MLB Player News

Clevinger will be recalled Wednesday to start against the Twins.

This saga has thankfully come to an end from a fantasy standpoint, as Clevinger will make his fourth start of the season and first since Aug. 5. He has a 3.24 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 15:10 K:BB in 16.2 innings. His worst start of the year (four earned runs in four innings) came July 31 against the same Twins lineup he will be facing in his return to action.

Bielak will start Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

He will be making the start on two days of rest, but only logged 1.1 innings in his Aug. 22 start against the Padres, so he is more rested than a typical starter on short rest. This would have been his day to toss a side session, so he will essentially get that work in during a game that counts in what should amount to a bullpen game for the Astros. Houston won't need a fifth starter again until a doubleheader against the Angels on Sept. 5, so we could see Bielak briefly transition to the bullpen or the alternate training site following Tuesday's start.

Walker, who's put together back-to-back quality starts, is drawing strong trade interest prior to the Aug. 31 deadline, Brandon Gustafson of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

The right-hander's successful homecoming to the team that originally drafted him back in 2010 may be short-lived, as Walker could ultimately be a victim of his own success to an extent. Contending teams -- a descriptor that constitutes a much larger pool of clubs this season due to the expanded playoff format -- are always on the hunt for more starting pitching, and Gustafson notes the fact Kendall Graveman (neck), who could have also been a potential trade candidate had he remained healthy, is now out of the equation only makes Walker even more appealing. Through five starts, Walker owns a 2-2 record, 4.00 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, and he now has his average fastball velocity back to under one mph lower than what it was prior to Tommy John surgery.

Keller (3-1) took the loss Monday against the Cardinals, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks across four innings pitched. He struck out four.

Keller entered Monday's start on a roll, winning each of his first three starts while allowing no runs across 17.2 innings pitched. It was a different story in Monday's loss, as St. Louis bounced the right-hander with three singles and a walk to start the fifth inning. He left the game with St. Louis holding a 2-0 lead, but was charged with an additional three runs after Greg Holland gave up a pair of doubles to Paul DeJong and Dexter Fowler. Keller is scheduled to toe the rubber next against Cleveland on Monday.

Sandoval (0-4) gave up five runs on seven hits and two walks over 2.2 innings in a loss to the Astros on Monday. He struck out one.

Sandoval allowed a pair of runs in the second inning, and then got into a jam in the third inning that allowed the Astros to score three more times. His 2.2 innings pitched was his shortest start of the year. He now has a 6.75 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 15 strikeouts across 22.2 innings this season. Sandoval lines up to face the Mariners on Saturday in his next start.

Valdez (3-2) allowed four runs on six hits and two walks with 11 strikeouts in seven innings in a win over the Angels on Monday.

Valdez wasn't at his best Monday -- the four runs allowed marked a season high -- but the Astros gave him plenty of run support to earn the win. The 26-year-old southpaw has a 2.35 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 40 strikeouts through 38.1 innings this season. Valdez is expected to make his next start this weekend at home versus the Athletics.

Luzardo (2-1) took the loss Monday against the Rangers, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks across 6.2 innings pitched. He struck out seven.

Luzardo got off to a rocky start Monday, allowing three hits and two runs in the first inning. He gave up a solo homer to Isiah Kiner-Falefa an inning later, but bounced back to get through the next 4.2 innings unscathed. The rookie ultimately took the first loss of his young career. Nonetheless, after allowing just three runs over his last 13 innings pirched, the southpaw should feel good about himself heading into his Sunday start in Houston.

Lynn (4-0) picked up the win Monday against the Athletics, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks across six innings. He struck out eight.

Lynn fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, allowing a two-out RBI single to Mark Canha. After the Rangers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the frame, Stephen Piscotty quickly tied it up in the second with a homer off the right-hander. The 33-year old settled in after that, keeping Oakland off the board in his last four innings of work. Lynn will take a sparkling 4-0 record and 1.59 ERA into his start against the Dodgers on Saturday.

Civale (3-3) allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings Monday, striking out eight and taking the loss against Minnesota.

Civale was cursed by the long ball Monday with all three runs coming from homers by Nelson Cruz and Miguel Sano. He had allowed just three home runs in 34 innings before Monday so it was a bit uncharacteristic, but he does own an outstanding 40:4 K:BB for the season. Civale will carry a 3.15 ERA into Sunday's start in St. Louis.

Maeda (4-0) allowed one run on five hits and a walk across five innings Monday, striking out seven and earning the win over Cleveland.

After allowing a leadoff homer to Cesar Hernandez in the first inning, Maeda silenced Cleveland's lineup and dominated for the rest of his outing. In all five of his starts this season, he's thrown at least five innings and given up three or fewer runs. After Monday's strong performance, Maeda is sporting a stellar 2.21 ERA and 40:7 K:BB. He'll look to move to a perfect 5-0 in a road start against Detroit on Saturday.