MLB Player News

Wacha (4-6) took the loss Saturday as the Royals were blanked 6-0 by the Rangers, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out five.

Making his first start in June after recovering from a foot fracture, Wacha was sharp over 74 pitches (52 strikes) but had no margin for error, and a Josh Smith solo shot in the fourth inning tagged him with the loss. The veteran right-hander has given up two earned runs or less in six straight outings dating back to May 9, posting a 2.55 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 30:11 K:BB through 35.1 innings over that stretch. Wacha will look to get back in the win column in his next start, which lines up to come at home next week against the Guardians.

Perez (groin) allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and no walks while striking out four across five innings in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.

Perez pitched in his first game since landing on the 15-day injured list May 28 and threw 63 pitches. The total was slightly below his goal of 75 pitches heading into the day, though Perez likely did enough to prove he's ready to be activated for his next turn through the rotation. The earliest he might return from the IL would be Friday at Atlanta.

Gilbert (5-4) earned the win over Miami on Saturday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six batters over eight scoreless innings.

Gilbert's superb stat line was just a tad less impressive than in his previous outing, when he allowed two hits and struck out nine over eight scoreless frames against Texas. The right-hander has been on a roll throughout June -- he's tossed four quality starts in four outings this month while posting a 1.21 ERA over 29.2 innings. Perhaps most impressive is Gilbert's 28:1 K:BB over that span.

Montas allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four batters over six innings in a no-decision against Boston on Saturday.

Montas held the Red Sox scoreless through four frames before giving up one run in each of the fifth and sixth innings. He still departed in line for the win but settled for a no-decision due to an eighth-inning Boston rally. Montas recorded his fifth quality start of the campaign and his third over his past five outings. He's registered a 4.48 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 53:27 K:BB through 66.1 innings on the season.

Pivetta took a no-decision Saturday against Cincinnati, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five batters over 4.1 innings.

All three of the runs allowed by Pivetta came via the long ball -- Spencer Steer tagged him for a two-run homer in the first inning, and Elly De La Cruz launched a solo shot in the third. Pivetta didn't damage his ERA too dramatically, but he exited after 4.1 innings after racking up 96 pitches. It was the third time over his past six starts that he's failed to complete five frames, though the right-hander also has a pair of seven-inning quality starts during that span.

Sears (4-7) took the loss against the Twins on Saturday, allowing eight runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out one batter over 1.1 innings.

Sears was wild in the first inning, as a pair of hit-by-pitches contributed to a Twins run, though he was able to escape the frame without additional damage. Things got much worse for the lefty in the second, when he allowed six straight batters to reach base to open the frame and was pulled with just one out after six runs had crossed the plate. One more Twins runner scored following his departure, resulting in a season-worst eight runs being charged to Sears' ledger. This was by far the hurler's shortest and worst start of the campaign, and the collapse vaulted his season ERA from 4.25 to 5.04.

Ober (7-4) earned the win over Oakland on Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out 10 batters over nine innings.

Ober was extremely efficient in the impressive outing, needing just 89 pitches to polish off the first complete game of his career. The right-hander threw 70 of those pitches for strikes and racked up a career-best 23 whiffs. Ober did give up a pair of solo homers -- just the third time through 15 starts that he's allowed multiple home runs -- but those didn't hurt much with Minnesota's offense putting up 10 runs. Ober carries a 4.50 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 83:20 K:BB over 82 innings on the campaign.

Morton (4-4) allowed five runs on five hits and five walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings to take the loss versus the Yankees on Saturday.

Morton matched his season high with the five walks, something he has done three times this year. He's also given up five or more runs in three of his last five outings. The 40-year-old has done a good job of eating innings, but the results have been mediocre -- he's at a 4.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 80:35 K:BB over 79.1 innings through 14 starts. Morton is projected to make his next start on the road versus the White Sox in a makeup game for a rainout from April 3.

Stroman (7-3) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six over 6.2 innings to earn the win over Atlanta on Saturday.

Stroman was sharp in his first quality start across four outings in June. He gave up a solo home run to Marcell Ozuna in the first inning and a two-run blast to Travis d'Arnaud in the seventh. Stroman has walked multiple batters in five straight starts, which has led to some recent inconsistency. He's at a 3.15 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP and 67:40 K:BB through 91.1 innings over 16 starts this season. The right-hander is projected to make his next start at Toronto.

Burnes (8-3) allowed four runs on five hits and struck out five without walking a batter over seven innings, taking the loss Saturday versus the Astros.

Burnes had a solid outing, but a two-run home run by Yordan Alvarez and a solo shot by Chas McCormick were too much for the Orioles to overcome. This marks the first time all year Burnes has given up multiple homers in a start -- he's yielded just 10 long balls through 16 starts. While this wasn't his best work, he's still at an excellent 2.35 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 94:24 K:BB through 99.2 innings. Burnes is projected to make his next start at home versus the Rangers.