MLB Player News

Lorenzen did not factor into Saturday's decision against the White Sox, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out three across four scoreless innings.

Lorenzen was activated from the 15-day IL ahead of Saturday's start after fully recovering from a strained left oblique. Though he kept the White Sox off the board in his first outing since July 6, he ran his pitch count up to 82 (44 strikes), which necessitated his removal after four frames of work. Lorenzen should get a longer leash for his next start, which is slated for next week at home against the Rangers.

Matthews allowed two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six batters over four innings in a no-decision against Detroit on Saturday.

Matthews was relatively fortunate to have just two runs scored against him, as he didn't pitch any clean innings and saw at least two batters reach in three of his four frames. It took him 92 pitches to get through those four innings, and he threw just 51 of those offerings for strikes while issuing a season-worst four walks. Matthews did flash impressive strikeout stuff with 15 whiffs and six punchouts, and he's posted a robust 11.8 K/9 on the campaign. Despite that, Matthews has struggled to a 5.06 ERA, and he's been unable to complete five innings in half of his 10 starts.

Mize (12-4) earned the victory over Minnesota on Saturday, allowing four runs on four hits and one walk while striking out 10 batters over 6.1 innings.

Three of the four runs and half of the four hits Mize allowed came in the fifth inning, prior to which he retired 11 straight batters. That one tough frame wasn't bad enough to ruin a very impressive outing by the right-hander, however, as he tied a career high with 10 punchouts. Mize also registered his third straight victory, and with 12 wins on the campaign he's tied for fourth in the majors. Though he's had a few clunkers on the campaign, Mize's 3.63 ERA is on track for a career-best mark. He's lined up to face the Royals at home in his next outing.

Anderson (2-8) allowed four runs on three hits and five walks while striking out one over four innings to take the loss versus the Athletics on Saturday.

Anderson essentially got skipped in the rotation when back stiffness forced him to miss his scheduled start Tuesday. He wasn't that sharp in his return to action -- he's now walked five batters in two of five starts since the All-Star break. In that span, he's surrendered 18 runs over 24.2 innings while adding just 16 strikeouts. Anderson is at a 4.77 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 98:52 K:BB through 126.1 innings over 24 starts. The southpaw is tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Cubs.

Povich did not factor in the decision against Houston on Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out 10 batters over five relief innings.

Baltimore opted to deploy righty Rico Garcia as an opener before turning to the lefty Povich to begin the second frame. It was just the second time Povich has worked as a bulk reliever this season, and he handled the role fairly well, notching a season-high 10 strikeouts and tallying an impressive 18 whiffs despite giving up three runs. Povich handled a typical starter's workload with 91 pitches (60 strikes), so it seems likely that he'll remain synched up with the rest of the rotation regardless of whether he returns to a traditional starting role or is used behind an opener again. He's lined up for a rematch against the Astros his next time out.

Alexander completed six innings against Baltimore on Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and no walks while striking out six batters in a no-decision.

Alexander wasn't able to record a third straight scoreless outing, but he did notch his third consecutive quality start. His six punchouts also tied a season-high mark, and he didn't walk a batter for the first time among his six starts (he's also come out of the bullpen five times). Alexander has impressed in a starting role this season, registering a 2.86 ERA with a 28:11 K:BB across 34.2 innings. The Astros are close to getting starters Lance McCullers (finger) and Luis Garcia (elbow) back from injuries, and despite the recent run of success, it remains to be seen if Alexander will be able to keep a rotation spot when those hurlers return.

Cecconi (5-6) took the loss against Atlanta on Saturday, allowing eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 4.2 innings.

Cecconi got through a scoreless first inning but struggled thereafter. The biggest blow to his stat line came on a three-run homer by Michael Harris in the fifth. Cecconi failed to make it through five frames for the second straight start following a streak of six consecutive outings of six-plus innings. He's been particularly hurt by the long ball of late, serving up 11 homers across his past 52.2 frames. On the season, his 1.7 HR/9 is the eighth-worst figure among MLB hurlers who have thrown at least 80 innings.

Houser allowed four hits and struck out six without walking a batter over five scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Giants on Saturday.

Houser took advantage of a favorable matchup, and while he didn't get in the win column, he left the Rays in a strong position. He's still given up nine runs over 15.2 innings since he was dealt from the White Sox, but Saturday's performance suggests he may be getting comfortable with his new team. On the year, he's maintained a 2.67 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 60:26 K:BB through 84.1 innings over 14 starts. The 32-year-old is tentatively lined up to make his next start at home versus the Cardinals.

Bello (9-6) earned the win against the Marlins on Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks with two strikeouts over 6.1 innings.

Bello was extremely efficient, throwing 52 of 78 pitches for strikes while limiting damage despite giving up 10 hard-hit balls. It was a solid rebound after surrendering five runs to San Diego last Sunday, and the 26-year-old has now gone at least five innings in 14 straight starts dating back to June 3. He'll take a 3.23 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 97:45 K:BB over 128 innings into a road matchup with the Yankees next weekend.

Bieber (elbow) threw seven scoreless innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, allowing six hits and zero walks while striking out four.

The right-hander was dominant in what will almost certainly be his final rehab start as he completes his recovery from Tommy John surgery, firing 64 of 90 pitches for strikes. Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, Bieber's fastball has averaged 92.5 miles per hour during his rehab stint, 1.2 mph higher than his last fully healthy campaign in 2022, when he posted a 2.88 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 198:36 K:BB over 200 innings. Acquired from the Guardians in a trade-deadline deal, Bieber is likely to make his Blue Jays debut -- and first big-league start since April 2, 2024 -- next weekend in Miami. It's not yet clear, however, whether Toronto will shift to a six-man rotation at that point, or bump one of their current starters to the bullpen to accommodate Bieber's return.