MLB Player News

Hammel (2-6) allowed four earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out six across six innings to take the loss Thursday against the Athletics.

Hammel ran into trouble his third time through the A's lineup with three of his four earned runs coming in sixth inning. Prior to that, he had allowed four baserunners with the only earned run coming on a solo home run by Matt Olson. After a disastrous four-start stretch in which he surrendered 25 earned runs across 21 innings, Hammel has rebounded by allowing seven earned runs across his last 24.1 innings pitched.

Blackburn (1-0) allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks while striking out three across six innings to earn the win Thursday against the Royals.

Blackburn turned in an impressive season debut, needing only 67 pitches to pitch six strong innings against the Royals. He limited the Royals to only three flyballs on 15 balls in play, though one did go for a home run off the bat of Alcides Escobar. His fantasy fantasy upside is held back by his lack of strikeouts -- he struck out just 22 batters in 58.2 innings of work last season -- but he has shown the ability to post solid ratios thanks to his penchant for inducing groundballs.

Hamels (3-6) allowed five earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five across 7.1 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Astros.

Hamels was burned by the long ball once again as three of his five runs came on the two home runs he allowed in the start. He has now surrendered two home runs in four consecutive starts, pushing his HR/9 to 1.9 for the season. Positively, he continued to show his renewed ability to miss bats by generating 13 swinging strikes against one of the better lineups in the American League. Despite the homer problems, his ratio stats are respectable for the season as he has a 3.86 ERA paired with a 1.24 WHIP.

Cole (7-1) allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks while striking out eight across six innings to earn the win Thursday against the Rangers.

Cole stumbled out of the gate, allowing an earned run on two singles and a walk in the first inning. However, he settled in and didn't allow a baserunner in three of his next five innings of work and got enough run support to earn the win. He has been a workhorse and ace in every sense this season, ranking among the top three in the American League in innings pitched, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.

Boyd (4-4) recorded the win Thursday against the Red Sox, allowing two earned runs on four hits and four walks over 6.1 innings. He struck out six.

The Tigers staked Boyd to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, and the lefty made it stand up with a solid performance against a strong lineup on the road. Perhaps the only negative was the four walks, which matched a season high, but Boyd was able to avoid any real damage. He'll carry a 3.20 ERA into his next start, which is scheduled for Tuesday against the Twins.

Berrios (7-5) twirled a complete game, allowing just two earned runs, six hits and no walks while striking out 10 in a 7-2 win over the White Sox on Thursday.

Berrios displayed some major control issues in his first two years at the MLB level, but he's turned it around so far in 2018, logging a 84:14 K:BB in 83.2 innings this season. The 24-year-old righty lowered his season ERA to a respectable 3.66. Berrios will look to build momentum next week in Detroit.

Blackburn (forearm) was officially reinstated from the 60-day DL prior to Thursday's start against Kansas City, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

As expected, Blackburn was added to the active roster ahead of his 2018 debut after suffering a forearm injury in the latter stages of spring training. He was able to toss three innings for High-A Stockton a week ago, but is expected to be limited to about 75 pitches during Thursday's outing. In a corresponding move, the club optioned Bruce Maxwell to the minors and transferred Boog Powell (knee) to the 60-day DL.

Whitley is listed as Double-A Corpus Christi's probable starter for Friday's game against Double-A Frisco.

He served his 50-game suspension and took an extra week to get ready after missing a short amount of time with a minor lat injury, but he's apparently ready to make his 2018 debut. Whitley is the best pitching prospect in baseball, so this start comes with a lot of hype, relative to most Double-A games. His suspension delayed the start to his season by a couple months, but that inactivity will allow him to pitch without serious restrictions for the remainder of the season. If he pitches up to his standards, he'll be ready for the majors sometime this summer.

Stroman (shoulder) will pitch three innings during a simulated game at extended spring training Friday, Mike Wilner of BlueJaysTalk reports.

Stroman recently tossed a live batting practice session Tuesday while he continues to work his way back from right shoulder fatigue that has sidelined the right-hander since May 11. Look for a more definitive timetable to emerge after Friday's session as Stroman will be re-evaluated following his outing.

Lewicki will take the mound against the Indians on Sunday, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports.

Lewicki will make a second spot start after taking the loss in Boston on Tuesday, allowing four runs -- two earned -- off five hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. In all likelihood this will be his last start for the foreseeable future with Jordan Zimmermann (shoulder) and Francisco Liriano (hamstring) set to return near the end of next week.