MLB Player News

Taillon did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk over four innings against the Twins. He struck out three.

Taillon was not very efficient Tuesday, allowing nine hits in four innings while throwing 63 of 87 pitches for strikes. Although he allowed four earned runs, only one was a home run, which he allowed to Jorge Polanco in the fourth inning before being pulled. Tuesday's outing was the righty's shortest of the season and follows three quality starts in a row. He will carry a 2.73 ERA into his next start.

Houck (4-3) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three over two scoreless inning to pick up the extra-inning win over the Angels on Tuesday.

After giving up a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth inning, Houck bore down to shepherd the game into an extra frame. He induced a pop fly, a swinging strikeout and then got Jo Adell looking at a filthy slider. It was his sixth straight scoreless appearance. After serving as a piggyback starter for Rich Hill, Houck has made four consecutive relief appearances of two innings or fewer, as manager Alex Cora is giving him a new role. "That's what we're looking for," Cora said about Houck's two scoreless innings to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. "We're going to use him in high-leverage situations. We'll try to avoid the 4-inning, 3-inning stints. The maximum he'll go is two (innings). Kind of like the way we used Garrett (Whitlock) last year. He's been throwing the ball great for us... His stuff is really good late in games." Houck may be a stabilizing presence in a bullpen that desperately needs one, and his role could eventually expand to include save opportunities.

Quantrill (3-3) picked up the win in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Rangers, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander was in control through six innings before fading late and serving up a pair of solo shots in the seventh, but the Guardians' offense had supplied him with plenty of cushion in an eventual 6-3 win. The quality start was Quantrill's fourth straight and seventh of the season, and he'll take a 3.56 ERA and 1.20 WHIP into his next outing despite a career-low 14.5 percent strikeout rate.

Irvin did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk over 5.1 innings against Atlanta. He struck out six.

Irvin pitched well Tuesday, leaving the game tied 2-2 after allowing a run in both the first and third innings. Even after limiting the damage to two early runs, Irvin did not get any offensive support beyond two first-inning runs, though he did avoid a loss. The six strikeouts were a season high for the lefty, who takes a 3.00 ERA into his next outing.

Gray (1-3) took the loss in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Guardians, coughing up five runs on six hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out three.

Most of the damage came in a four-run third inning, but Gray was far from sharp overall as his four free passes were a new season high, while his three whiffs tied his season low. The right-hander has yet to string together two solid starts in a row, and he'll carry a 5.28 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 47:19 K:BB through 46 innings into his next outing.

German (shoulder) will likely throw multiple innings the next time he tosses from a mound, and that could soon be followed by a rehab assignment, Brian Hall of MLB.com reports.

German has yet to pitch this season as a result of shoulder issues that have been bothering him since January, but he appears to be moving close to a minor-league rehab assignment. The right-hander is likely still weeks away from being ready to return to the majors, and it's unclear if he'll even have a spot on the big-league roster when he's back to full health.

Suarez allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three in five innings in a no-decision versus the Red Sox on Tuesday.

Suarez held his own pretty well in the spot start, with all three runs on his line coming in the second inning. He's logged a 5.96 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and 19:14 K:BB through 22.2 innings in six outings (five starts) this season. Suarez is not guaranteed to keep his place in the Angels' six-man rotation -- if he does, he lines up for a difficult road start versus the Dodgers next week.

Whitlock allowed four runs on six hits and no walks while striking out five in four innings versus the Angels on Tuesday. He didn't factor in the decision.

Whitlock had some trouble with Mike Trout in particular, as the Angels' star outfielder hit a two-run home run and a double before exiting the game with groin tightness. Whitlock didn't do that well to settle in, and he was done after 71 pitches (47 strikes) in a shaky outing. The right-hander now has a 3.51 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 49:11 K:BB across 48.2 innings in 13 appearances (nine starts). He still sits with a 2-1 record heading into his next start.

Flexen (2-7) got the loss Tuesday after he pitched 6.2 innings, surrendering two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two versus the Astros.

Flexen tossed three scoreless innings to open the contest before the Astros got to him for two runs in the bottom of the fourth, accounting for all the damage against him in the outing. He has held his own against the Astros this season, surrendering a total of seven runs over 24.2 frames in four starts against the club this year, good for a 2.55 ERA in those outings. Flexen has now allowed six runs over 18.2 frames in his last three starts after giving up five runs over four innings against the Red Sox on May 21, lowering his ERA from 4.98 to 4.35 over 11 outings this season. He tentatively lines up to pitch again Monday versus the Twins.

Verlander (7-2) earned the win after he tossed seven innings, surrendering one run on six hits and two walks while striking out 12 in Tuesday's victory over the Mariners.

After allowing six runs over six frames in his last start versus the Mariners on May 27, Verlander was dominant Tuesday, with the only blemish on his line coming on an Abraham Toro RBI groundout in the top of the fourth. The 39-year-old struck out a season-high 12 batters in the outing while recording his eighth quality start of the campaign. He has now allowed three runs while recording 18 strikeouts over 14 innings in his last two starts following the blowup versus the Mariners. Verlander owns a superb 2.13 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 73 punchouts over 71.2 innings in 11 starts in 2022.