MLB Player News

Kopech allowed four runs on three hits, four walks and a hit batsman while striking out six over three innings for Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

Just when it seems Kopech is poised to go on a run, he takes a step backwards. He had given up one earned run over his last two starts while pitching six innings in both, but ran into the same command problems Thursday that have bogged him down all season. Kopech leads the International League in strikeouts (111), but that's tempered by his league-high 56 walks and 11 hit batters over 82.1 innings.

Lynn (6-7) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on six hits and two walks over six innings while striking out three in a 6-2 victory over the Orioles.

Jake Cave robbed Tim Beckham of a home run on the first pitch Lynn threw in the ballgame, but the right-hander settled down after that close call, throwing 62 of 105 pitches for strikes en route to his seventh quality start of the season. Lynn will carry a 5.21 ERA -- but a 3.49 mark over his last nine starts -- into his next outing Wednesday at home against the Royals.

Bundy (6-8) took the loss Friday, surrendering six runs (five earned) on nine hits and a walk over 3.1 innings while striking out two as the Orioles fell 6-2 to the Twins.

The right-hander's return from the disabled list was a shaky one, as Bundy lasted only 61 pitches (40 strikes) and nearly gave up as many hits as outs recorded. He'd lasted at least six innings in eight straight starts prior to injuring his ankle, but Bundy could have trouble finding that form again in his next outing, a home start Wednesday against the high-powered Yankees.

Gray (5-7) surrendered five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four across two innings as he took the loss Friday against the Blue Jays.

Gray was hit hard in the second inning, allowing five runs before getting out of the frame. Following Friday's performance, he's turned in back-to-back disastrous starts, allowing 11 runs across 4.1 innings combined. Despite this, manage Aaron Boone plans to keep Gray in the rotation for at least one more start, which figures to come Wednesday against Baltimore.

Carrasco (9-5) allowed three runs on seven hits while fanning seven across 5.1 innings as he notched the win Friday against the Athletics.

Carrasco was solid in his first start since June 16 after coming off the disabled list. He was given plenty of run support by his teammates and pitched well enough to come away with the victory. Carrasco sits with a 4.28 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and a 103:22 K:BB over 96.2 innings this season.

Blackburn (2-3) surrendered six runs (five earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out three across four innings Friday as he took the loss against the Indians.

Blackburn was spotted an early two-run lead, but he gave up three runs in the third and two in the fifth, exiting with a 6-3 deficit. He's been inconsistent through six starts, as he put together a stellar outing in his last trip to the mound (no runs through 6.1 innings) but he sits with a 7.16 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and a .300 batting average against through 27.2 innings this season.

McCullers (10-3) picked up the win in Friday's 11-4 rout of the White Sox, allowing one run on three hits over seven innings while striking out a career-high 12.

The right-hander generated a massive 24 swinging strikes among his 93 pitches and didn't give up a hit until the sixth inning in the dominant performance. McCullers hasn't lost a start since late May, and he'll carry a 3.41 ERA into his next outing Wednesday at home against the A's.

Nuno (hamstring) isn't expected to be ready for a minor-league rehab assignment until after the All-Star break, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Nuno landed on the disabled list July 4 after suffering his injury while running the bases in a 16-inning marathon victory over the Marlins the prior day. The 30-year-old has proven a valuable addition to the Rays' extensive bullpen, generating a 1.50 ERA and 0.96 ERA over 24 innings across nine appearances since his May 26 debut.

Sale (9-4) picked up the win against the Royals on Friday, yielding one earned run on five hits over six innings, striking out 12 and walking one as the Red Sox cruised to a 10-5 victory.

It was a standard day at the office for the dominant lefty, who has been absolutely mowing down opposing hitters of late, with five double-digit strikeout efforts to his name over his last six outings. Sale also has a 2.36 ERA to go along with a brilliant 0.89 WHIP through 122 innings and remains one of the most prolific strikeout artists in the game. He'll look to extend his recent run of dominance in his next start, which will see him take the mound against the Rangers on Wednesday.

Hammel (2-11) took the loss against the Red Sox on Friday, getting shelled for eight earned runs on nine hits in just two innings, walking one without recording a strikeout in Kansas City's 10-5 defeat.

Hammel is in the midst of a brutal stretch, as the veteran right-hander has now given up 21 earned runs over 12 innings in his last three starts, ballooning his ERA up to 6.16 and his WHIP to 1.61 through 102.1 innings. This was also his sixth straight losing decision, so Hammel's struggles this season leave him far off the fantasy radar.