MLB Player News

Cease (1-1) earned the win over the Royals on Sunday when he allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four over six innings.

Cease, who was chased after 2.1 innings in his first start, did two things better Sunday. He threw more strikes -- 54 of 83 pitches -- and he hit his spots more often. Cease will try to build on this quality start when he next takes the ball Friday at home against Cleveland.

Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker said Sunday that Anderson (oblique) will be activated from the 10-day injured list this week, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Beyond confirming Matt Shoemaker as the starter for Tuesday's game against the Braves, the Blue Jays haven't outlined their rotation plans for the rest of the week, so Anderson could conceivably start either of the final two games of the series in Atlanta. The right-hander threw a live batting practice session Sunday, which likely marks the final hurdle he'll need to clear in his recovery from the right oblique strain he sustained in the second week of July.

Allard yielded one run on two hits and two walks over four innings Sunday, striking out three batters in the win over San Francisco. He did not factor in the decision.

Allard wasn't incredibly impressive or efficient Sunday -- he needed 75 pitches to complete four innings -- but he got the job done. The lone run he allowed came on an Evan Longoria sacrifice fly in the second inning. Assuming Allard keeps his spot in the Rangers rotation, he'll get a home start against the Angels on Saturday.

Bassitt (1-0) allowed one run on three hits and struck out seven in 5.2 innings, earning the win versus the Mariners on Sunday.

Bassitt gave up an RBI single to Daniel Vogelbach in the first inning, but that was the only damage on his line in a second consecutive strong performance. The right-handed Bassitt has now allowed only one run in 9.2 innings while posting a 12:1 K:BB. The 31-year-old's ability to turn in quality outings may interest fantasy managers, although his next start -- one in which Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports Bassitt will look to exceed the 85 pitches he threw Sunday -- is expected to be a tough test at home versus the Astros on Friday.

Civale (1-1) allowed three earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out nine across six innings to take the loss Sunday against the Twins.

Civale allowed a run in each of the first three innings before settling in to retire nine straight to end his outing. After striking out 46 batters in 57.2 frames during his major-league tenure in 2019, Civale has racked up 15 strikeouts in 12 innings of work through two starts this season. He's also shown the ability to work deep into contests, reaching 100 pitches and completing six innings in each of his two outings. Civale projects to take the mound for this third start of the campaign Friday at the White Sox.

Glasnow, who allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks while recording five strikeouts over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against the Orioles on Saturday, is developing into one of the most uncomfortable pitchers for hitters to face, Matt Kelly of MLB.com reports.

As Saturday's line indicates, Glasnow still has some work to do on his control, which has often been an albatross during his first four seasons coming into 2020. However, Kelly points out the combination of Glasnow's 97 mph fastball with his towering 6-foot-8 frame and expansive wingspan make him quite the intimidating sight from a batter's box view. The right-hander's 7.6 feet of average extension from the pitching rubber to the plate before uncorking a pitch ranked tops in the majors last season by a comfortable margin, and his four-pitch arsenal, which includes a fastball that can either ride high in the zone or cut to his glove side, makes life all that more difficult on hitters. Glasnow's struggles Saturday largely stemmed from poor location, but he offered a glimpse of how dominant he can be by racking up nine strikeouts and allowing just an earned run on a solo home run over four innings to the Braves in his first start of the season Monday.

Lyles (0-1) was tagged with the loss to the Giants on Saturday when he allowed four runs on three hits and five walks while striking out one in a 7-3 defeat.

Lyles, who made his first start of the season, was unable to consistently locate his pitches. He threw just 42 strikes among his 78 pitches and was particularly off target with his curveball, as just eight of 21 landed in the zone. All four runs allowed originated from runners who reached base via walk. Lyles will look for better results in his next scheduled start, Friday at home against the Angels.

Kikuchi allowed three hits and one walk over six scoreless innings in a no-decision against the A's on Saturday. He struck out nine.

This was a big improvement on Kikuchi's first start (five runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts over 3.2 innings in Houston). He induced 20 swinging strikes on 89 pitches and fell just one strikeout short of tying his career high. Kikuchi had some buzz back in spring training due to the increased velocity he was showing and indeed his fastball is up several ticks. The lefty is still probably best viewed as a streamer, but he could separate himself from the pack with a few more starts like this. Kikuchi gets the Rockies at home next week.

Greinke allowed two runs on three hits and didn't issue a walk over 5.2 innings during Saturday's extra-inning loss to the Angels. He struck out four and didn't factor in the decision.

The veteran right-hander didn't allow a baserunner through five innings, but the Angels strung together three singles and a sacrifice fly during the sixth inning to tally a pair of runs. Greinke struggled in his season debut and lasted only 3.1 innings, but he appeared noticeably sharper during his second outing. Monday's scheduled off day allows the Astros to keep him on a five-day schedule to potentially pitch Thursday at Arizona.

Canning allowed one run on six hits and two walks over six innings during Saturday's extra-inning win over the Astros, He struck out five and did not factor in the decision.

The right-hander was in line for the win until the ninth inning, but Hansel Robles was unable to secure the save. Still, it was a good performance for Canning, as he scattered five singles over six scoreless frames before giving up a leadoff double to start the seventh inning. The 24-year-old has a 3.38 ERA through two starts and lines up to pitch against the Rangers next weekend.