MLB Player News

Skubal struck out 11 and allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk over 5.2 innings for Double-A Erie on Friday.

Skubal was promoted to Double-A on July 5 and has had no problem adjusting to the higher level of competition. Across 39.2 innings, he's racked up 78 strikeouts and has a 2.04 ERA and 0.98 WHIP.

Kikuchi is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday at home against the Yankees.

After Kikuchi turned in his best outing of the season Aug. 18 in Toronto -- a complete-game, eight-strikeout shutout -- the Mariners elected to shut him down for a week for maintenance purposes. Since the southpaw isn't dealing with any physical issues, he shouldn't face any restrictions with his pitch count while slotting back into the rotation this week. The Mariners handed Justus Sheffield and Felix Hernandez (lat) starts this past week to compensate for Kikuchi's absence, but there will be room for all three in the rotation moving forward with manager Scott Servais banishing Wade LeBlanc to the bullpen.

Heaney will make his next scheduled start Tuesday at home versus the Rangers.

Since his last outing came Tuesday, Heaney would have been on schedule to make his second start of the week in Sunday's game in Houston, but manager Brad Ausmus will instead give Jaime Barria the ball in the series finale. The decision to keep Barria ahead of Heaney in the pitching order is just a matter of maintenance for the latter, who racked up a season-high 108 pitches against this same Rangers squad in Arlington while striking out 14 over eight scoreless frames. Heaney will tentatively line up for a two step next week, with an outing Sept. 1 versus Boston to follow his home start against Texas.

Farrell struck out two over two scoreless innings in Friday's 8-3 loss to the White Sox.

Farrell made his season debut Friday. He was activated off the 60-day injured list after recovering from a fractured jaw and concussion he suffered when hit by a line drive during a preseason game.

Berrios (10-7) took the loss Friday, giving up five runs on 10 hits and two walks over 5.1 innings while striking out five as the Twins dropped a 9-6 decision to the Tigers.

A sixth-inning grand slam by the unheralded Ronny Rodriguez accounted for most of the damage off Berrios. The right-hander has been fading badly in August, posting an 8.44 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, 22:10 K:BB and 2.5 HR/9 through four starts and 21.1 innings, and that doesn't factor in four unearned runs. He'll try to turn things around in his next outing Thursday, on the road against the White Sox.

Greinke (14-4) picked up the win in Friday's 5-4 victory over the Angels, allowing three runs (two earned) on 10 hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out only one.

The right-hander was far from dominant, managing only six swinging strikes out of 96 pitches (63 total strikes) on the night, but he was able to avoid any serious damage despite all the balls in play. Greinke has yet to lose in an Astros uniform, going 4-0 in four starts, and he'll carry an overall 2.83 ERA and 150:28 K:BB through 171.2 innings into his next outing Thursday, at home against the Rays.

Suarez (2-5) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.2 innings while striking out three as the Angels fell 5-4 to the Astros.

The southpaw wasn't sharp and needed 92 pitches (57 strikes) to record 14 outs, although the final run on his ledger scored after he'd gotten the hook. Suarez now carries a 6.67 ERA and 56:24 K:BB through 58 innings, and with the Angels getting a couple of off days next week, it's not clear when he'll pitch again.

Cease (3-6) struck out nine and picked up the win in Friday's 8-3 victory over the Rangers, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk over six innings.

It looked like the rookie was in for another shaky performance when Willie Calhoun blasted a three-run homer in the first inning, but Cease shook it off and shut Texas down after that, eventually setting a new career high in strikeouts while delivering his second quality start in nine trips to the mound in the majors. The right-hander will carry a 5.76 ERA and 50:22 K:BB through 50 innings into his next outing Thursday, at home against the Twins.

Lynn (14-9) took the loss Friday as the Rangers were downed 8-3 by the White Sox. He struck out 10 but coughed up seven runs on 11 hits and two walks over 5.2 innings.

The right-hander generated a whopping 24 swinging strikes among his 109 pitches (75 total strikes), but when Chicago did get wood on the ball it found a hole -- the 11 hits Lynn surrendered consisted of seven singles and four doubles. He'll carry a 3.85 ERA and 197:48 K:BB through 170.2 innings into his next start Thursday, at home against the Mariners.

Paxton (10-6) earned the win Friday, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out 11 over 6.2 innings in a 10-2 win over the Dodgers.

The Yankees provided five homers in support of Paxton, who took care of suppressing the Dodgers' dangerous offense. Across 30.1 innings in August, Paxton has a 3.56 ERA and 35 strikeouts, compared to a 5.68 ERA over 25.1 innings in five July starts. For the season, Big Maple owns a 4.43 ERA and 152:44 K:BB in 120 innings. The southpaw is expected to face his former team, the Mariners, in a road start Wednesday.