MLB Player News

Watkins (4-1) picked up the win Monday, allowing one run on five hits over six innings in a 7-2 victory over the Rangers. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The Orioles handed the right-hander a 4-0 lead by the top of the second inning, and Watkins cruised from there, tossing 55 of 88 pitches before exiting. All four of his wins and all three of his quality starts on the year have come in his last six trips to the mound, a stretch in which he sports a dazzling 1.85 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB through 34 innings.

Quantrill didn't factor into the decision in Monday's 6-5 extra-innings win over the Diamondbacks, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander wasn't particularly sharp, tossing 56 of 94 pitches for strikes, but he left the game with the score tied 4-4. Quantrill hasn't been tagged with a loss in nearly a month, going 3-0 over his last five starts, but that's mostly thanks to the Cleveland offense -- he has a 4.76 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB through 28.1 innings over that stretch.

Williams has made eight starts since his promotion to Double-A Akron, posting a 2.08 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 39:17 K:BB across 34.2 innings.

Unsurprisingly, he hasn't been quite as invincible as he was in High-A, but Williams has still allowed only 20 hits in those 34.2 innings. He's seen his walk rate spike a bit (4.4 BB/9 from 2.8), while his strikeout rate has fallen from incredible (13.4 K/9) to merely good (10.3). Even with those caveats, these are great results for the 22-year-old as he continues through his first pro season. Williams has everything you look for in a pitching prospect -- a big frame, a 100 mph fastball, three solid secondary pitches and the stats to match.

Texas manager Chris Woodward said a best-case scenario would be that Gray (left side discomfort) misses just one start, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Gray was removed from Monday's start after 48 pitches with what the right-hander initially described as cramping in his left side. Gray is expected to undergo a scan, and the Rangers should have an update after a review of the results. If the 30-year-old misses one or multiple starts, the Rangers don't have many good options to fill in. Taylor Hearn, who has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen, as well as the majors and the minors, could be used as a stopgap.

Gonzales (6-11) took the loss against the Yankees on Monday, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing six runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out five batters.

Gonzales fell behind early in the contest, surrendering a three-run home run to Anthony Rizzo in the first inning. He gave up a two-run shot to Aaron Judge in the second and a solo homer to Jose Trevino in the fourth, and all six of the runs against him came via the long ball. This was the third time in Gonzales' past four outings that he's given up at least five runs, and his season ERA has risen from 3.24 to 3.95 as a result of the poor stretch.

German (1-1) earned the win over Seattle on Monday, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out one batter over five innings.

German was far from dominant in the outing, as he struck out only one batter and walked three. However, the right-hander was able to keep the damage on the scoreboard to two runs and got plenty of support from his offense to notch his first victory in his third start of the campaign. Since returning from the injured list July 21, German has given up 13 runs (nine earned) over 12.2 innings while posting a 10:6 K:BB. It's unclear if he'll remain in the rotation given the Yankees' acquisition of Frankie Montas on Monday.

Houck fired a perfect ninth inning, striking out one to earn the save in Monday's 3-2 win over the Astros.

Houck had allowed a run in each of his last two appearances, but he was sharp after going four full days between outings. The save was his first since June 25 -- that's a product partly of his own shaky performance but mostly from the Red Sox's brutal July swoon. The right-hander has a 3.24 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 56:22 K:BB in 58.1 innings with seven saves, a blown save and a hold through 31 appearances (four starts).

Eovaldi (5-3) earned the win Monday over the Astros. He allowed two unearned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six in 6.1 innings.

A pair of errors in the third inning put two Astros in scoring position with no outs. One came home on a sacrifice fly and the other on a double, but Eovaldi was able to limit the damage there, at one point retiring 12 straight batters before Martin Maldonado's seventh-inning single ended his night. This is the best Eovaldi's looked in his four starts since returning from a back injury, and it's encouraging it came against a strong opponent. The right-hander has a 4.11 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 86:16 K:BB through 87.2 innings across 16 starts. If Eovaldi isn't traded ahead of Tuesday's deadline, he's lined up for a road start in Kansas City this weekend.

Garcia (8-7) allowed three runs on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts in seven innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Red Sox.

Garcia had particular trouble with Jarren Duran in this outing -- the Red Sox outfielder plated one with a ground rule double in the third inning and added a two-run home run in the fifth. The Astros' offense wasn't able to overcome that damage, leaving Garcia with his second straight loss. With Jake Odorizzi traded to Atlanta, Garcia gained some job security in the rotation despite having allowed 15 runs in 30 innings across his last five starts. The 25-year-old right-hander has a 3.81 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 112:32 K:BB in 106.1 innings through 19 starts this year. He's tentatively projected for a road start in Cleveland this weekend.

Lynch (4-7) allowed six hits and struck out seven without walking a batter in 5.1 innings to earn the win Monday over the White Sox.

Lynch had a minimum stay on the injured list this time after a recurrence of a blister on his pitching hand. He threw 54 pitches in his lone rehab start, but he stretched out to 87 pitches (58 strikes) in an effective outing Monday. The southpaw appears to like pitching versus the White Sox -- he's put up 11.1 scoreless innings against them across two starts, and he has only one other scoreless appearance on his ledger. The 25-year-old owns a 4.70 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 80:33 K:BB through 76.2 innings in 16 starts. Lynch is tentatively lined up for a home start against the Red Sox this weekend.