MLB Player News

German (18-4) earned the win in Game 2 of a doubleheader against Detroit on Thursday, pitching four scoreless innings and giving up two hits and no walks while striking out five.

As planned, CC Sabathia opened the game and German entered in a bulk relief role, throwing 50 pitches -- 37 of which were strikes -- in four frames. German inherited a one-run lead with the tying run in scoring position and one out in the fourth inning and quickly extinguished the threat, needing only six pitches to set the next two batters down in order. The 27-year-old then cruised through the rest of his outing, whiffing five along the way to record his 18th victory, tying Justin Verlander for tops in baseball. Despite his success as a traditional starter, German figures to continue pitching out of the bullpen for the remainder of September as the Yankees look to manage his workload and prepare him for the relief role that he will likely fill in the playoffs.

Urquidy, who struck out 10 batters in five innings Wednesday, will not be available to pitch again until next Tuesday, David Barron of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Urquidy was spectacular in a spot start, but the Astros are cognizant of his innings count. After undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery in 2017, Urquidy has already compiled a career-high 135 innings in 2019.

Dunn allowed five walks and two runs in two-thirds of an inning against the the Reds on Thursday. He did not factor into the decision.

Whether he was overcome by nervousness or simply a severe lack of control, Dunn struggled mightily to find the strike zone in his first big-league appearance, throwing only 14 of 37 pitches for strikes and walking five of the seven batters he faced. The only two hitters he retired produced sacrifice flies, and he was victimized by three stolen bases behind him. The 23-year-old struggled with his control throughout his minor-league career, compiling an 8.8 percent walk rate in 392.1 innings, though he showed some improvement this season by lowering that number to 7.1 percent in 131.2 frames. Dunn is likely to again serve as an opener Wednesday at Pittsburgh, but he'll need to demonstrate much better control in order to receive consideration for a spot in Seattle's rotation next season.

Allard threw four innings in a no-decision against the Rays on Thursday, giving up four earned runs on seven hits across four innings, striking out one and walking three in a 6-4 win for the Rangers.

Allard limited the damage to one run through the first four innings, but the Rays tagged him for three earned in the fifth before chasing from the contest. He struggled with his command, issuing three free passes and laboring for 92 pitches. The 22-year-old left-hander has a 4.34 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 30:14 K:BB in 37.1 big-league innings this season.

Verlander (18-6) took the loss against Oakland on Thursday, tossing six innings and giving up three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out 11.

Verlander was uncharacteristically shaky at the outset of the game, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks through three innings. He settled down over his final three frames, however, retiring all nine batters including four by strikeout. Despite the loss, Verlander remains firmly in the lead for the AL Cy Young Award with his 18-6 record, 2.58 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 275:38 K:BB over 206 innings. He'll have a home matchup with Texas on Tuesday in his next scheduled start.

Gibson (13-7) took the loss against the Nationals on Thursday, giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits over 4.2 innings, striking out five and walking four as the Twins fell 12-6.

Making his first start after getting activated from the 10-day injured list with an abdominal injury, Gibson didn't have it, struggling with his command to the tune of four free passes and serving up a pair of long balls to Anthony Rendon and Adam Eaton. He now has a 4.73 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 151:49 K:BB across 154 innings and will look to right the ship in his next start, which is scheduled for a Tuesday home matchup against the White Sox.

Bundy (6-14) took the loss against the Dodgers on Thursday, giving up four runs (two earned) on six hits over 5.2 innings, striking out six and walking two as the Orioles fell 4-2.

Bundy only missed a quality start by one out, but he still wound up taking his 14th loss of the season with only two runs of support provided by his offense. After posting a 5.45 ERA across 171.2 innings last season, the 26-year-old right-hander has struggled again in 2019, with a 4.99 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 149.2 innings.

Giolito (14-9) allowed five earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out 12 across six innings to take the loss Thursday against the Royals.

Giolito surrendered only two runs through five innings but allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base in the sixth inning. He then coughed up a three-run homer to sour his performance. Positively, he still racked up 12 strikeouts and let only six hitters reach base. Even with his failure to limit runs in this start, Giolito has allowed two or fewer earned runs in six of his last seven outings. For the season, he owns a 3.41 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 228 strikeouts across 176.2 innings. He's scheduled to take the ball next on Tuesday at Minnesota.

Turnbull (3-15) struck out eight while allowing four runs on seven hits with one walk across five innings while taking a loss against the Yankees on Thursday.

This was the 26-year-old's best strikeout night in almost a month, but his losing streak continued. Turnbull has lost 11 straight decisions and hasn't won a start since May 31. He's pitched better than his record indicates, but then again, Turnbull doesn't have great numbers either. He owns a 4.77 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 126 strikeouts in 132 innings this season. Turnbull will look to end his long losing streak in his next start Wednesday at the Indians.

Boyd (8-11) took the loss after surrendering four runs (two earned) on three hits and four walks while striking out three over five innings in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Yankees.

Boyd gave up a two-run homer in the first inning, followed by another two-run blast in the third on the way to a 10-4 loss. He's now 2-2 over his last four starts, and he sits with a 4.54 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with a 228:47 K:BB over 176.1 innings this season.