MLB Player News

Bello allowed one unearned run on three walks while striking out five over seven hitless innings Thursday in the second game of a doubleheader for Double-A Portland.

Bello lasted seven innings for just the second time in his career and did it with a flourish. The right-hander is off to a flying start for the Sea Dogs, posting a 1.95 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 11 walks over 27.2 innings.

Houck (2-2) picked up the loss Thursday, allowing seven runs on five hits, one walk and a hit batsman while striking out four over 2.1 innings against the Angels.

Houck's second turn as a piggyback pitcher behind Rich Hill did not go as well as his first. After Hill's five scoreless innings, Houck allowed a two-run home run to Jared Walsh in the seventh inning then was raked for five runs in the eighth. It's unclear what the next step is for Houck, who opened the season in the rotation but pitched in relief since missing a turn in Toronto due to his unvaccinated status. What is becoming clear is that Boston can't afford to leave Garrett Whitlock in the rotation -- he's much more valuable in the bullpen, which is seriously underperforming (4.50 ERA, 25th) -- so Houck could return to the rotation as a traditional starter.

Ray (2-3) suffered the loss against the Rays on Thursday, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out five.

Ray had one bad inning in the start -- Tampa Bay netted four runs against him in the fourth -- but that was enough to seal his fate on a night when Seattle produced only three runs. The southpaw nonetheless can take some positives away from the performance, as he racked up 15 swinging strikes and tossed his most innings since his first start of the campaign. Ray has gone at least six frames in all but one of his appearances this season and has a 4.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 31:13 K:BB across 30.1 innings. He's lined up to face Philadelphia at home early next week.

McClanahan (2-2) earned the win over Seattle on Thursday, completing 5.1 innings and allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five.

After striking out at least seven batters in each of his first five starts of the season, McClanahan racked up a more modest five punchouts and induced just eight swinging strikes Thursday. Nonetheless, the southpaw kept the Mariners off the scoreboard for the first four innings and departed after 5.1 frames having done enough to earn the win. McClanahan has yet to surrender more than three runs in an outing this season and has looked the part of an ace with a 3.06 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 47:9 K:BB across 32.1 innings. He's expected to next take the mound in Los Angeles against the Angels on Tuesday.

Gil tossed five innings in a start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits and no walks while striking out nine.

The right-hander finally had a solid outing, going five innings for the first time this season and registering a campaign-best nine punchouts. It's otherwise been a struggle for Gil at Triple-A this season, as he has registered a 9.53 ERA and 1.76 WHIP over five starts. The 23-year-old is considered one of the Yankees' top pitching prospects after posting a 3.07 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 38:19 K:BB across 29.1 innings in his first big-league stint in 2021.

Urquidy allowed six hits and one walk in six scoreless innings, striking out three in a 3-2 win Thursday over Detroit. He did not factor into the decision.

While Urquidy allowed more than a baserunner per inning, only two managed to reach scoring position. With just three strikeouts, he held the Tigers scoreless while relying on his defense to make plays. It was the best start of the year for the 27-year-old and the first time he lasted six innings. Urquidy has walked only four batters in 25.2 innings, slightly better than his career rate of 1.7 walks per nine innings.

Skubal allowed just two runs on six hits across six innings but did not factor in the decision in Thursday's loss to the Astros. He didn't walk anyone and struck out nine.

A pair of solo home runs provided all the Houston offense against Skubal, as the lefty otherwise stymied a tough lineup. However, he got zero run support while he was in the game and would have taken his third loss of the season if not for a Jeimer Candelario two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning. Skubal probably deserves more than one win with his 3.04 ERA and 29:3 K:BB across 26.2 innings, but the Detroit offense has been stagnant this year. He'll look to keep pitching well in his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Athletics.

Watkins allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out two in 4.2 innings during a 5-3 win Thursday over Minnesota. He did not factor into the decision.

Watkins had a chance to get through five innings with the lead but gave up a two-out, two-run homer on a 3-0 pitch to Byron Buxton. After hitting the next batter with a pitch on a 2-0 count, he was removed from the game. He was fairly wild Thursday, throwing only 41 of his 76 pitches for strikes. While he has a solid 3.22 ERA through 22.1 innings, there are some warning signs, most notably his 10:10 K:BB rate. He'll likely make his next start early next week in St. Louis.

Civale (1-2) allowed four earned runs on six hits and no walks while striking out eight across 5.2 innings to earn the win Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Civale surrendered a two-run home to Vladimir Guerrero in the first inning, but he then settled in to hold Toronto scoreless for the following four frames. His outing was soured a bit after he allowed a two-run double in the sixth frame prior to exiting, though he still managed his first win of the campaign. Civale also recorded a season-best eight strikeouts, which was backed by 16 swinging strikes on 99 total pitches. Even with the improved outing, Civale owns a 9.45 ERA with a 22:6 K:BB across 20 innings.

Berrios (2-1) allowed six earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out none across 4.2 innings to take the loss Thursday against Cleveland.

Berrios began his outing with two scoreless innings but surrendered at least one earned run in each of his final three frames. He allowed a two-run home run to Steven Kwan in the third inning and has now allowed at least one long ball in four of his six starts. After a bumpy start to the campaign, Berrios had allowed only four earned runs across his last 18.2 frames. However, Thursday's poor outing jumped his ERA to 5.34 on the season, and he has a subpar 20:10 K:BB across 28.2 innings.