MLB Player News

Berrios (2-2) earned the win Thursday over the A's, allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out nine.

Berrios turned in his best start of the year Thursday, matching a season high with nine strikeouts en route to his first win since April 7. The 31-year-old Berrios has turned in quality starts in five of his last six outings. His ERA is down to 3.86 with a 1.30 WHIP and 65:28 K:BB across 12 starts (70 innings) this season. He's currently lined up for a tough home matchup with the Phillies in his next start.

The Guardians transferred Lively (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Lively has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing UCL reconstruction surgery, so his move to the 60-day IL was an eventuality. Matt Krook was claimed off waivers from the A's on Thursday and added to the roster in a corresponding move.

Gordon is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Rays in Houston.

With the Astros recently announcing that both Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco would need season-ending Tommy John surgery, Gordon and Ryan Gusto have moved into big-league rotation. The Astros will eventually get Spencer Arrighetti (thumb), Luis Garcia (elbow) and Cristian Javier (elbow) back from the injured list, but with none of their returns considered imminent, Gordon could have an extended run as a starter. Through his first three starts across two separate stints in the majors, Gordon owns a 5.52 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB over 14.2 innings.

Dobbins struck out one batter and allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks over three innings out of the bullpen in Wednesday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Brewers.

On Tuesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Mike Monaco of ESPN that Dobbins would at least temporarily move to the bullpen as a result of Richard Fitts making his return from the 15-day injured list. Cora emphasized that Dobbins' move to the bullpen wasn't necessarily permanent, but because the Red Sox will have at least one day off for every week through early July, the team appears unlikely to expand its rotation to six men to make room for the rookie. Though he was able to get some extended work in Wednesday after starter Brayan Bello was lifted midway through the bottom of the fifth, Dobbins could end up heading back to Triple-A Worcester to make regular starts if his opportunities out of the Boston bullpen become more sporadic.

Gusto is scheduled to start Thursday's game against the Rays in Houston.

Gusto will be making his second straight turn through the rotation and seventh start of the season after he struck out six and allowed two earned runs over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Mariners his last time out Friday. The righty owns a 5.96 ERA and 28:10 K:BB in 25.2 innings as a starter this season, but despite his poor numbers, he could have an extended runway in the rotation due to Hayden Wesneski (elbow) and Ronel Blanco (elbow) recently getting shut down for the season and with Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) and Luis Garcia (elbow) not especially close to returning from the injured list.

Kirby (0-2) took the loss against Washington on Wednesday, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Kirby was hit hard in the outing -- four of the Nationals' seven hits against him went for extra bases, and three of those left the yard. The right-hander did go a little deeper with five innings after completing just 3.2 frames against Houston in his season debut May 22, but he's struggled in both outings and has now given up 11 runs through 8.2 innings this season. It's understandable that Kirby has some rust after missing nearly the first two months of the season with a shoulder injury, but his return to action has been frustrating for fantasy managers who held onto the hurler throughout his time on the IL. Kirby at least has a promising matchup lined up for him next, as he's tentatively scheduled to face the Orioles, who have scored the seventh-fewest runs in MLB so far this season.

Kikuchi (1-5) took the loss against the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and five walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Kikuchi struggled with his control throughout the outing, throwing just 51 of 93 pitches for strikes and tying a season high with five free passes -- though two of the walks were intentional (both to Aaron Judge). Still, the veteran hurler was able to mostly avoid damage, as he surrendered just a first-inning run. Kikuchi finished his outing on a high note by retiring the final eight batters he faced, but the Angels were unable to provide him with any run support, resulting in his fifth loss of the season. Despite a 1-5 record, Kikuchi has been solid as the ace of the Angels' staff, allowing two or fewer earned runs in each of his past six starts and registering a 3.06 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 58:35 K:BB over 64.2 innings on the campaign.

Schmidt (2-2) earned the win over the Angels on Wednesday, allowing four hits and issuing one walk while striking out four batters over six scoreless innings.

Schmidt gave up just one extra-base hit (a double) in the outing and racked up 13 whiffs while throwing 69 of 99 pitches for strikes. It was the first time this season that he ended a start without giving up any runs, and the right-hander recorded his fourth quality start across his past five appearances. Schmidt has just two victories through eight outings, but he's pitched decently well with a 3.95 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 42:20 K:BB through 43.1 innings.

Mahle didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Blue Jays after allowing four hits and three walks in six scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Mahle's exceptional start to the season continues, as he's now hurled at least six innings while surrendering one run or fewer on seven occasions. While the veteran right-hander has fanned more than five batters just two times this year, he's given up greater than two runs in only one start. Mahle will carry an excellent 1.64 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 48:24 K:BB across 66 innings (12 starts) into a soft matchup slated for next week against the Rays, who have a .661 OPS over their last 30 games.

Smith didn't factor into the decision during Wednesday's 9-4 win over the Mets, allowing three runs on two hits and five walks with five strikeouts over 3.2 innings.

Smith failed to complete four innings for the first time this season, getting yanked after 86 pitches. All the damage against him came in the third, when he surrendered a three-run home run to Mark Vientos. Smith's lack of depth can be attributed to his shaky control, as he threw just 48 strikes and walked a season-high five batters. In his last three starts, Smith has allowed 12 runs (seven earned) with a 16:8 K:BB over 13.2 innings.