MLB Player News

Bloss did not factor into the decision in a win over the Marlins on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk over four innings while striking out four.

Bloss got off to a bit of a rough start, surrendering a solo homer to Bryan De La Cruz in the second at-bat of the game before then throwing two wild pitches in the second inning, which helped lead to another run coming across for Miami. However, the right-hander appeared to settle in after that, hurling two scoreless innings before being relieved by Shawn Dubin to open the fifth. Bloss threw 82 pitches in his first start since returning from the injured list and induced nine whiffs while throwing first-pitch strikes to 13 of 18 batters. He'll look to build off this performance in his next start, which will come after the All-Star break.

Munoz (1-4) was charged with the loss against the Astros on Thursday, allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks over 6.2 innings while striking out two.

The Astros were able to get to Munoz early, tagging him for runs in four of his first five innings of work, although some shaky defense buffered the right-hander's ERA. The 24-year-old then went on to retire six consecutive batters to close out his night, before being relieved by Andrew Nardi with two outs in the seventh. Munoz has now surrendered multiple runs and two or more walks in five consecutive outings, including a relief appearance his last time out, and he hasn't picked up a win since May 1 against the Rockies.

Medina (2-4) took the loss against Boston on Thursday, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over five innings.

Medina fell behind 3-0 after one inning and then 5-0 after allowing a solo homer in each of the third and fourth frames. He ended his outing having tied a season-worst mark with six runs allowed despite recording a campaign-high seven punchouts. The poor performance stalled the momentum Medina had built up in allowing just two runs over 11 frames across his previous two starts.

Houck (8-6) earned the win over the Athletics on Thursday, allowing two hits and issuing three walks while striking out six batters over six scoreless innings.

The A's managed just two hits (both singles) off Houck and didn't get a runner to second base until the sixth frame. Houck was pulled after that inning with 103 pitches and having recorded his 14th quality start of the campaign -- tied for fourth-most in the majors. The right-hander also ranks fifth among qualified pitchers with a 2.54 ERA and 13th with a 1.03 WHIP.

Cortes (4-8) took the loss against the Rays on Thursday, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 4.1 innings.

A two-run homer by Randy Arozarena put Cortes behind in the first inning, but New York tied the score with solo homers in the second and third. However, the southpaw surrendered three runs in the bottom of the third frame, and the Yankees never managed to catch up. Cortes thus took his third loss across his past four outings, and he's already doubled his previous career-worst mark with eight defeats on the campaign. He hasn't been as bad as his record indicates, though, recording a 3.67 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 110:22 K:BB over 115.1 innings.

Baz allowed three runs six hits and one walk while striking out five batters over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Yankees on Thursday.

Baz allowed solo homers to Austin Wells and Juan Soto in the second and third innings, respectively, but entered the fifth holding a 5-2 lead. He didn't stick around long enough to qualify for the victory, however, since he was removed in that frame with two runners on base and one out. It's not necessarily surprising that Baz was pulled in that situation given that it was just his second big-league appearance since his 2022 Tommy John surgery, though he had thrown only 68 pitches and demonstrated good control with 48 strikes after tossing 92 pitches in a six-inning win during his season debut July 5. It's not yet clear if Baz will remain in the rotation when Jeffrey Springs (elbow) returns to action, which could happen shortly after the All-Star break.

Suarez (5-3) took the loss against the Cubs on Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Suarez allowed just one run through four frames before letting three runners cross the plate in the fifth. That was more than enough to send him to his third loss, as Baltimore's offense was unable to muster any runs against Justin Steele and a pair of Cubs relievers. Suarez had won two straight starts coming into Thursday, and he still has a nice 2.82 ERA across 70.1 frames this season, so his spot in what has been an injury-plagued rotation is seemingly secure.

Steele (2-3) earned the win over Baltimore on Thursday, pitching seven scoreless innings during which he gave up three hits and issued no walks while striking out four batters.

Steele shut down a potent Orioles lineup, retiring the first 11 batters he faced and allowing just three baserunners (all on doubles) overall. The left-hander couldn't get into the win column over his first 12 starts but has now notched consecutive victories, allowing just one run over 16 innings while posting an 11:2 K:BB during that stretch. Steele's excellence extends further than that -- he's posted seven straight quality starts, registering a 1.65 ERA and 45:7 K:BB across 49 frames over that span.

Mercado could make a spot start Sunday against the Athletics, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Mercado was moved to the bullpen after being roughed up by Atlanta in his latest start, though the Phillies have since scratched Zack Wheeler (back) from Sunday's upcoming scheduled start. That could set Mercado up for a spot start heading into the All-Star break. It's also possible that Philadelphia opts for a bullpen game instead.

Gore (6-8) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks over 4.2 innings against the Mets. He struck out four.

Gore was embattled in a scoreless pitchers' duel with Mets starter David Peterson through four but fell apart in the fifth, loading the bases to set up a Brandon Nimmo's bases-clearing double that ended Gore's day. Nimmo later scored, saddling Gore with a fourth earned run on his line. Following a start to the season that saw Gore allow three or fewer earned runs in 14 of his first 15 starts, the lefty has now allowed four or more runs in three of his last four outings. While his WHIP has risen just 0.05 points from 1.38 to 1.43 over that four-start stretch, his ERA has risen from 3.26 to 4.01.