MLB Player News

Valdez (14-7) took the loss Wednesday against San Diego, allowing one run on five hits and two walks across seven innings. He struck out six.

Valdez's seven innings of one-run ball weren't enough to keep him from the loss column, as Dylan Cease fired 8.1 scoreless innings for the Padres. Valdez has been excellent since the start of August, tallying a 1.33 ERA and 57:15 K:BB across 54.1 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Mariners his next time out.

Ober allowed two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out 12 batters over seven innings in a no-decision against Cleveland on Wednesday.

Ober tallied 17 whiffs while demonstrating excellent command by throwing 70 of 101 pitches for strikes. The only negative aspect of his performance is that two of the four hits against him left the park, which played a part in preventing him from emerging with a victory. Nonetheless, Ober picked up his third quality start across his past five outings, and in those trio of quality starts he's surrendered just six hits while allowing only three runs and posting a 27:3 K:BB across 20 frames. It should be mentioned, though, that in the two other starts during that five-game span, Ober has struggled, yielding 14 runs with an 8:4 K:BB over 8.2 frames.

Marsh (8-9) took the loss versus the Tigers on Wednesday, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out five over 2.2 innings.

Marsh needed 73 pitches (39 strikes) to get eight outs in a poor start. It's a step back after his one-run, 11-strikeout effort versus the Pirates last Friday, and it's the poorest of his five outings since he rejoined the big-league rotation in late August. Marsh is now at a 4.65 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 121:39 K:BB over 124 innings across 25 appearances (24 starts) this year. Michael Lorenzen (hamstring) lasted 3.1 innings in a rehab start last Friday with Triple-A Omaha, but he also experienced more than the usual soreness after that outing. The last spot in the Royals' rotation is due up again on the road versus the Nationals, and it's unclear if Marsh is in contention for that start, which would likely be his last of the regular season if he gets it.

Skubal (17-4) allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out seven over five innings to earn the win over the Royals on Wednesday.

Skubal was pushed back a day after dealing with an injury to his non-throwing hand. He has not allowed more than three runs in any of his last eight starts, though this was tied for his shortest outing in that span. Over that sample, he's allowed 12 runs while posting a 59:8 K:BB across 48.2 innings. Skubal continues to maintain Cy Young credentials this season with a 2.48 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 221:34 K:BB across 185 innings over 30 starts. The Tigers are also just a half game out of the last wild-card spot following Wednesday's action, so Skubal is likely to remain active as long as a playoff spot is up for grabs. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Rays.

Bibee allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five batters over 6.2 innings in a no-decision against Minnesota on Wednesday.

Bibee allowed a run in the first inning but yielded just one more run over the remainder of his outing. The right-hander notched his third quality start over his past four appearances, a span in which he's posted a 3.04 ERA over 23.2 frames. Bibee has a 14:1 K:BB in 12.2 innings over his past two starts after posting a less impressive 10:6 K:BB across 11 innings over his previous two outings.

Schwellenbach (7-7) picked up the win Wednesday against Cincinnati, allowing one run on five hits and two walks across six innings. He struck out five.

Schwellenbach nabbed his second straight quality start and pushed his streak of starts allowing three earned runs or fewer to 10. During that stretch, the 24-year-old has a 2.75 ERA and 69:12 K:BB across 59 innings. Schwellenbach is tentatively scheduled to face the Mets next week in Atlanta.

Herz (4-8) took the loss Wednesday versus the Mets, allowing seven runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five over 3.1 innings.

Herz cruised through three innings, but he was pulled after allowing the first eight batters to reach in the fourth. He had already given up four runs at the time of his exit, and Jacob Barnes let all three inherited runners cross the plate to put more damage on Herz's line. This was the southpaw's worst outing of the year, though he was able to avoid giving up a home run for the fifth time in six appearances. He's now at a 4.30 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 103:33 K:BB through 83.2 innings over 18 starts. His next projected start will likely be his last one of the campaign, which is tentatively set to be at home versus the Royals.

Kremer (7-10) took the loss Wednesday against San Francisco, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and no walks across six innings. He struck out seven.

Kremer yielded solo home runs to Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto in the first and sixth innings, respectively, snapping a streak of six consecutive starts without allowing a long ball. Kremer also punched out seven batters for a third straight appearance. On the year, Kremer has a 4.19 ERA and a 120:49 K:BB across 124.2 innings. His next start is scheduled to come against the Yankees.

Quintana (10-9) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four over seven shutout innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Nationals.

Quintana has won four straight starts and has excelled over his last five outings. In that longer span, he has allowed just two runs (one earned) across 32 innings with a 20:9 K:BB. All six of Quintana's scoreless outings this year have come since the start of July. He lowered his ERA to 3.74 with a 1.24 WHIP and 126:61 K:BB through 166 innings over 30 starts this year.

Birdsong (4-5) earned the win Wednesday against Baltimore, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks across 5.2 innings. He struck out three.

Birdsong fell just shy of his second quality start of 2024, as he got pulled in favor of Erik Miller after giving up a single to Colton Cowser in the sixth inning. Miller immediately yielded a double to Ryan O'Hearn, plating Cowser as Birdsong's third earned run. In his last three starts, Birdsong has a 3.29 ERA with an 11:8 K:BB across 13.2 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Diamondbacks in Arizona his next time out.