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Kyle Gibson SP | BAL
Twins' Kyle Gibson: Throws eight strong innings
Gibson (4-6) allowed one earned run on five hits and no walks while striking out nine across eight innings to earn the win Thursday against the Rays.
Gibson contained the Rays' lineup in his best start of the season, the first time he has surrendered neither a home run or a walk. He generated 16 swinging strikes and brought his career-best strikeout rate up to 8.9 K/9 through 115.2 innings. While his control has worsened this season, Gibson has otherwise improved his skills in most areas and his peripheral stats back up his re-emergence through the first half of the season.
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Blake Snell SP | LAD
Rays' Blake Snell: Lasts only three innings
Snell (12-5) allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two across three innings to take the loss Thursday against the Twins.
Snell suffered his shortest outing of the season -- he has two other starts this season in which he lasted only 3.1 innings -- marking the first time since May 13 that he failed to pitch at least five innings. Control was his downfall, as he walked three batters -- one of which came around to score -- and threw a wild pitch moving another runner into scoring position in the third inning. His velocity was in line with his season-long norms so this start can be chalked up as an outlier, though it does highlight the risk that Snell presents on a game-to-game basis due to his continued issues with control.
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Marco Gonzales RP | TEX
Mariners' Marco Gonzales: Nursing sore calf
Gonzales was seen icing his left calf in the clubhouse following Wednesday's shutout win over the Angels, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
The left-hander sustained the injury when he took a liner off the left leg in the fourth inning of his stellar outing. Gonzales downplayed the situation, confirming he would have been able to make his next scheduled start if the All-Star break wasn't next week. He'll now have plenty of extra time to recuperate due to the Midsummer Classic, and Johns also reports that manager Scott Servais is likely to delay Gonzales' first second-half start for several days after the layoff.
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Christian Bergman SP | SEA
Mariners' Christian Bergman: Making spot start
Bergman will be recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to start Friday's series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
The start will be the second of the season for Bergman at the big-league level, with the first having come back against the Rangers on May 16 when he tossed seven shutout innings. This latest opportunity comes as a result of Felix Hernandez's placement on the disabled list earlier in the week with a back injury. In 18 starts for the Rainiers this season, Bergman has compiled a 6-6 record, 4.78 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 101.1 innings.
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Luis Severino SP | ATH
Yankees' Luis Severino: Takes no-decision in lackluster outing
Severino pitched five innings Thursday, yielding four runs on nine hits and a walk in the 7-4 win over Cleveland. He gave up two home runs and struck out just one batter in the no-decision.
The 24-year-old right-hander coughed up a homer to Edwin Encarnacion in the first inning and Jose Ramirez in the fifth. Severino came into Thursday's start with a 10.4 K/9, so the one-strikeout performance was a bit of a surprise. He had lowered his ERA to 1.98 before allowing seven runs across 10 innings in his last two appearances. Severino earned a win in his previous five starts and will look to get back to form next Saturday against the Mets.
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Corey Kluber SP | BOS
Indians' Corey Kluber: Rocked for six runs in loss
Kluber (12-5) struck out nine in 7.1 innings Thursday, yielding six runs on eight hits and two walks while taking the loss against the Yankees.
Brett Gardner and Didi Gregorius took him deep in the third and fourth innings, respectively. It was obviously a bad start, especially for someone with Kluber's reputation, but the nine strikeouts bring him to a 132:17 K:BB this season. He also owns a strong 2.76 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. The 32-year-old righty will take the mound in Texas next Saturday (July 21).
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Charlie Morton SP | ATL
Astros' Charlie Morton: Undone by shaky fifth inning
Morton allowed three earned runs over 4.1 innings in a no-decision Thursday against the A's. He notched five strikeouts but allowed six hits and two walks.
It was a laborious 4.1 innings for Morton, who threw 104 pitches in that span with just 65 of them going for strikes. Morton made it through the first four innings mostly unscathed with just two hits allowed, but the wheels came off in the fifth when he loaded the bases to start the inning and allowed a two-run double to Nick Martini. His swing-and-miss stuff was still on display as he induced 11 whiffs in his outing Thursday, but this marks two shaky starts in a row for Morton. He'll make his next start after the All-Star break.
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James Paxton SP | BOS
Mariners' James Paxton: Dealing with back stiffness
Paxton was removed from Thursday's start due to lower-back stiffness, TJ Cotterill of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.
Considering Paxton's injury history, this news comes as a major relief. The lefty exited Thursday's start after recording just two outs and never looked himself as he was tagged for two home runs. Fortunately, the upcoming All-Star break will provide Paxton some extra time to get treatment and enter the second half in good health.
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James Paxton SP | BOS
Mariners' James Paxton: Leaves start in first inning
Paxton (undisclosed) was removed from Thursday's start against the Angels after recording just two outs, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
This is a concerning development as Paxton was tagged for three earned runs -- including two home runs -- before the training staff came out and took him back to the clubhouse. His velocity was noticeably down, hitting 93 mph on a fastball that normally sits in the high 90s. It wasn't clear what exactly was bothering Paxton, but more information figures to be made available later Thursday.
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Kevin Gausman SP | CHC
Orioles' Kevin Gausman: Allows five runs in loss
Gausman (4-7) allowed five runs on 12 hits and a walk in five innings Thursday, taking the loss against the Phillies. He struck out just two batters and gave up a home run.
Gausman had allowed three or fewer runs in his last six starts, but simply couldn't find a groove against Philadelphia. However, he's given up a homer in five straight starts, striking out five or fewer batters in each of those outings. Gausman will take his 4.33 ERA to Toronto next Saturday for his first start after the All-Star break.