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Colin Rea SP | CHC
Cubs' Colin Rea: Lacks command in first loss
Rea (3-1) took the loss against the Reds on Saturday, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over five innings.
Rea surrendered a two-run homer in the first inning and then allowed four runs across his final two frames. It was a mixed outing, as he threw 70 of 108 pitches for strikes and recorded a season-high eight punchouts while also yielding his most walks and runs in a start this season. The 34-year-old will carry a 3.28 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 40:14 K:BB across 46.2 innings into a rematch with the Reds at home next weekend.
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Grant Holmes SP | ATL
Braves' Grant Holmes: Strikes out six in win
Holmes (3-3) earned the win against the Padres on Saturday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts over seven innings.
Holmes allowed a run in the third inning but was otherwise fantastic, tossing 65 of 94 pitches for strikes with 12 whiffs. The 29-year-old has now logged quality starts in four of five May outings, issuing just one walk three times in that span. He owns a 3.68 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 55:26 K:BB across 58.2 innings and lines up for a home matchup with the Red Sox next weekend.
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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 RP | 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.