MLB Player News
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Jake Irvin SP | WAS
Nationals' Jake Irvin: Dazzles in fourth win
Irvin (4-1) picked up the win Saturday, scattering three hits and two walks over eight scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory over the Giants. He struck out seven.
San Francisco got only one runner into scoring position all day against the right-hander, and Irvin promptly squashed the potential rally in the fourth inning by coaxing a double-play grounder out of Matt Chapman and striking out Willy Adames. Irvin tossed 64 of 96 pitches for strikes in his longest outing of the season, and the quality start was his third straight and his sixth of the year. He'll take a 3.42 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 47:19 K:BB through 68.1 innings into his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend in Arizona.
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Mitch Keller SP | PIT
Pirates' Mitch Keller: Solid showing in no-decision
Keller did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing one run on seven hits and no walks over six innings against the Brewers. He struck out seven.
He gave up his fair share of base hits, but Caleb Durbin's second-inning single was the only one that plated a run Saturday. Keller has been particularly sharp of late, posting a 1.89 ERA and a 20:2 K:BB across his past three starts. Aside from a rough outing against the Yankees on April 4, when he allowed seven runs over 3.2 innings, the 29-year-old has been a steady presence on the mound for the Pirates this season. After Saturday's start, Keller now sports a 3.66 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.
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Matthew Liberatore SP | STL
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Stingy in no-decision
Liberatore came away with a no-decision Saturday, allowing one run on six hits over seven innings in a 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks. He struck out four without walking a batter.
The 25-year-old southpaw served up a solo shot to Randal Grichuk in the fifth inning but was otherwise very efficient as he fired 61 of his 88 pitches for strikes. The quality start was Liberatore's seventh in 10 outings this season, and he's given up two runs or fewer in eight straight trips to the mound, posting a 1.91 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 40:8 K:BB through 47 innings over that span. Liberatore will look to keep rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend against the Rangers.
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Quinn Priester SP | MIL
Brewers' Quinn Priester: Fans seven in no-decision
Priester did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk over six innings in a 2-1 loss against the Pirates. He struck out seven.
Priester gave up a run on two hits in the first inning but settled in and worked around traffic to throw five scoreless frames afterward. A blister on his right middle finger factored into the decision to lift him after just 84 pitches, manager Pat Murphy said postgame. Since getting roughed up for seven runs May 2 against the Cubs, the 24-year-old has posted a 2.53 ERA across 21.1 innings over his last four outings. The right-hander has been used as both a starter and a long reliever this season, pitching to a 4.23 ERA and 1.43 WHIP through nine appearances and seven starts.
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Merrill Kelly SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Fades late in no-decision
Kelly came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Cardinals, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk over six-plus innings. He struck out six.
The veteran righty was locked in a pitchers' duel with Matthew Liberatore through six frames, but Kelly put the first three batters of the seventh on base with two hits and a walk, and all three came around to score after he'd left the mound. The Diamondbacks struck back for four runs in the top of the eighth to take him off the hook for the loss, however. Kelly was sharp prior to the late fade, racking up 31 called or swinging strikes among his 100 pitches (66 total strikes), and he'll take a 3.52 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 58:16 K:BB through 64 innings into his next start, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Nationals.
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Bobby Miller SP | LAD
Dodgers' Bobby Miller: Returns to majors
The Dodgers recalled Miller from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
The Dodgers are short on fresh arms after playing 13 innings against the Mets on Friday, so they'll call upon Miller to help solve that problem. The right-hander has given up six runs in three innings with Los Angeles this season and has turned in a 5.87 ERA since being sent down to Oklahoma City in mid-April, so he'll likely be reserved for low-leverage situations. Matt Sauer was optioned to Triple-A to make room on the active roster.
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Michael King SP | SD
Padres' Michael King: Scratched from start
King was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against Atlanta due to right shoulder stiffness.
The team hasn't yet specified the severity of King's injury, so it's currently unknown how long it will be before the 29-year-old takes the mound again. The Padres will now turn to their bullpen to get them through Saturday's contest, with Sean Reynolds getting the ball for the first inning.
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Rhett Lowder SP | CIN
Reds' Rhett Lowder: Rehab paused
Manager Terry Francona said Saturday that Lowder (forearm/oblique) "won't be able to do much" for a few weeks, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.
Lowder suffered an oblique strain during his rehab outing Thursday, and he'll now need to wait a few more weeks before he heads back to the team's complex in Arizona to restart his buildup process. There is no timeline in place for the right-hander to return, and he likely won't have one until he starts throwing again.
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Eury Perez SP | MIA
Marlins' Eury Perez: Bumpy outing at Triple-A
Perez (elbow) gave up two runs on three hits and three walks over 3.1 innings in his first rehab start for Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday. He struck out seven.
The strikeouts were impressive, but Perez threw only 37 of 61 pitches for strikes as he completes the final stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The 22-year-old right-hander might only need a couple more outings on his rehab stint before joining the Marlins' rotation in early June and making his first big-league start since Sept. 20, 2023.
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Brandon Woodruff SP | MIL
Brewers' Brandon Woodruff: Works four scoreless in rehab start
Woodruff (ankle/shoulder) struck out two and gave up three hits and two walks over four scoreless innings in a rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Nashville.
Woodruff appeared to have reached the finish line in his recovery from October 2023 capsule surgery on his right shoulder earlier this month after he made the sixth start of his rehab assignment, but he experienced right ankle tendinitis coming out of that outing. The minor injury prompted the Brewers to shut him down for a brief period of time, but after Woodruff threw some simulated innings out of the bullpen last weekend without incident, he was cleared to begin a second rehab assignment. He'll have another 30-day period in the minors to conduct his rehab, but given the brevity of his recent shutdown along with the fact that he tossed 59 pitches Wednesday, Woodruff isn't expected to need that full window to get stretched back out. Woodruff is in line to make at least one more start in the minors, but if he's able to push up his pitch count and escape that outing with no setbacks to his ankle or shoulder, he could be activated from the 15-day injured list in the first week of June.