MLB Player News

Morton (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Morton has not yet reported back to manager A.J. Hinch how he felt, so we're still in a holding pattern as to whether the pitcher will be ready to return for the weekend series against the Red Sox. "Everything is pointing in the right direction," Hinch said. "There's no declaration or decision, but I love seeing that he's on the mound." If Morton is unable to throw this weekend, then the Astros will have Josh James start one of the games in Boston.

Cobb (5-15) got the win Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out two over six innings against the Mariners.

Cobb allowed a solo home run to Robinson Cano in the first inning, but he settled down the rest of the way to notch his seventh quality start in eight tries. The 30-year-old has worked to an impressive 2.73 ERA over 52.2 innings in that span, but the damage on his season-long ratios (4.97 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) has already been done thanks to a dreadful start to the year. He'll look to keep rolling Tuesday against the Athletics.

Giolito (10-10) gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits in 1.1 innings against the Tigers on Tuesday, striking out three and walking two while taking the loss.

Giolito pitched a scoreless first frame but was undone in the second inning, giving up four base hits -- including two run-scoring doubles -- and two walks before being lifted at 50 pitches (31 strikes). Giolito had been coming off four consecutive quality starts and had seen his ERA get down to 5.66 on the year (it had been at 7.19 in mid-June) before Tuesday's rough outing. The right-hander has a modest 6.7 K/9 and also has the second-most walks (79) in the majors, resulting in a poor 1.44 WHIP even though he's allowed less than a hit per inning (8.3 H/9). His next start will be against the Royals in Kansas City.

Verlander (14-9) allowed one run on three hits in a win over the Twins on Tuesday, striking out eight and walking two in seven innings.

Verlander was solid once again, allowing just one extra-base hit and throwing 71 of 102 pitches for strikes to pick up his 14th win of the season. Verlander now has 22 quality starts this year and ranks in the top five among MLB starters in innings pitched (188), strikeouts (248) and WHIP (0.94). He'll take on his old team in his next start in Detroit.

Clevinger (11-7) gave up one run on three hits and a walk while striking out 10 in Tuesday's win against the Royals.

He was staked with a 6-0 lead after two innings, allowing him to cruise to his 11th victory. Clevinger is now unbeaten in his last seven starts. During one dominant stretch Tuesday he struck out six of nine batters. What's impressive about this current run is that Clevinger is now in uncharted workload territory, sitting at 176.1 innings after never logging more than 158 in a season (back in 2015). His next start is scheduled for Sunday in Toronto.

Heaney (8-9) allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk across six innings Tuesday to take the loss against the Rangers. He struck out five.

Heaney allowed just two baserunners over the first three innings before allowing a pair of solo home runs in the fourth. He allowed another pair of runs on two hits and a walk in the fifth before working through the sixth. Unfortunately, Heaney didn't get much offensive support and suffered his ninth loss of the season. He's allowed at least four earned runs in three of his last four starts, though he has compiled a solid 21:5 K:BB in that span. Heaney will look to improve upon his 4.16 ERA next week against this same Rangers club.

Sale (shoulder) won't return to Boston over the weekend and will instead throw a bullpen session Saturday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Sale made just a single start in August between two stints on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation. His latest stint will continue for at least a little while longer, though Ian Browne of MLB.com reports that Sale could be used as an "opener" at some point during Boston's upcoming homestand, which lasts from Sept. 7-16.

Gibson (7-12) allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk across seven innings Monday to take the loss against the Astros. He struck out five.

Gibson gave up a solo home run in the first inning and allowed a pair of unearned runs on two hits and an error in the second. He allowed another solo shot in the fourth but was able to settle down over his final three frames, though he received little offensive support and eventually suffered his 12th loss. Gibson struggled to find the strike zone at times, but his 12 groundball outs helped limit the damage. He had allowed nine earned runs over 10 innings in his previous two starts and will look to build on this improved outing in his next scheduled start against the Yankees.

Keuchel (11-10) allowed one unearned run on five hits and two walks across six innings Monday to earn the win against the Twins. He struck out six.

Keuchel coasted through the outing, limiting baserunners for the most part and inducing eight groundball outs to help keep the visitors at bay. He allowed an unearned run in the sixth following a Carlos Correa error, but he was able to escape and secure his 11th win. Keuchel has now delivered three consecutive quality starts, posting a strong 17:5 K:BB over 19 innings in that span. He'll take a solid 3.46 ERA into this weekend's matchup with the Red Sox.

Springs tossed two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three as he didn't factor into the decision Monday against the Angels.

Springs managed to provide the Rangers with two solid innings to begin the ballgame, and he was relieved in the third by Ariel Jurado. Springs has now turned in three straight scoreless outings (five innings), and he owns an impressive 2.29 ERA with 21 strikeouts through 19.2 frames this season. Since being called up from Triple-A Round Rock on July 31, he's served as reliable option out of the bullpen.