MLB Player News

Darvish allowed six runs on eight hits with two strikeouts in three innings during Thursday's 9-8 win against Washington. He didn't factor into the decision.

Darvish allowed three runs in the first and three more in the third before exiting with 64 pitches and a 6-0 deficit. Washington tacked on two more runs prior to San Diego responding with nine unanswered and a walk-off win to bail its starter out big time. The game was easily Darvish's worst as the three innings pitched and six runs allowed represent season lows. His ERA jumped from 2.65 to 3.09.

Houser allowed three unearned runs on five hits, four walks and a hit-by-pitch with six strikeouts in 4.1 innings versus Cincinnati on Thursday. He did not factor in the decision.

The right-hander was a little shaky throughout the first four innings, but he was able to escape with no damage. In the fifth, an error, a fielder's choice and two walks loaded the bases before Houser was relieved by Jake Cousins, who then allowed two runs to score on a wild pitch. Cousins also gave up an RBI single to tack a third run on Houser's line, although none of them were earned. The 28-year-old starter finished the first half with a 3.74 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 71:38 K:BB through 86.2 innings.

Mahle allowed three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six in six innings versus Milwaukee on Thursday. He did not factor in the decision.

A shaky first inning put Cincinnati down early, but Mahle rebounded well. Cincinnati took the lead in the fifth, but the right-hander gave up a game-tying RBI double to Keston Hiura in the sixth. Mahle has a solid 3.68 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 118:35 K:BB across 95.1 innings this year, although it's concerning that he's issued four free passes in each of his last two starts. The 26-year-old will aim for better control after the All-Star break.

Eflin (4-6) earned the win Thursday versus the Cubs. He pitched six shutout innings with five strikeouts while only allowing five hits and a walk.

The right-hander has now produced three straight quality starts, and Thursday's was arguably his finest work this year. Eflin got plenty of support from a Philadelphia offense led by Brad Miller's three-homer game. Through 102 innings, Eflin has a 3.88 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 94:14 K:BB across 17 starts. He'll look to keep up the positive momentum after the All-Star break.

Alcantara (5-8) allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out five across four innings to take the loss Thursday against the Dodgers.

Alcantara held the Dodgers in check through three innings, allowing only one walk and one single. He surrendered an unearned run in the fourth inning but came undone in the fifth frame by surrendering four consecutive singles before being pulled. While it was far from Alcantara's best outing, he kept the ball in the yard and issued only one free pass. It was also the third straight start he was charged an unearned run. Even with the poor outing, he has a 3.09 ERA with 102 strikeouts across 116.2 innings for the season.

Walker will start Friday against the Pirates after Thursday's game was postponed due to rain, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Walker will simply have his start pushed back a day, but he will draw the same matchup and pitch in a full nine-inning game. He's maintained an excellent 2.44 ERA and 1.01 WHIP across 85 innings this season and should have the chance to build on those numbers in an exploitable matchup.

Urias (11-3) allowed one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out nine across seven innings to earn the win Thursday against the Marlins.

Urias allowed a leadoff home run to Jazz Chisholm in the first inning, but that would be the only earned run he surrendered in the outing. He otherwise dominated the Marlins, ceding only three hits and one walk across his final six frames of work. Urias' ability to work deep into the game was also encouraging, as it was his longest start since May 12 -- a span of nine appearances. With the strong effort, Urias lowered his ERA to 3.64 on the campaign to go along with 119 strikeouts across 106.1 frames.

Brubaker will start Friday against the Mets after his start Thursday was postponed due to rain, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

The postponement will turn out to have little effect on Brubaker, as he'll draw the same matchup in a nine-inning game one day after he was originally slated to take the mound. Brubaker has maintained a 4.09 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with a 81:18 K:BB across 83.2 frames on the season.

Williams will start Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Maddie Lee of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

The right-hander was expected to pitch out of the bullpen until the All-Star break, but he'll take the mound to begin Sunday's series finale after Jake Arrieta (hamstring) was placed on the injured list Wednesday. Williams served as a bulk reliever Tuesday and allowed seven runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out three in 3.2 innings.

Snell (undisclosed) is struggling to build up his strength following his previous start and may not start Friday against the Rockies as scheduled, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The left-hander threw 81 pitches over four scoreless frames Sunday after a brief stint on the shelf with a non-COVID illness, but he's apparently still not fully recovered from the ailment. Even if Snell is cleared to start Friday, he may face some workload limitations if he's less than 100 percent.