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Johnny Cueto SP | LAA
White Sox's Johnny Cueto: No support in loss
Cueto (1-4) allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings, taking the loss versus the Orioles on Thursday.
Cueto was cruising until the fourth inning, when Adley Rutschman tagged him for a two-run home run. It was Rutschman who added a third run to Cueto's line with an RBI double in the sixth. While it wasn't a particularly sharp outing for the 36-year-old right-hander, he can't win if he doesn't get run support. He's allowed nine runs in 23.1 innings in his last four appearances, and he's got a solid 3.19 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 40:12 K:BB in 48 innings overall. Cueto is in line for a road start versus the Angels next week.
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Dean Kremer SP | MIN
Orioles' Dean Kremer: Extends scoreless streak
Kremer (2-1) allowed seven hits, a walk and a hit batter while striking out four in 5.2 shutout innings to earn the win Thursday over the White Sox.
For the second start in a row, Kremer kept runs off the board, and he was rewarded with his second win of the year. The seven hits he allowed marked a season high, but he wasn't punished for them. The right-hander now has a 1.71 ERA across 21 innings, though his 1.24 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB suggest he hasn't been quite as dominant as the surface stats make it look. Nonetheless, Kremer's putting in work to earn himself some job security in the Orioles' rotation. He's on track for a road start next week in Seattle.
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Framber Valdez SP | DET
Astros' Framber Valdez: Posts quality start in no-decision
Valdez allowed three runs on two hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in six innings in a no-decision versus the Yankees on Thursday.
Three of the five baserunners Valdez allowed were in the first inning, which saw him yield a three-run home run to Giancarlo Stanton. The southpaw settled in well after that, but Ryan Pressly blew the save to deny Valdez the win. He'll remain at a 7-3 record with a 2.90 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 75:31 K:BB across 87 innings in 14 starts this year. The 28-year-old has logged 11 straight quality starts and will look to make it a dozen next week in a projected road start versus the Mets.
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Jameson Taillon SP | TOR
Yankees' Jameson Taillon: Escapes with no-decision
Taillon allowed six runs on 10 hits and a hit batter while striking out three in 5.2 innings versus the Astros on Thursday. He did not factor in the decision.
Taillon gave up three-run home runs to Alex Bregman in the first inning and Yordan Alvarez in the third. It took a Yankees rally in the ninth to get Taillon off the hook after a lackluster start -- the six runs and 10 hits were both season highs. He still hasn't lost since his first game of the season, and he owns a solid 3.19 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 63:9 K:BB in 79 innings overall even after this poor outing. He's projected for a more favorable home start versus the Athletics next week.
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Frankie Montas RP | NYM
Athletics' Frankie Montas: Takes no-hit bid into eighth
Montas allowed two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over eight shutout innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Thursday.
Montas got through 7.2 no-hit innings before allowing two-out singles to Adam Frazier and Luis Torrens. In the ninth, Zach Jackson and A.J. Puk combined to walk four batters, which combined with two wild pitches to waste Montas' gem of a start. The right-hander had one of his worst outings of the year last week versus the Royals, so it was encouraging to see him bounce back quickly. He has a 3.21 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 92:22 K:BB through 89.2 innings in 15 starts this year. He's projected for a tough road start versus the Yankees next week.
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Robbie Ray SP | SD
Mariners' Robbie Ray: Strong in no-decision Thursday
Ray allowed a run on four hits, two walks and a hit batter while striking out six over six innings in a no-decision versus the Athletics on Thursday.
Ray gave up an RBI single to Christian Bethancourt in the first inning. For much of the game, it looked like that would lead to a hard-luck loss, but the Mariners scraped together two runs in the ninth inning to get the southpaw off the hook. Ray has turned in three straight quality starts, allowing two runs, 10 hits and four walks across his last 20 innings. For the season, he's trimmed his ERA to 4.07 with a 1.18 WHIP and 97:31 K:BB across 90.2 innings in 15 starts. He'll look to keep things rolling in a projected home start versus the Orioles next week.
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Justin Slaten RP | BOS
Rangers' Justin Slaten: Placed on injured list
Slaten (undisclosed) has been placed on the 7-Day injured list at High-A Hickory.
Slaten, the No. 86 overall pick in the 2019 first-year player draft, has struggled since his professional debut. He had a 6.46 ERA in rookie ball in 2019 and has a 6.40 ERA and 44:30 K:BB in 32.1 innings at Double-A this season.
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Tommy Milone SP | SEA
Mariners' Tommy Milone: Multi-inning relief stint Wednesday
Milone fired two scoreless innings during a win over the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing one hit.
Milone mopped up in the Mariners' blowout win, getting his six outs on 27 pitches. The veteran southpaw has been highly effective over two appearances with the big-league club after fashioning a 1.13 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in seven starts with Triple-A Tacoma, as he's allowed just one run on three hits over six innings in his first pair of outings in Seattle.
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Domingo German SP | PIT
Yankees' Domingo German: Tosses three innings in rehab start
German (shoulder) completed three scoreless innings with Single-A Tampa on Wednesday, allowing one hit. He did not walk or strike out any batters.
German threw 39 pitches, 27 of which were strikes, in his first game action of the campaign. The right-hander is rehabbing from a right shoulder impingement that first popped up during the offseason. He's expected to stretch out as a starter during his time in the minors, though it's unclear how long the rehab assignment will last.
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Clarke Schmidt RP | NYY
Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Sent to Triple-A
The Yankees optioned Schmidt to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.
After striking out five while tossing three scoreless innings last Thursday in a spot start against the Rays, Schmidt moved back to the bullpen this week when Luis Severino was cleared to return from the COVID-19-related injured list. Schmidt appeared in both of the past two games and gave up one earned run over 1.2 innings, and he'll now be moved off the 26-man active roster with the Yankees needing to clear room for waiver pickup Albert Abreu. It's unclear if the Yankees plan to have Schmidt stretch out for starting duty at Triple-A or if he'll continue working as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.