MLB Player News

Flaherty came away with a no-decision in Friday's 8-5 extra-inning loss to the Dodgers, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander blanked the defending champs, and his teammates for the latter part of 2024, through five frames as Detroit grabbed an early 2-0 lead, but Flaherty exited after 83 pitches (50 strikes) after serving up a game-tying homer to Freddie Freeman in the sixth. Flaherty revived his career last year in a campaign split between the Tigers and Dodgers, and his performance in his 2025 debut suggests that rebound was no fluke. He lines up for a much less intimidating matchup next weekend at home against the White Sox.

Kelly (1-0) recorded the win in Friday's 8-1 rout of the Cubs, allowing one run on three hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out one.

It was far from a dominant outing for the 36-year-old righty to kick off the season, but Kelly minimized the damage from his free passes and got more than enough offensive support. He left the mound after 85 pitches (51 strikes). Kelly will likely need to be sharper in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road next week against the Yankees.

Taillon (0-1) took the loss Friday, giving up six runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings as the Cubs fell 8-1 to the Diamondbacks. He struck out one without walking a batter.

Six of the nine hits off the right-hander went for extra bases, including a pair of homers by Eugenio Suarez. Taillon left the mound after 80 pitches (53 strikes), and his 2025 campaign is off to a much bumpier start than his 2024 season -- he allowed three earned runs total over his first four outings last year. Taillon will look to bounce back in his next start, which lines up to come on the road next week against the Athletics.

Cease didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 4-3 win over Atlanta, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out seven.

The right-hander exited after 91 pitches (63 strikes) and dominated at times, striking out six of seven batters between a first-inning double by Austin Riley and a third-inning single by former teammate Jurickson Profar. Cease lost focus after that, however, walking the next two batters in the third and running up his pitch count. It was overall a promising beginning to the campaign for the NL Cy Young candidate despite the lack of length, and Cease lines up to face the Guardians at home in his next start.

Lopez came away with a no-decision in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Padres, allowing three runs on nine hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out one.

The right-hander didn't display the same kind of dominance or efficiency he flashed in his breakout 2024 campaign and threw only 58 of 94 pitches for strikes in his season debut, before exiting with the score tied 3-3. On the bright side, Lopez's velocity didn't seem to be an issue -- he sat 94-96 mph with his fastball most of the night and topped out at 98.1 mph against Manny Machado in the third inning. Lopez is scheduled to face another tough opponent next week in a road clash with the Dodgers.

Castillo (0-1) was charged with the loss Friday against the Athletics after giving up two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four over five innings.

Castillo kept the A's off the board until the fifth inning, when a Lawrence Butler double followed by a Brent Rooker home run put his team in a 2-0 hole. Unfortunately for Castillo, the Athletics' pitching staff was able to keep the Mariners off the board for the whole game, so the 32-year-old will end up starting the year with a loss despite a respectable effort on his part. He'll hope for a bit more run support when the Tigers come to town next week.

Springs (1-0) earned the win against Seattle on Friday, giving up three hits and a walk while striking out nine batters across six shutout innings.

Springs did a great job showing why the Athletics were right to trade for him in the offseason, as he kept the Mariners' hitters off balance at the plate Friday and got through his six innings of work on just 83 pitches. Durability will remain a concern for the 32-year-old throughout the season due to his recent elbow issues, but he offers plenty of upside to fantasy managers when he's healthy. He's lined up to make his next start at home against the Cubs.

Brown (0-1) was saddled with the loss Friday against the Mets, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out seven batters over six innings.

Brown got off to a great start by striking out Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto during the first two at-bats of the game. However, three consecutive hits from the Mets to begin the second frame put Houston in a 2-0 hole, and Soto's third-inning solo blast gave New York all the insurance it would need. Brown performed well enough to earn a quality start during his first appearance of the new campaign, but it's hard to take home a win when your offense only provides one run of support. He'll look for a better result next week when the Astros travel to Minnesota.

Megill (1-0) came away with the win Friday against the Astros after allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out six batters in five innings.

Megill took a perfect game into the fourth inning Friday, but a quick pair of singles and a sacrifice fly from Yordan Alvarez gave Houston what would ultimately be their only run of the day. Megill needed 77 pitches to get through his five innings and averaged 96.4 mph on his 39 fastballs, which is a tick up from the 95.5 mph he averaged last season. Overall, it was a very good showing from the 29-year-old righty, and he'll get a chance to build on it during the Mets' first home series next week against the Jays.

Houck (0-1) took the loss Friday versus the Rangers, surrendering four earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two batters in 5.2 innings.

Houck finished the spring schedule with 17 earned runs allowed in 13.2 innings and did little to turn the tide during his first regular-season outing. He managed to keep Texas off the scoreboard through the first two innings, but an early home run from Jonah Heim put him in an early hole. Boston's offense quickly responded with a run of their own, but another round-tripper from Heim in the fifth put the Rangers back in front for good. It doesn't seem like things are about to get any easier for Houck, as he's lined up to face a Baltimore offense during his next start that's already slugged seven home runs through its first two games.