MLB Player News

Turnbull (2-2) took the loss Thursday against the White Sox, allowing three runs on two hits and four walks in two innings pitched. He did not record a strike out.

Turnbull couldn't find the strike zone once again Thursday, walking four batters for the second start in a row. His three free passes in the first inning contributed to three runs for the White Sox. The right-hander was able to work around another walk and a hit-by-pitch in a scoreless second, but was replaced by Tyler Alexander to start the third. Turnbull will look to work deeper in the game when he takes the ball Monday against the Cubs.

Kikuchi (0-2) took the loss Thursday as the Mariners fell 6-1 to the Dodgers, giving up five runs on four hits and four walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw looked good through two innings but got rattled in the third after some frankly horrible umpiring cost him a strikeout, leading to a ground-rule double by Matt Beaty that opened the scoring and kick-started a four-run frame for Los Angeles. Kikuchi now has a 6.30 ERA through four starts and 20 innings with a 21:10 K:BB, but if there's a silver lining to his early-season efforts it's that he has yet to allow a home run. He'll look for his first win in his next outing, on the road against the Padres on Aug. 27.

Biber (5-0) picked up the win in Thursday's 2-0 victory over the Pirates after allowing six hits over six scoreless innings. He struck out 11 without walking a batter.

The right-hander remains on a Cy Young trajectory. Bieber has fanned double-digit batters in four of his six starts this year -- joining Cleveland legends Bob Feller and Sam McDowell as the only pitchers in franchise history to begin a season with that kind of strikeout binge -- to fuel a jaw-dropping 65:6 K:BB through 40.2 innings, and his 1.11 ERA leads the American League. He'll next take the mound Tuesday, at home against the Twins.

Giolito (2-2) picked up the win against the Tigers on Thursday, striking out 13 while allowing three hits and a walk in seven scoreless innings.

The right-hander was coming off a rough start in which he allowed four earned runs in five innings against the Cardinals. He bounced back in a huge way Thursday, striking out 13 of the 25 Tigers he faced on the way to his second win of the campaign. The 26-year-old's 45 strikeouts leave him behind just Shane Bieber (54) for the most in the big leagues. Giolito's next start is scheduled to come Tuesday against Pittsburgh.

Javier allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five across 3.2 innings Thursday against the Rockies. He did not factor into the decision.

Javier allowed nine baserunners in the short outing, but was ultimately burned by two home runs while pitching at Coors Field. He did still flash some deceptiveness, racking up 12 called strikes and nine swinging strikes across 78 pitches. Through five starts, Javier now has a 3.55 ERA with a 26:9 K:BB across 25.1 frames. He'll look to bounce back in his next outing, currently projected to come Tuesday against the Angels.

Paxton will undergo an MRI after experiencing discomfort in his forearm/elbow, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

This is a worrisome development for Paxton, who reportedly didn't feel right during his outing against the Rays on Thursday, during which he allowed three runs on one hit and four walks while striking out eight batters across five innings. While the severity of the issue is not yet known, it's worth noting that forearm injuries can often be the precursor to a significant absence. Look for Paxton's status to be updated once his test results are known.

Anderson allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk across 3.2 innings pitched in the 3-2 win over the Phillies in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader. He struck out three and did not factor in the decision.

Thursday marked yet another short start for Anderson as he continues to build up arm strength after missing the beginning of the season with an oblique strain. After tossing 45 and 59 pitches in his first two outings, the 32-year-old upped his pitch count to 78 (44 strikes) while working into the fourth inning for the first time Thursday. Anderson will look to work deeper into the game and pick up his first win when he takes the ball Tuesday against Boston.

McKenzie is listed as Cleveland's scheduled starter for Saturday's game against the Tigers, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

As expected, McKenzie is on track to make his big-league debut over the weekend, filling in for Zach Plesac, who is at the team's alternate camp site after breaking MLB's COVID-19 protocols. The right-hander missed all of 2019 and part of 2018 while recovering from forearm and back strains, though he registered a 2.68 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 87:28 K:BB across 90.2 innings at Double-A in 2018 prior to getting hurt.

McKenzie is expected to be promoted to the majors Saturday.

The Indians have yet to announce a starter for Saturday's game against the Tigers, and it sounds like McKenzie could fill that void. The right-hander missed all of 2019 and part of 2018 while recovering from forearm and back strains, but he compiled a 2.68 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 87:28 K:BB across 90.2 innings at Double-A in 2018 prior to getting injured.

Morton (shoulder) played catch Wednesday as scheduled and is slated to throw another bullpen session Thursday or Friday, the Associated Press reports.

The right-hander seems to be progressing steadily in his recovery, and it's a good sign he was able to play catch Wednesday after engaging in what was described as a "pretty intense" bullpen session Tuesday. The chances of Morton being activated when first eligible Saturday should become clearer after the upcoming throwing session.