MLB Player News

Blackburn was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Blackburn has been exclusively a starter this season, posting a 5.26 ERA in 15 starts for Las Vegas and allowing five runs in one three-inning start for Oakland. He appears to be up as a reliever this time around with no gaps available in the big-league rotation before the All-Star break. Tanner Anderson was sent down in a corresponding move.

Eovaldi (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Eovaldi is still working his way back from late-April elbow surgery. He's expected to close for the Red Sox once he returns, both in an effort to decrease the strain on his arm and in an attempt to fix the team's weak link, though the team hasn't ruled out his chances of eventually returning to the rotation late in the season.

Stroman (pectoral) is not listed as one of the Blue Jays' probable starting pitchers this weekend against the Orioles.

Stroman exited his start last week with a pectoral cramp in his non-throwing (left) shoulder and was scratched from Thursday's scheduled outing, and he now won't make another start until after the All-Star break, per Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan. Assuming there's no update to the team's rotation plans, the 28-year-old will finish the first half with a 3.18 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 81:32 K:BB over 104.2 innings.

Lynn is expected to start the first game back after the All-Star break, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Manager Chris Woodward tentatively set his rotation for the second half, kicking off with Lynn on Thursday, followed by Jesse Chavez (Friday) and Mike Minor (Saturday). Lynn, who has won four straight starts and five consecutive decisions, is currently tied for the major-league lead in wins (11) with the White Sox's Lucas Giolito.

Canning (3-5) was charged with the loss Thursday against the Rangers after surrendering six runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out six over 3.1 innings.

Canning struck out the side in the first inning but soon ran into trouble in the second by loading the bases with a pair of singles and a walk. Luckily, the only run that scored came from a sacrifice fly by Asdrubal Cabrera. In the third, Canning surrendered a two-run double to Nomar Mazara. The right-hander then allowed a two-run homer to Rougned Odor in the fourth and was pulled after allowing another pair of hits following his 85th pitch. What started out strong turned out to be a sloppy outing despite the six punchouts. The 24-year-old will take a 4.43 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 69:17 K:BB into the All-Star break.

Lynn (11-4) picked up the win Thursday after holding the Angels to two runs on nine hits with five strikeouts over seven innings.

Lynn turned in another solid start, scattering eight singles and a home run to Mike Trout to help snap the Rangers' four-game losing skid. The 32-year-old kept his velocity up into the seventh inning, clocking in at 97 mph on his 112th pitch of the game to get a swing and a miss from Trout. Lynn has now lasted into at least the seventh inning over his last four starts. With the victory, he ties the major-league lead in wins and becomes the first Rangers pitcher since Matt Harrison in 2012 to win 11 games before the All-Star break. The right-hander now owns a 3.91 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 123:26 K:BB.

Berrios (8-5) allowed three earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out two across five innings to take the loss Thursday against the Athletics.

Berrios battled out of trouble starting in the third inning but did a decent job of preventing runs. Things unraveled a bit for him in the fifth frame however, as he allowed a leadoff homer and then loaded the bases prior to inducing a double play to limit the damage. This was Berrios' shortest outing of the season, so the relatively poor showing shouldn't raise major concerns. He enters the All-Star break with a strong 3.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP while striking out 104 batters across 117 innings.

Chirinos didn't factor into the decision against the Yankees on Thursday, giving up three earned runs on five hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking one in the Rays' 8-4 extra-inning defeat.

The right-hander continued his strong first half of the season with a sixth straight quality start, needing 101 pitches to make it through seven frames against a tough Yankees lineup. Through 100 innings, Chirinos has emerged as a key component of Tampa Bay's staff, as he's now boasting a 3.15 ERA, an impressive 0.99 WHIP and an 81:22 K:BB.

Milone (1-3) took the loss as the primary pitcher against the Cardinals on Thursday, giving up five earned runs on seven hits over 5.1 innings, striking out four and walking one in the Mariners' 5-4 defeat.

The left-hander has pitched well in the bulk reliever role this season, but he was roughed up by the Cardinals in this contest, with long balls from Matt Wieters and Dexter Fowler accounting for three of the five runs against him. It was a tough outing, but Milone's numbers on the season still look good overall, as he's sporting a 3.56 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and a 44:10 K:BB through 48 innings.

Boyd (6-6) picked up the win Thursday against the White Sox despite allowing four runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings of work. He struck out 13 and did not walk a batter.

Boyd allowed a two-run homer to Jose Rondon in the fourth and another to Eloy Jimenez in the sixth, raising his ERA to a still respectable 3.87. The 13 strikeouts, however, tied a season high. Boyd's strikeout rate now sits at 32.0 percent, an incredible jump from his previous career high of 22.4 percent.