MLB Player News

Snell, who was able to reach the 90-pitch threshold in his last start against the Yankees on Tuesday, feels like he's now completely over the shoulder issue that plagued him during the spring, Richard Justice of MLB.com reports. "I'm a starting pitcher now," Snell said "That's two starts where I've gotten to five innings. I'm not an opener. Can't call me that. So definitely excited about that."

The left-hander's tongue-in-cheek comment stems from the fact he went no longer than three innings in any of his first three starts of the campaign, as manager Kevin Cash and his staff were carefully managing Snell's pitch count. However, as he demonstrated in his most recent turn, Snell's arm appears to be back to being able to handle very close to a normal workload. It's been somewhat of an up-and-down season thus far for the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner, who's posted three scoreless efforts but also allowed three earned runs apiece in his other two starts.

Morton (shoulder) was scheduled for a long-toss session Sunday, Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports.

Morton has been making steady, setback-free progress via bullpen sessions over the last several days, and there had even been talk at one point he could be activated to start a game during the ongoing weekend series against the Blue Jays. That possibility was eventually ruled out, but Morton could be close to a return if he continues to build his arm strength up without any issues. The veteran right-hander noted it's a bit of a tightrope walk at the moment, considering that it's necessary at times to up the intensity of the throwing sessions to get an accurate assessment of progress while acknowledging such a strategy also comes with an element of risk.

Texas manager Chris Woodward suggested that Lyles might be tipping pitches, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Lyles was shelled in Saturday's start, allowing eight runs on 11 hits in four innings, leaving the manager to seek a cause for the pitcher's poor results. "Tonight, I thought there was something going on with Jordan in the first inning," Woodward said. "They were taking some really healthy swings on some pitches. I don't know if there is something there. When a team has something on a guy, a lot of times, you don't know it until there are seven or eight runs. We are going to dig into that and see if there is something we can find." Lyles has a 9.25 ERA over five starts and one relief appearance.

Singer (1-3) took the loss Saturday as the Royals fell 7-2 to the Twins. He gave up four runs on six hits over four innings while striking out three.

Four of the six hits off the rookie went for extra bases, including homers by Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano that accounted for all the scoring against Singer. The 24-year-old right-hander has now served up seven long balls in his first 29.2 big-league innings, and while his 27:12 K:BB isn't terrible, he'll need to figure out how to keep the ball in the park if he's going to reach his full potential. Singer faces another dangerous offense in his next outing Friday, on the road against the White Sox.

Lyles (1-3) took the loss against the Mariners on Saturday, completing four innings and giving up eight runs on 11 hits while striking out two.

Lyles gave up three runs in the first inning and five in the third on his way to his second straight loss. He didn't give up a walk for the first time this season, but Seattle knocked him around to the tune of four extra-base hits, including a three-run homer off the bat of Evan White in the third frame. Lyles has now given up 14 earned runs over his last eight innings to see his ERA balloon to 9.25 on the season. He'll try to recover when he faces Oakland at home Thursday in his next scheduled start.

Bielak (3-1) took the loss against San Diego on Saturday, pitching 1.1 innings and allowing seven runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two.

Bielak entered the game having given up four earned runs through his first 21.1 big-league innings, but the Padres nearly doubled that run total while making only four outs against the rookie. Of the five hits given up by Bielak, four were home runs, including a pair of long balls off the bat of Trent Grisham. Bielak's ERA soared from 1.69 to 4.37 as a result of his first major-league loss, and the outing was the shortest of his career. The 24-year-old will try to recover when he next takes the mound Thursday at home against the Angels.

Canning gave up three runs on six hits and two walks over 4.2 innings during Saturday's 4-3 win over the A's. He struck out three and didn't qualify for the decision.

It's become a familiar theme for the 24-year-old, as he's completed five frames in only one of his six starts this season. Canning has a 4.88 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 23:12 K:BB across 27.2 innings and will hope to find his first win Thursday at Houston.

Perez allowed one earned run on five hits and one walk while striking out six across seven innings Saturday against Baltimore. He did not factor into the decision.

Perez exited the game with a 3-1 lead but was betrayed by his bullpen. He allowed only a solo home run to Pat Valaika and turned in his first start without surrendering multiple free passes. Perez has a strong 3.45 ERA across 31.1 innings, but he hasn't been able to consistently work deep into games due to his inability to find the strike zone -- exhibited by his 4.3 BB/9. He's currently projected to take his next turn through the rotation Thursday at Toronto.

Cobb allowed two earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out one across five innings Saturday against the Red Sox. He did not factor into the decision.

Cobb threw four clean innings, only running into trouble in his final frame, when he surrendered a solo home run to Jackie Bradley and consecutive doubles to account for his two earned runs. While he wasn't particularly deceptive, Cobb stayed out of trouble by recording nine groundouts. Cobb has had a nice start to the campaign, earning a 3.73 ERA across six starts and 31.1 innings. He's currently projected to take his next turn through the rotation Friday at Toronto.

Bassitt (2-1) took the loss Saturday against the Angels after allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks. He struck out six over 5.2 innings.

The 31-year-old ran into trouble early as the Halos tallied all four of their runs across the first two frames, but he settled down for the rest of the outing. Bassitt has a 2.97 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 28:9 K:BB through 33.1 innings, and he'll look to get back in the win column Thursday at Texas.