MLB Player News

The Astros activated Verlander (neck) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his start Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Verlander will rejoin the Houston rotation Wednesday after missing more than two months of action with a neck problem. The 41-year-old threw just 57 pitches in his second of two rehab starts, so he's not yet fully stretched out as he enters a matchup versus Boston. According to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, manager Joe Espada said that he's expecting Verlander to toss around 75-to-80 pitches Wednesday, so the veteran right-hander could struggle to work deep enough into the start to qualify for a win. Verlander has collected a 3.95 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 51:17 K:BB across 57 innings for the Astros this season.

The Orioles selected Irvin's contract from Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Irvin will draw a spot start Wednesday against the Mets, filling in for the injured Zach Eflin (shoulder). The lefty seems poised to be sent back down to Triple-A after the outing, although it's possible he could change minds if he pitches well. Irvin has posted a 4.06 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through 75.1 frames with the Orioles this season.

Bradford (4-1) took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs on five hits over seven innings as the Rangers were downed 4-0 by the Pirates. He struck out eight without walking a batter.

The southpaw had only one bad frame -- he served up four hits including a double and a triple in the fourth inning -- but that was one more hit than Texas batters managed on the entire night against Mitch Keller and the Pittsburgh bullpen. Bradford has made seven starts this season and four of them have been quality starts, while Tuesday's eight Ks were a season high. Since returning to the rotation in August, he's produced a 3.74 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 22:3 K:BB in 21.2 innings. Bradford will look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend in Cleveland.

Miller did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's loss to the Dodgers, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five in four innings.

Miller started out excellent by striking out the side in the first but needed 92 pitches to complete four frames, with 51 of those pitches coming in the third and fourth innings. Miller was able to hold the Dodgers scoreless through three but was victimized by the home-run ball in the fourth when he gave up solo shots to Gavin Lux and Max Muncy. Those were the first two home runs he's given up in four August starts and he's only given up four homers total since the start of July. The 25-year-old owns a 3.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 133:33 K:BB in 143.2 innings and lines up to face the Rays at home to begin next week.

Ober did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's loss to the Padres, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out five over six innings. He did not issue a walk.

Ober surrendered an early run in the second inning but went on to retire 13 straight batters before Jake Cronenworth led off the seventh with a double. Manny Machado then abruptly ended Ober's night with a two-run homer to center to even up the game at 3-3 and ruin Ober's chances at getting the win. Ober has now posted 11 consecutive quality starts and ranks inside the top five in ERA (2.09) and WHIP (0.80) over that span. For the year, he's posted a 3.54 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 145:34 K:BB in 140 innings. He lines up for a home start against Atlanta to begin next week.

Gray allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out two over two relief innings in Tuesday's 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh.

Gray, who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list earlier in the day, is expected to rejoin the starting rotation, perhaps as early as this weekend. Because Gray didn't go out on a rehab assignment, Tuesday's relief appearance could viewed as a rehab outing or the first step toward building up innings.

Martin (0-2) took the loss to the Giants on Tuesday, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out five in 4.1 innings.

Martin started out hot by striking out the side in the first inning, but walks would come back to hurt him in the third and fifth innings. Martin's issued multiple walks in four of five outings this season, but he's showing decent swing-and-miss stuff, striking out five batters in three of his four starts in August. The 27-year-old has held his own after missing all of last year due to Tommy John surgery, posting a 3.22 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 22:12 K:BB in 22.1 innings. He lines up to face the Tigers at home to begin next week.

Baz (1-2) allowed three hits and three walks while striking out four over 7.2 shutout innings to earn the win over the Athletics on Tuesday.

Baz gave up more baserunners than Oakland starter Joey Estes, but he was able to keep the hosts off the scoreboard. This was the second outing in a row where Baz reached the seven-inning mark, and he's now logged quality starts in four of his eight outings this season. For the season, he's at a 3.48 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 36:17 K:BB over 44 innings. Baz will have a tougher matchup his next time out, as he's projected for a road start versus the Dodgers.

Estes (5-6) allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five over 7.2 innings, taking the loss versus the Rays on Tuesday.

It was a stellar pitching duel between Estes and Shane Baz, but Estes blinked first when he gave up a solo home run to Jose Siri in the eighth inning for the lone run of the game. This is the third time in 18 appearances (17 starts) that Estes has gone at least seven innings. He also hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his last seven appearances. The right-hander is at a 4.44 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 71:22 K:BB through 95.1 innings on the year. Estes is projected to make his next start at home versus the NL Central-leading Brewers.

Ragans (10-8) allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out nine over five-plus innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Angels.

Ragans had won three straight starts and five of his last six entering Tuesday. The Angels were able to tag him for multiple runs in the fourth and sixth innings, and the Royals' offense didn't cover the damage. Ragans has had few poor outings -- this was just the sixth time all year he's given up four or more runs. Ragans has a 3.31 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 183:50 K:BB over 152.1 innings through 26 starts. The southpaw's next outing is projected to be on the road in Cleveland.