MLB Player News

Kremer (4-4) took the loss against Boston on Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out six batters over 5.2 innings.

Kremer picked up a win with 6.1 scoreless innings against Pittsburgh in his previous start, but he couldn't build on that momentum Thursday. The right-hander fell behind 3-0 after three innings before Baltimore tied the score in the sixth. However, Kremer couldn't capitalize on the comeback effort, as a two-out walk in the bottom of the frame resulted in his removal from the contest, which was followed by a run-scoring double off the bat of Eric Hosmer. Kremer has lost three of his past four starts and has given up a combined 14 runs over 15.1 innings in the trio of defeats.

Greinke (4-7) allowed nine hits and no walks while striking out five across 6.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the White Sox.

Greinke didn't allow any free passes or extra-base hits, which allowed him to hold his opponent scoreless for the third time in his last six starts. He's maintained a 3.00 ERA with a 23:7 K:BB in that span. For the season, Greinke has a 4.29 ERA in 98.2 frames.

Cease (12-5) allowed one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight across six innings to take the loss Thursday against the Royals.

Cease took a tough-luck loss, as the only run he allowed came on a solo home run by Vinnie Pasquantino. Cease dominated the Royals lineup otherwise, racking up 19 swinging strikes across 94 total pitches. He's now allowed one or fewer earned runs in 14 consecutive starts, helping him maintain a stellar 1.96 ERA across 128.2 frames for the season.

Rodriguez (personal) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out six across five scoreless innings Thursday in a rehab outing with Triple-A Toledo, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez stretched out to 53 pitches after he covered three frames in his first rehab appearance with Single-A Lakeland last weekend. The left-hander may make one additional rehab appearance, but he should be back in the Detroit rotation by the end of August, barring any setbacks.

Valdez (11-4) earned the win Thursday over Texas, striking out eight in seven scoreless innings while allowing four hits, a walk and a hit batsman.

All four hits against Valdez were singles, and he managed to pitch around trouble in the third and seventh innings to hold the Rangers scoreless. At one point, he retired 11 straight batters. The 28-year-old has now thrown a quality start in 19 straight appearances. He's posted a 2.73 ERA and allowed just seven homers in 142 innings this year. His next start will likely be in the middle of next week against the White Sox.

Ragans (0-2) took the loss Thursday against the Astros, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out one in 4.1 innings.

Ragans was unable to follow his strong big-league debut with a similar performance. Both Martin Maldonado and Alex Bregman launched moonshots off Ragans as the Astros got out to a 5-0 lead. He struggled with his command throughout the outing and tossed just 49 of his 88 pitches for strikes. Through 9.1 innings in the majors, the 24-year-old has a 4:7 K:BB after posting a 113:31 K:BB in 94.2 minor-league innings. His next start will likely come early next week against Oakland.

Rodriguez (personal) struck out five over three innings in his rehab start Saturday for Single-A Lakeland, giving up an earned run on three hits and one walk.

The start with Lakeland was Rodriguez's first at any level since early June, when he was rehabbing a rib injury before he went on personal leave for nearly two months. Though he's fully healthy at this point, Rodriguez will need more time to build up after the extended absence before the Tigers reinstate him from the restricted list. According to Evan Woodbery of MLive.com, manager A.J. Hinch said that Rodriguez is expected to make his second rehab start Thursday at Triple-A Toledo. He'll likely make at least two starts with Toledo before slotting back into Detroit's rotation in the latter half of August.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the team is still gathering information on Houck's back injury, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Houck was placed on the injured list Tuesday with lower-back inflammation. The pitcher has a couple of appointments with physicians coming up, and the Red Sox will have a better idea about a timeline after Houck has been evaluated.

Gray did not factor in the decision against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out five batters.

Gray gave up a pair of runs in the second inning but was staked to a lead when Minnesota scored four times between the third and fifth frames. The veteran right-hander couldn't capitalize on the support, however, surrendering two runs in the bottom of the fifth before getting pulled with two outs. It was the first time Gray has failed to complete five innings in four starts and also marked the first time he's given up more than one run over that stretch. His 3.33 ERA and 1.15 WHIP on the season are solid, but Gray is on pace to strike out less than a batter an inning for the first time since 2018.

Verlander pitched six innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out seven in Wednesday's extra-inning loss to the Rangers. He did not factor into the decision.

Verlander returned to earth Wednesday, allowing more than one earned run for the first time in eight starts. The Rangers scratched two runs across in the top of the fourth and a sacrifice fly by Leody Taveras in the sixth frame provided the final tally against Verlander. The 39-year-old was able to extend his quality-start streak to eight consecutive outings, producing an absurd 1.17 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 53 strikeouts over 53.2 innings during that stretch. His season numbers now sit at a 1.85 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 134 punchouts over 136 frames in 21 outings.