MLB Player News

Triple-A Louisville placed Aguiar on the 7-day injured list July 21 due to an unspecified injury.

Aguiar is on the shelf for the second time this season, after Louisville previously deactivated him April 9 before reinstating him June 4. Through 11 starts at Triple-A this season, Aguiar has submitted a 6.23 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 43:29 K:BB in 43.1 innings.

Lodolo (finger) threw a bullpen session Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Lodolo, who is on the mend from a blister on his left index finger, has now completed two side sessions since landing on the injured list July 12. In an effort to combat further recurrences of blisters, Lodolo has been testing out a new grip for his breaking pitches, and he's thus far experienced no issues since he resumed throwing. Lodolo will likely need to face hitters and potentially make a rehab start before returning from the IL.

Soroka (glute) threw a bullpen session Monday, MLB.com reports.

Soroka followed up a two-inning simulated game Saturday (35 pitches) with Monday's bullpen. The right-hander is next scheduled to pitch in a game at the team's training facility in Arizona on Thursday.

Sproat (3-6) took the loss Monday, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over six innings against the Giants. He struck out five.

The right-hander allowed a fair number of Giants hitters to reach and served up a two-run homer to Grant McCray in the fourth inning, but Sproat still managed to record a quality start despite taking the loss. The 25-year-old has delivered improved results of late, posting a 3.10 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB across 29 innings in his past six outings. He'll take a 5.05 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 96:49 K:BB across 92.2 innings (20 appearances) into his next start, tentatively scheduled for Sunday against the Angels.

Mahle (3-9) earned the win Monday, allowing three hits and two walks over six-plus scoreless innings against Milwaukee. He struck out three.

Mahle silenced the Milwaukee offense, spinning six shutout frames to pick up his third win. Overall, the 31-year-old has struggled to a 4.96 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 89 innings (17 starts). However, he's pitched much better of late, posting a 2.00 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 18 innings in his past three starts. Mahle will look to stay hot in his next outing, tentatively scheduled for Saturday at San Diego.

Tolle (6-6) earned the win Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over 5.1 innings against the Athletics. He struck out seven.

Tolle was tagged for solo homers in the first and sixth innings but otherwise limited the damage while pitching at the hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park. The southpaw has recorded at least five strikeouts in each of his past six starts, reaching the seven-punchout mark four times during that stretch. Overall, the 23-year-old owns a 3.32 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 103:27 K:BB across 95 innings (17 starts) this season. Tolle's next start is tentatively scheduled for Saturday against the Dodgers.

Javier (1-1) earned the win in Monday's 6-4 win over the Angels. He allowed three hits and no walks while striking out seven over five scoreless innings in relief.

After Tatsuya Imai recorded just two outs and AJ Blubaugh covered through the third inning, Javier entered in the fourth frame and shut down the Angels offense with a season-high seven strikeouts. It was a much-needed performance both for the Astros, who were able to complete a comeback win, and for the right-hander himself, as he entered Monday with a 9.37 ERA and 2.20 WHIP in seven appearances (four starts) spanning 16.1 innings. With Ronel Blanco healthy and Hayden Wesneski (elbow) close to making his season debut, Javier is likely to remain in the bullpen for the time being, though his gutsy performance in Anaheim was certainly an encouraging step as he looks to turn things around the rest of the way.

Dobbins allowed four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four batters over 5.1 innings in a no-decision against the Cubs on Monday.

As expected, Dobbins piggybacked starter Matthew Liberatore, who lasted only 3.2 innings while giving up three runs. Dobbins was the slightly more efficient and effective hurler, and he gave St. Louis more depth with 85 pitches to Liberatore's 67, though neither pitcher was particularly impressive. It remains to be seen how Dobbins will be deployed moving forward -- he could continue to piggyback Liberatore, but there's also a possibility he moves into the rotation if Liberatore continues to struggle or if another starter is traded before the deadline.

Liberatore (5-8) took the loss against the Cubs on Monday, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out five batters over 3.2 innings.

Liberatore never seemed to settle in, giving up a run in each of the first, second and third frames. He was pulled with two outs in the fourth and replaced by Hunter Dobbins, who finished off the final 5.1 innings for St. Louis. Dobbins was only slightly more effective in yielding four runs, though his season ERA of 3.74 is vastly superior to Liberatore's 5.26 mark. It remains to be seen if the two will continue to work in a piggyback situation, but Liberatore is at least tentatively lined up to make his next start in Toronto this weekend.

Urena did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over six innings against the Astros. He struck out five.

Aside from a solo homer by Taylor Trammell in the fourth inning, Urena kept the Astros offense quiet and was in line for the win before a ninth-inning implosion by the Angels bullpen. The right-hander's impressive rookie season has continued into July, as he's posted a 1.25 ERA and 1.02 WHIP across 21.2 innings (four starts) this month. Overall, Urena owns a 6-7 record with a 2.70 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 88:49 K:BB across 93.1 innings (19 appearances). His next outing is tentatively scheduled for Sunday against the Brewers.