL, but he still managed to pitch well enough to win. He threw 47 of 81 pitches for strikes and walked four batters but also allowed only two hits and struck out five. The outing resulted in a quality start for the righty.

McClanahan (11-5) earned the win against the Orioles on Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking three over six innings.

McClanahan was not his sharpest Saturday, but he pitched well enough to earn the win, throwing 65 of 100 pitches for strikes across six frames. In his previous two outings, McClanahan allowed nine runs in 10.2 innings, breaking a 13-game quality start streak, but he got back on track Saturday against a surging Baltimore offense. The three walks in the game tied a single-game season high for the young lefty, who is starting to show some signs of regression after finishing July with a 2.07 ERA. In two August appearances, McClanahan's ERA has been driven up to 2.28.

Gonzales gave up five earned runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out two over five innings in a 7-4 loss to the Rangers on Saturday. He did not factor into the decision.

The Rangers lineup got to Gonzales in the fourth inning with a barrage of hits to put four runs on the board. Corey Seager followed it up with a solo shot the next inning. Gonzales simply doesn't have the stuff to give major-league hitters much strikeout trouble, and he only managed six swinging strikes on 72 pitches. The soft-throwing lefty saw his WHIP jump to 1.42 with the performance and has a K/BB of 1.9 on the season. He is tentatively expected to make his next start in a favorable matchup at Oakland.

Dunning gave up three earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five over 4.1 innings in a 7-4 win over the Mariners on Saturday. He did not factor into the decision.

Control has been a problem all season long for Dunning. He allowed Julio Rodriguez to score from third in the first inning on a wild pitch with the bases loaded to open the scoring. Dunning also issued three free passes as he labored through his 22nd start of the year. The 27-year-old right-hander needed 101 pitches to get through just 4.1 innings. Dunning has a 2.2 K/BB to go along with 4.12 ERA in 118 innings pitched this season. He is tentatively expected to make his next start in a favorable matchup at home against the Athletics.