MLB Player News

McCullers (12-4) earned the win Sunday against the Angels after tossing six innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and two walks while fanning seven. He also hit a batter.

McCullers has now given up two or fewer runs in each of his last three appearances and has also struck out at least seven in each of his last two outings, so he seems to be leaving behind a rough stretch right after the All-Star break. He owns a 3.34 ERA across 11 appearances since July 16 onward, but the fact that he has given up four runs in three of those contests suggests he's been a bit more inconsistent than what his ERA would seem to indicate at first glance.

Ober allowed three runs on five hits while striking out six over 4.1 innings Sunday against the Royals. He did not factor into the decision.

The Royals got on the board right away against Ober with a double and a base hit before Salvador Perez hit a sacrifice fly to score Whit Merrifield. Adalberto Mondesi then led off the second inning with a solo blast to right. Ober held the Royals' bats quiet over the next two innings but then started the fifth by allowing a pair of base hits with one out before his day was finished. One of the runners would come in to score, charging a third run to Ober on his final line. The 25-year-old has now failed to reach five innings in back-to-back starts and owns a 4.12 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 87:17 K:BB over 83 innings. He's lined up to take the mound next weekend against the scorching hot Blue Jays lineup.

Bubic allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out six over 5.1 innings in a no-decision against the Twins on Sunday.

Bubic began Sunday by allowing a leadoff double to Byron Buxton who eventually came around to score. He quieted the Twins' bats over the next few frames before running into some trouble in the sixth. Two singles and a walk would load the bases before Bubic's day was done. Two of the runners he left stranded would come in to score on a double by Brent Rooker. The 23-year-old hasn't picked up a decision since Aug. 21, which was the last time he managed to pitch to six innings. Bubic owns a 4.99 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 101:54 K:BB over 110 innings this season. He lines up for a home start against the Mariners next weekend.

Whitlock (8-4) allowed one run on one hit while striking out two over two-thirds of an inning in a loss to the White Sox on Sunday.

Whitlock came in to try and extend the game to extra innings after the Red Sox tied it up in the top of the ninth but was unable to do so. The 25-year-old struck out the first two batters he faced before Leury Garcia connected on an 0-2 fastball and sent it over the wall in center field to walk it off for the White Sox. Whitlock has now given up at least a run in three of his last four outings but still has been pretty effective overall. He has a 1.92 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 78:16 K:BB over 70.1 innings to go along with two saves and 13 holds. The Red Sox clearly trust him in high-leverage situations and should continue to use him in those situations during the final stretch of the regular season.

Lynn allowed just two hits and struck out nine over five innings Sunday against the Red Sox. He did not factor into the decision.

Lynn pitched for the first time since Aug. 28 after a brief stint on the injured list and showcased some of his best stuff of the season. The 34-year-old did not issue any free passes. He had 13 swings and misses to strike out nine batters, his highest total since July 2. He was pulled after throwing just 70 pitches despite being in a nice groove. Lynn now owns a 2.50 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 161:42 K:BB over 140.2 innings. He lines up for a very favorable matchup against the Rangers next weekend.

Kaprielian (7-5) allowed four earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five across 3.2 innings, taking the loss to the Rangers on Sunday.

Kaprielian started off strong but surrendered three runs on four hits and a walk in the third inning. He allowed a fourth run in the fourth inning and failed to finish the frame. It was his shortest start since May 31. The 27-year-old has a 4.02 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 108 punchouts in 105.1 innings this season.

Schmidt got a no-decision in Sunday's 7-6 loss at the hands of the Mets, allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings.

Schmidt was thrown into the fire during his season debut and responded with a subpar performance, surrendering earned runs in the first and fifth innings and three unearned runs following an error in the second. Its unclear whether he'll remain with the big-league club, though Sunday's start probably didn't aid his prospects.

Kikuchi allowed one earned run on six hits and one walk while striking out eight across five innings in the loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday. He did not factor into the decision.

Kikuchi gave up just one extra-base hit in the game, and that led to his lone run allowed. He did not receive enough run support to be in line for the win. It was a much better start than his previous outing, during which he failed to get out of the second inning. The 30-year-old has a 4.23 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 157 strikeouts in 151 innings this season.

Civale (10-4) allowed seven runs on seven hits and two walks over three innings Sunday, striking out three and taking a loss against the Brewers.

A big chunk of the damage against Civale came via the long ball with Kolten Wong, Avisail Garcia and Manny Pina all knocking home runs off the Cleveland starter. He had allowed just six runs over his previous four starts combined and raised his season ERA to 3.76. The 26-year-old righty is 0-2 since returning from his lengthy stint on the injured list with a sprained finger. Civale is projected to face the Yankees on the road next weekend.

Severino (shoulder) is expected to throw a bullpen session Monday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Severino resumed mound work last week, and manager Aaron Boone is hopeful that the right-hander will progress to facing hitters following Monday's throwing session. The 27-year-old likely won't have enough time to build back up to a starter's workload prior to the end of the regular season, but the team is hopeful that he'll be able to return as a reliever sometime in the final few weeks of the campaign.