MLB Player News

Whitley (elbow) allowed one hit and struck out two across two scoreless innings in a rehab appearance with Single-A Fayetteville on Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Whitley made his second rehab appearance as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He threw 21 of his 29 pitches for strikes. Whitley will continue to ramp up his workload with a couple more rehab starts before being activated from the injured list, when he will likely enter the rotation for Triple-A Sugar Land.

Gray (3-3) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk over 5.2 innings in a 4-2 victory over the Phillies. He struck out five.

Aside from a third-inning homer by Kyle Schwarber, Gray did a good job keeping the Phillies' dangerous offense in check, but he got lifted after 102 pitches (73 strikes) and came one out short of his third straight quality start. Gray is putting together a solid season outside of Colorado, posting a 4.18 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 68:23 K:BB through 64.2 innings.

Greinke (elbow) will return from the 15-day injured list Friday to start the first game of this weekend's series versus the Athletics, Sarah Wexler of MLB.com reports.

Greinke allowed three runs, seven hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in 12 innings across two rehab starts with Triple-A Omaha, and it's not surprising that he's been deemed good to go. He'll still need to be officially activated from the IL prior to his start Friday, but he'll be returning to a favorable home matchup.

Baz did not factor in the decision against the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six over 4.2 innings.

Baz held New York scoreless through three innings before serving up a solo homer to Aaron Judge in the fourth. The right-handed hurler began to falter in the fifth, allowing three straight hitters to reach base on a single and two walks with one out, but he struck out Judge with the bases loaded before giving way to a reliever. Baz was one out away from qualifying for the win when he was pulled, though that detail was made moot when the Yankees came back to win. After allowing five runs over 2.1 innings in his first start of the season June 11, Baz has bounced back to allow only one run across 10.2 frames while racking up 13 strikeouts in his subsequent pair of outings.

Kirby (2-2) allowed five hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Athletics.

It's the third time in nine starts this year Kirby's gone six scoreless innings, though he's yet to pitch beyond that. He received plenty of run support Wednesday, allowing him to cruise to his second win of the campaign. The rookie right-hander has posted a 3.12 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 47:6 K:BB through 49 innings overall. He's got another favorable matchup on the horizon next week at home versus the Orioles.

Blackburn (6-3) took the loss Wednesday versus the Mariners. He allowed seven runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out four in four-plus innings.

Blackburn allowed runs in each of the first three innings and then ran into a bunch of trouble in the fifth without recording an out. This was easily the worst start of the season for the right-hander, as he gave up season highs in hits and runs. Despite the stumble, he still has a 2.97 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 55:19 K:BB across 75.2 innings overall. Blackburn is projected to face an even tougher challenge next week in New York versus the Yankees.

Montgomery allowed four runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out two over six innings against Tampa Bay on Wednesday. He did not factor in the decision.

The Rays touched up Montgomery for two homers and three runs in the second inning, but he limited the damage to one run the rest of the way and escaped with a no-decision thanks to a late-innings New York comeback. This was arguably the left-hander's worst outing of the campaign, as he gave up a season-high four runs and notched a season-low two strikeouts. Nonetheless, he hasn't taken any losses over his past 11 starts and ranks 11th among qualified AL starters with a 2.97 ERA.

Lynch (3-7) took the loss Wednesday versus the Angels. He allowed a run on three hits and five walks with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

The season-high five walks did Lynch no favors, as his pitch count stood at 104 (55 strikes) at the end of his outing. The lone run he allowed came on a David MacKinnon sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Despite the lack of control, this was still a fairly positive outing for Lynch, who has allowed just one run in each of his last two starts. He's at a 4.95 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 65:30 K:BB through 63.2 innings overall. The southpaw is projected for a home start versus the Rangers next week.

Wacha (6-1) earned the win over Detroit on Wednesday, completing six innings and allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Wacha got off to a rough start in the outing, serving up a two-run homer to Javier Baez in the first inning. The right-hander settled down from there, keeping the Tigers off the scoreboard for the remainder of his start. Along the way, Wacha racked up a season-high seven strikeouts. It has been a resurgent campaign for the veteran hurler, as he boasts a 2.34 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 65.1 innings. His six wins rank second on the club.

Gray allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits and no walks with four strikeouts in four-plus innings, taking a no-decision versus the Guardians on Wednesday.

Gray limited the damage to a Steven Kwan RBI triple in the third, but the Guardians put together a three-run rally in the fifth to knock him out of the contest. This was Gray's second start back from a pectoral strain, but it was a step back in performance after he notched five scoreless innings in his return. The right-hander has posted a 2.53 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 46:10 K:BB across 42.2 innings in nine starts overall. He'll look to pitch deeper in his next start, tentatively set for a rematch with the Guardians next week in Cleveland.