MLB Player News

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed that Skubal will pitch Wednesday against the Pirates in a piggyback outing behind starter Spencer Turnbull, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

With Detroit bringing Turnbull back from the COVID-19 injured list this week, Hinch previously said that Skubal would temporarily move to the bullpen and work as a tandem starter for one of the team's three games against Pittsburgh. Given that the Tigers planned to limit Turnbull's pitch count in his first start of the season, Wednesday always looked like the most logical day for Skubal to pick up some work. Hinch said over the weekend that managing the innings of Skubal and Casey Mize remains a priority for the organization, so both pitchers could end up moving in and out of the rotation throughout the season as the Tigers look to regulate their workloads.

Arihara has reverted to the unpredictable style of pitching that made him successful in Japan, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. He threw seven different pitches in Monday's win over the Angels, according to Statcast.

Arihara tried to establish the fastball during his first two starts, in which he went 0-1 with a 5.00 ERA. Since that didn't work, he went back to the style he used back in Japan, and the results over his two most recent starts have been far more impressive -- 11.1 scoreless innings with an 11:2 K:BB.

Whitlock retired all eight batters he faced Monday, striking out two over 2.2 innings to finish up an 11-4 win over the White Sox.

Whitlock authored his third straight clean outing and has now retired 23 consecutive batters. The Rule 5 pick is off to an impressive start to his big-league career, having fanned 11 without issuing a walk over nine scoreless innings.

Bundy (0-2) allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings Monday, striking out six batters and taking the loss against Texas.

Bundy had yielded just one run through five innings on an Adolis Garcia solo shot before things unraveled in the sixth. He walked Joey Gallo to begin the inning before coughing up three straight singles. After he was removed from the game, he was tagged with two more runs with Steve Cishek on the mound. The 28-year-old righty now owns a 4.50 ERA and 28:7 K:BB through 24 innings. Still in search of his first win, Bundy will take the mound in Houston on Sunday.

Arihara (2-1) yielded two hits and two walks over 5.2 shutout innings Monday, striking out six batters and earning a win over the Angels.

Arihara put a runner on base in each of the first two innings but quickly wiped them out with a double play both times. The only trouble he really created was in the sixth inning when he let two Angels get on base with two outs. He was removed and Brett Martin finished off the inning without letting a run come home. Arihara will carry a strong 2.21 ERA into Sunday's road start against the White Sox.

Mize is averaging 95.2 mph with his fastball so far this season and has added more velocity than any pitcher in the league to date, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Mize averaged 93.7 mph on his fastball last year, and no pitcher in the majors has made as big of a jump in the early going this season. The improved fastball has helped the 23-year-old get off to a solid start, as he's recorded a 3.38 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 13 strikeouts through his first three appearances (16 innings pitched). The former No. 1 overall pick should continue to improve, and he's an intriguing fantasy player, particularly in dynasty formats.

Luzardo will start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Twins, Alex Coffey of The Athletic reports.

Luzardo was scheduled to start Monday, but the contest was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. He'll aim to get back on track after allowing five runs in two of his first three starts of the 2021 campaign.

Berrios will start Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Athletics, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Berrios will take the mound for the second half of the twin bill after Monday's matchup was postponed. He owns a 2-1 record to go along with a 3.38 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and a 25:6 K:BB across 16 frames in 2021 (three starts).

Eovaldi (3-1) secured the win after allowing four runs on nine hits while striking out 10 across 6.1 innings Monday against the White Sox.

Eovaldi gave up the first run of the contest in the top of the first inning on a double to left, but the Red Sox would respond with six runs in the bottom half of the frame. The right-hander pounded the strike zone in his afternoon outing, firing 75 of 100 pitches for strikes. He would later exit with a 10-4 lead. Through four starts in 2021, he owns a 3.04 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 24:4 K:BB across 23.2 innings. Eovaldi's next start lines up for Saturday against Seattle.

Giolito (1-1) was chased early and picked up the loss Monday against the Red Sox. He allowed eight runs on seven hits and two walks over one-plus innings.

Giolito, who was pitching on five days rest instead of his customary four, was taken deep by leadoff batter Enrique Hernandez and allowed three runs before recording an out. Per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, the ace did not have his best changeup, and the Red Sox sat on it. "It seemed like every time he made a mistake, we made him pay for it," said Hernandez, who homered off a changeup. Giolito eventually left after giving up a home run and a walk to lead off the second. He'll look to shake off the poor outing when he faces Texas on Sunday, once again on five days rest.