MLB Player News

Bieber (1-2) took the loss in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, coughing up seven runs on eight hits and three walks over 3.1 innings without striking out a batter.

It was the first time in 86 career big-league starts Bieber failed to fan at least one batter. The right-hander tossed only 38 of 71 pitches for strikes before getting the hook, and his velocity issues continued -- he failed to reach 91 mph with any of his four-seamers, sitting in the 88-90 mph range, a worrying sign for a pitcher who averaged 94.2 mph as recently as 2020. Bieber will take a well-below-expectations 4.13 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB through 32.2 innings into his next start.

Stripling (0-1) took the loss in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Guardians, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out three.

Three of the five hits off Stripling went for extra bases, including a third-inning solo shot by Franmil Reyes. The right-hander has lasted five innings only once in five starts since moving into the rotation, posting a 4.29 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB through 21 frames over that stretch. The results haven't been terrible, but with Hyun Jin Ryu (forearm) tossing four innings for Triple-A Buffalo to begin his rehab assignment Saturday, Stripling could be headed back to the bullpen in the near future.

Springs is slated to start or work behind an opener as a primary pitcher in Monday's game in Seattle, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He'll be moving into the rotation as a replacement for Josh Fleming, who was demoted to Triple-A Durham on Saturday. Springs has gotten off to a hot start out of the Tampa Bay bullpen this season, turning in a 0.69 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB across 13 innings. In his most recent relief appearance Tuesday against the Athletics, Springs built up to 31 pitches over 3.1 scoreless innings. Expect him to be capped around 50 pitches in Monday's appearance, and it could take him an additional two or three outings after that to get stretched out enough to handle a traditional starter's workload.

Gausman (3-1) picked up the win in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Guardians, allowing one run on six hits and a walk over 6.1 innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander fired 69 of 104 pitches for strikes in delivering his fourth straight quality start and winning his third straight decision. About the only blemish on Gausman's line was a fourth-inning free pass to Franmil Reyes that was not only his first of the season, it marked the first time he'd gone to a 3-0 count against a batter. Gausman is proving that his 2021 breakout was no fluke, posting a 2.13 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and career-best 33.6 percent strikeout rate through 38 innings.

Cease allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks while striking out eight across five innings Saturday against Boston. He did not factor into the decision.

Cease struggled to work efficiently as he needed 101 pitches to record 15 outs. However, he otherwise continued to showcase strong stuff, highlighted by 16 swinging strikes. Cease has now racked up at least eight strikeouts in all but one of his six starts this season and has maintained a 2.38 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and a 47:13 K:BB across 34 innings.

Valdez allowed two earned runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out seven across six innings Saturday against the Tigers. He did not factor into the decision.

Valdez allowed multiple hits in each of the first three innings and was consistently working out of trouble. However, he limited the Tigers to only two runs, in large part due to nine groundball outs and a season-best seven strikeouts. Valdez has suppressed scoring very well to begin the campaign, as he's allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of his six starts. He owns a 3.34 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with an underwhelming 26:15 K:BB across 32.1 innings this season.

Rodriguez allowed one earned run on one hit and three walks while striking out eight across 6.2 innings Saturday against the Astros. He did not factor into the decision.

Rodriguez carried a 5.33 ERA into Saturday's start, but he delivered his best performance as a Tiger. He limited the Astros to only a solo home run while also racking up a season-best eight strikeouts. Rodriguez did continue to struggle with his control, and he has walked multiple batters in four of his six appearances this season. While this outing was a step forward, Rodriguez still owns a 4.50 ERA across 32 frames on the season.

Lorenzen (3-2) took the loss in a 7-3 defeat at the hands of the Nationals on Saturday, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

Lorenzen struggled Saturday in allowing runs in four of the five innings he appeared despite tying a season high with five strikeouts. The 30-year-old has been inconsistent with a 1.77 ERA in three wins compared to a 10.13 mark in eight innings during two losses. He'll look to get back on track against Oakland next weekend.

Canning (back) is expected to begin throwing live bullpen sessions within the next week, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Canning has been throwing off a mound twice a week to build up arm strength. There is no timetable for his return, but news of his progress is encouraging.

Dunning will start the first game of the Rangers' doubleheader Sunday against the Yankees, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Rainy conditions have created havoc in the Texas rotation, but Dunning will ultimately only be pushed back one day. Dunning has allowed only three earned runs across his last two starts -- spanning 13.1 innings -- while striking out 12 and walking one.