MLB Player News

Gore allowed four hits and three walks while striking out four batters over 5.2 scoreless innings in a no-decision against Houston on Thursday.

Gore threw just 51 of 95 pitches for a strike and walked more batters Thursday than he did in his previous three games combined, but he didn't allow any extra-base hits. That helped him keep the Astros off the board, and he finished with his second scoreless outing of the campaign. Since dominating the Royals with 11 punchouts in seven innings May 28, the southpaw has notched just 13 strikeouts over his subsequent 16.2 frames, and he's been inconsistent in that category throughout the season, though his overall 10.5 K/9 is solid. Gore's 3.74 ERA and 1.38 WHIP aren't exceptional, but the 24-year-old has shown improvement in his second MLB campaign, and he could yet fulfill the potential that made him one of the game's top pitching prospects just a few years ago.

Stroman (8-4) earned the win Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings against the Pirates. He struck out five.

Stroman extended his win streak and quality start streak to six Thursday, pushing him to a league-leading 13 quality starts. He's been on a tear in that span, sporting a 1.51 ERA and 31:14 K:BB across 41.2 innings, including a complete game shutout against the Rays. He'll look to continue his dominance in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled to be a rematch with Pittsburgh at PNC Park.

Oviedo (3-6) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk over 4.1 innings against the Cubs. He struck out eight.

Oviedo was hit around by the Cubs on Thursday, giving up his most hits and runs since May 6. Most of the damage came in the fifth inning, when Oviedo gave up three hits to the first four batters faced before getting yanked after 100 pitches. Though he struggled to limit damage, he popped for his second-most punchouts of the campaign after recording five strikeouts in each of his last four starts. After allowing five runs and three homers in his first start of 2023, Oviedo has given up just two long balls since, with a 4.18 ERA and 67 strikeouts over 71 innings (13 starts) during that span.

Manager Torey Lovullo did not commit to Nelson making his next scheduled start, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Nelson allowed 10 hits and five earned runs across four innings and took the loss in Thursday's game against the Phillies. He has had inconsistent results this season and has particularly struggled with walks of late, giving up 15 free passes across his last 31.2 innings while striking out only 20. It's unclear who the team would tab to take his place, though Drey Jameson has pitched in long relief -- he threw 2.1 scoreless innings Thursday -- and Brandon Pfaadt could get a second chance in the big-league rotation.

Lugo (calf) is throwing a simulated game Thursday in San Diego, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

It could be the final step before Lugo embarks on a minor-league rehab assignment. Out since mid-May due to a right calf strain, he's tracking toward a return to the Padres' rotation before the end of June. The 33-year-old was sporting a 4.10 ERA and 38:11 K:BB in 41.2 innings (eight starts) prior to the injury.

Fried (forearm) was recently cleared to throw short-distance bullpen sessions, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Fried is working off a mound, but only to a target 40 feet away. It's part of a progression that will eventually advance to full-distance bullpen sessions, live batting practice and then a minor-league rehab assignment. The 29-year-old left-hander has been on the shelf since early May because of a forearm strain and probably won't return to Atlanta's major-league roster for at least another month.

Wright (shoulder) was cleared to begin a throwing program Thursday, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Wright was placed on the injured list in early May because of a shoulder strain and is likely to remain sidelined until after the All-Star break, but he can begin building up this week with flat-ground work. That will eventually morph into bullpen sessions and then live batting practice, with a minor-league rehab assignment to follow. If all goes smoothly, the 27-year-old right-hander could return to Atlanta's starting rotation in about four weeks.

Sanchez could be called up to start for the Phillies on Saturday at Oakland, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Sanchez is no longer listed in the rotation at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, so he's probably getting promoted in some capacity. The 26-year-old left-hander missed the first three weeks of the 2023 season due to a triceps strain and has since registered a 4.35 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 44:29 K:BB across 49.2 innings in the International League.

Wood (back) is likely to return from the 15-day injured list to start Saturday's game against the Dodgers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

John Brebbia is slated to serve as the Giants' opening pitcher Friday and Logan Webb is locked in for Sunday. The Giants will presumably turn to Wood to fill the open spot in the rotation Saturday, assuming he endures no sudden complications with the back injury that has sidelined him since the beginning of June. He tossed three innings of one-run ball in a 53-pitch rehab start last Sunday at Triple-A Sacramento.

Gray threw a sweeper 26 times in Wednesday's start against the Astros, throwing 18 strikes with the pitch and generating four swinging strikes, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The pitch is a new one for the right-hander, but it's quickly progressed from bullpen experiment to effective in-game weapon. Per Statcast, Gray had only thrown four total sweepers coming into Wednesday's start and instead had used four other pitches -- four-seam fastball, slider, curve and cutter -- more than 17 percent of the time this season while also mixing in an occasional sinker (seven percent). The 25-year-old cites pitchers like Yu Darvish and Chris Bassitt as veterans he's attempting to emulate with a more diverse arsenal, and there have been signs in 2023 the approach is working. While Gray's swinging strike rate remains basically unchanged from last year at 11.4 percent, he's generating more groundballs than ever before (42.2 percent) and has cut more than seven points off his HR/FB% (career-low 11.4 percent), pointing to a pitcher who's producing more weak contact than before. While his career-best 3.19 ERA isn't reflected in his 4.89 xFIP, Gray is taking steps toward evolving into a reliable mid-rotation arm.