MLB Player News

Whitlock (6-2) earned the win Saturday against Cleveland after pitching a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one hit and striking out two.

Whitlock was tasked with pitching the ninth in a tie game. He was efficient, needing just 14 pitches (10 strikes) to get the job done and earn his sixth win of the season. The right-hander has had some less-than-impressive efforts in two bullpen games this month, but he's been excellent most of the time and owns a stellar 1.57 ERA on the season. Plus, he has allowed just five earned runs across 25 innings (16 appearances) since the start of July.

Eovaldi didn't factor into the decision Saturday against Cleveland after tossing 5.1 innings of two-run ball, allowing six hits while fanning seven.

Eovaldi ended just two outs away from recording a quality start, but he limited the damage to just two second-inning runs -- including a solo shot from Franmil Reyes -- while fanning seven for the second straight outing. The veteran has struck out at least six while allowing two or fewer runs in each of his last four starts. He owns a 3.71 ERA through 150.1 innings on the year.

Urquidy (shoulder) will make another rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Urquidy has been out for just shy of two months with shoulder issues. He's made a pair of rehab appearances already and stretched out to four innings Tuesday, so it's possible his Sunday start will be his final one before he's activated. If that's the case, he could return to action during next weekend's series in San Diego.

Severino (shoulder) played catch from 60 to 70 feet Friday, per MLB.com.

Severino was recently cleared to resume throwing after undergoing an MRI and consulting with multiple medical professionals. The right-hander will progress from throwing on flat ground to bullpen sessions as he begins to ramp back up, and the team will closely monitor him before deciding when he may restart a rehab assignment. Severino could still return before the end of the regular season, but that scenario is far from a certainty.

The Tigers reinstated Urena (groin) from the 10-day injured list Saturday.

As expected, Urena was activated to start Saturday's game against the Blue Jays. He's only going to pitch a few innings, as he's been out since mid-July and isn't built up for long outings. It's not entirely clear what Urena's role will be for the remainder of the season, as he can't currently provide length as a starter but it's been a couple years since he pitched out of the bullpen.

Wacha will start Saturday's game against the Orioles.

Wacha has allowed at least four runs in each of his last four starts, but he'll attempt to turn things around on the road Saturday. The 30-year-old has an 0-2 record with a 9.95 ERA and 2.26 WHIP in 19 innings across his last four appearances.

Matz didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Tigers, allowing one run on four hits over six innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The southpaw fired 85 pitches (57 strikes) during a pitchers' duel with rookie Matt Manning, and Matz was forced to settle for his second straight quality start and third in August. He'll carry a 3.81 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 111:32 K:BB through 118 innings into his next outing.

Gilbert completed four innings against Kansas City on Friday, allowing five runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out five. He did not factor in the decision.

Seattle staked Gilbert to a 5-1 lead after two innings, but he allowed the margin to be erased by serving up a grand slam to Salvador Perez in the fourth frame. The right-hander didn't return for the fifth, as he had already thrown 91 pitches. After a midseason run of moderate success, Gilbert has struggled immensely of late, giving up 19 earned runs across 12.2 innings over his past three starts. His control hasn't been the issue -- he has posted a 13:2 K:BB during the rough stretch -- but he has allowed five long balls in the three starts after surrendering only eight through his first 73.1 innings. Gilbert will look to turn things around in his next start, which is tentatively slated to come at home against Houston on Wednesday.

Lynch, who was originally scheduled to start Sunday's game against Seattle, will instead start Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The shifting of the starting rotation became a necessity when Saturday's projected starter, Carlos Hernandez, was called upon to hurl 5.2 innings in Friday's extra-innings win. Lynch's last start was Monday at Houston, so he will be pitching on normal rest. The left-hander has been on a roll of late, posting a 2.27 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 4-1 record over his past six starts.

Bubic pitched 4.1 innings against Seattle on Friday, allowing five runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out six. He did not factor in the decision.

The southpaw entered the contest with some momentum after a strong outing against the Cubs, but he couldn't keep things going Friday. Bubic tied his season highs with nine hits and four walks while failing to complete five innings for the third time in his past four starts. Only two of the hits against him went for extra bases, but the volume of singles and walks was enough to force Bubic into an early exit. He'll try to straighten things out in his next start, which is likely to take place at home versus the White Sox next weekend.