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Mike Soroka SP | ARI
Braves' Michael Soroka: Workload an issue
Soroka got pulled from his start with Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday after 73 pitches and 4.2 innings as Atlanta keeps a close eye on his innings total this season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
The right-hander was pitching well Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out nine without walking a batter, but the organization is focused on the bigger picture. Soroka has tossed 77.2 innings at Triple-A in 2023 plus another 29.1 in the majors, a fairly sizable workload for the 26-year-old considering he managed only 38.2 innings total over the prior three years while recovering from three surgeries on his Achilles tendon. He appears to be rounding into form -- he's got a 1.62 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 25:5 K:BB in August for Gwinnett -- but Atlanta may prefer to have him finish out the year healthy and looking ahead to 2024 rather than bring him back up to the big-league roster for the stretch run.
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Emmet Sheehan SP | LAD
Dodgers' Emmet Sheehan: Shining in bulk relief at Triple-A
Sheehan struck out five and allowed one hit and one walk over four scoreless frames out of the bullpen Sunday for Triple-A Oklahoma City in its 7-5 loss to Salt Lake.
Since returning to the minors Aug. 4, Sheehan has made a pair of four-inning relief appearances for Oklahoma City, allowing just six baserunners while striking out 11. His usage as a primary pitcher out of the bullpen is likely an organizational decision to keep his innings in check, but Sheehan could still be a candidate to make his return to the Dodgers when the team requires a fifth starter to replace the injured Tony Gonsolin (forearm) this weekend in Boston. If he's called up, Sheehan could end up working behind an opening pitcher just like he has his last two times out with Oklahoma City.
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Slade Cecconi SP | CLE
Diamondbacks' Slade Cecconi: Remains in rotation
Cecconi will start Monday in the Diamondbacks' series opener versus the Rangers at Chase Field, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.
After making a one-inning appearance out of the bullpen in an Aug. 11 game against the Padres, Cecconi returned to the Arizona rotation Wednesday in Colorado. He navigated the unfavorable conditions at Coors Field well enough, striking out four over four innings while limiting the Rockies to two runs on four hits and three walks. Even so, Cecconi owns mostly underwhelming ratios (4.91 FIP, 5.14 SIERA, 6.8 K-BB%) through his limited sample of big-league action to date and wasn't especially impressive over a larger body of work at Triple-A Reno earlier this season, making it tough to recommend him as a streaming option while he faces off Monday against one of the American League's top lineups.
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MacKenzie Gore SP | TEX
Nationals' MacKenzie Gore: Good to go Wednesday
Gore (finger) is listed as the Nationals' probable starter for Wednesday's road game against the Yankees, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Gore's inclusion on Washington's pitching schedule for the three-game set at Yankee Stadium is an indication that the cut nail and blister on his left index finger presented no issues for him during his throwing session over the weekend. He'll be returning to the mound Wednesday on six days' rest after the finger issue cropped up during his most recent outing against the Red Sox on Aug. 16, when he struck out seven and allowed just one hit and two walks over 6.1 scoreless innings prior to departing.
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Alex Wood RP | ATH
Giants' Alex Wood: Works in relief again Sunday
Wood gave up two hits and no walks without recording a strikeout across 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's 4-3 win over Atlanta.
The Giants appear to have officially transitioned Wood to a relief role, as the veteran southpaw has now made each of his last six appearances out of the bullpen. While Wood had been deployed as more of a bulk reliever in a few of those outings, he's made one- and 1.1-inning appearances on the last two occasions. Given that Wood is one of several bullpen options (Jakob Junis, Sean Manaea, Tristan Beck, Ryan Walker and Sean Hjelle) capable of covering multiple frames, expect the Giants to continue to get by with multiple arms on days that traditional starters Logan Webb and Alex Cobb aren't pitching.
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Allan Winans SP | NYY
Braves' Allan Winans: Recalled for Monday's start
Winans was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.
Winans will pitch Monday's series opener versus the Mets and could be in store for a two-start week while he enters the rotation as a replacement for Yonny Chirinos (elbow), who landed on the injured list. The 28-year-old rookie has been excellent in two starts for Atlanta this season, holding a 1.59 ERA and 14:3 K:BB over 11.1 innings. He's worth a look in deeper leagues.
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Yonny Chirinos SP | MIA
Braves' Yonny Chirinos: Placed on IL with elbow injury
Atlanta placed Chirinos on the 15-day injured list Monday with right elbow inflammation.
Chirinos seemingly had been set to lose his rotation spot due to performance, but instead he'll go on the IL and will be sidelined at least until early September. Allan Winans was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move and will replace Chirinos in the rotation beginning with Monday's game against the Mets.
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Carlos Carrasco RP | ATL
Mets' Carlos Carrasco: Hit hard in short start
Carrasco (3-9) took the loss Sunday against the Cardinals after allowing three runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out three in four innings.
Carrasco got through four innings allowing just one run but gave up a double to Alec Burleson and a homer to Paul Goldschmidt to open up the fifth which abruptly ended his day. Sunday was the second straight start Carrasco has failed to reach five innings and his fifth overall over his last seven starts. Since blanking the Diamondbacks over eight innings July 6, Carrasco has given up 31 runs (29 earned) in 27.1 innings, which is good for a 9.22 ERA to go with a 2.16 WHIP. He'll try to turn things around in his next start when the Angels come to town this coming weekend.
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Trevor Williams RP | WAS
Nationals' Trevor Williams: Fires six shutout innings
Williams (6-7) yielded two hits and three walks over six scoreless frames Sunday, striking out four and earning a victory against the Phillies.
Williams rolled through the Phillies despite throwing just 54 of 94 pitches for strikes. It was his first scoreless appearance since June 21. He'd been rocked for 20 runs over his previous 19 innings but lowered his season ERA back down to 4.95 after Sunday's outing. Williams' next start is lined up to be in Miami.