MLB Player News

Keller fell to 3-8 on the season despite allowing just two runs in eight innings Saturday against the White Sox. He gave up five hits and one walk while striking out four.

Keller has thrown two quality starts in a row but took the loss both times, a not-entirely-surprising result given the weakness of the Royals' offense. Keller's lack of run support and unremarkable 15.5 percent strikeout rate make him a not- particularly-appealing fantasy option even if he continues to drag his 4.29 ERA down. He's expected to start next against Minnesota on Friday.

Giolito improved to 9-1 on the season after throwing 7.2 scoreless innings Saturday against the Royals, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 11.

The impressive showing continued Giolito's remarkable breakout season, shrinking his ERA to 2.28. He's been especially excellent over his last four outings, allowing just three runs in 32 innings while recording a 39:4 K:BB. He'll look to keep the momentum going next Friday against the Yankees.

Blackburn (0-1) gave up five runs over three innings as he took the loss in the first game of a doubleheader against Texas on Saturday. He allowed five hits and three walks while striking out four.

The Rangers jumped on Blackburn right away, picking up three runs in the first inning. The 25-year-old then allowed two more runs on a Nomar Mazara homer in the third inning. The right-hander was making his first appearance of the season and this effort leaves him with an ERA of 15.00.

Cortes was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

Masahiro Tanaka landed on the paternity list, so Cortes was called up to add some short-term pitching depth. He started Wednesday's game at Triple-A, so he is probably not a candidate to start Sunday's game in Cleveland, although he could be asked to log a couple innings. Cortes gave up just one hit and struck out eight over six scoreless innings in his last start for the RailRiders.

Whitley (shoulder) has been working out with the training staff in the gym but is not yet ready to throw, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Whitley was placed on the minor-league 7-day injured list with shoulder fatigue. "He looks good. He feels good. We're going to give him a little more time before he starts throwing again. Once he does, we'll come up with a plan," said Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow. With Whitley unavailable and Corbin Martin getting sent back to Triple-A Round Rock because of poor performance, pitching depth in the system is being tested.

Chirinos (7-2) picked up the win in Friday's 5-1 victory over the Red Sox, giving up two hits and two walks over eight scoreless innings while striking out six.

The right-hander was perfect through five frames before walking Brock Holt to begin the sixth, and Chirinos was denied a shot at his first career big-league shutout only due to an elevated pitch count, as he exited the game after 101 pitches (62 strikes). He'll carry a 2.87 ERA and 55:13 K:BB through 69 innings into his next start Wednesday, at home against the A's.

German (9-2) struck out six but took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk over six innings as the Yankees fell 5-2 to Cleveland.

For the third time in his last six starts, German served up multiple homers, and his 2.8 HR/9 over that stretch has led to a 5.68 ERA -- a far cry from the 0.5 and 2.35 marks he posted over his first seven outings. The right-hander will try to turn things around Thursday when he faces the White Sox on the road.

Boyd struck out eight but didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Twins, allowing three runs on nine hits over seven innings.

Mitch Garver and C.J. Cron both took him deep, but Boyd still delivered his 10th quality start of the season while fanning at least seven batters for the fifth straight outing. The southpaw continues to enjoy a breakout campaign, posting a 3.08 ERA and dazzling 105:15 K:BB over 84.2 innings, and he'll look to get back in the win column Thursday in Kansas City.

Heaney (0-1) was charged with the loss Friday against the Mariners, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out 10 through 5.2 innings.

In just his third start since recovering from his elbow issues and coming off the IL, Heaney punched out 10 batters for the second straight game. The left-hander retired the first eight batters before giving up a pair of singles and a walk in the fourth inning to knot the score at 1-1. Heaney then allowed a home run to Domingo Santana in the fifth and a three-run homer to Tom Murphy in the sixth to give Seattle a 5-1 lead. The 28-year-old now owns a 5.40 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 28:3 K:BB. He'll look to earn his first win Thursday against Tampa Bay.

Gonzales (6-6) picked up the win Friday, holding the Angels to two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out five through 5.2 innings.

Gonzales surrendered a home run to Kole Calhoun in the second inning and an RBI single to Tommy La Stella in the sixth, but otherwise the 27-year-old looked solid against the Angels. The strong outing was nice to see after Gonzales had gotten shelled in his previous two starts against the Angels and Rangers. Through 15 appearances this season, the left-hander owns a 4.77 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 59:25 K:BB. He'll look to remain in the win column Thursday against the Twins.