MLB Player News

Imanaga (7-8) earned the win against the Pirates on Saturday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four over six scoreless innings.

Imanaga outdueled Paul Skenes, keeping the Pirates off the board despite generating only six swinging strikes on 84 pitches. Per John Perrotto of MLB.com, Imanaga has allowed just one run over 38 career innings against the Pirates. The southpaw has now thrown back-to-back scoreless outings and has limited opponents to two earned runs or fewer in seven of his past eight starts dating back to June 10. He'll carry a 3.72 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 113:29 K:BB across 121 innings this season into a road matchup with the Cardinals next week.

Burke (7-5) took the loss against Houston on Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk while striking out 10 batters over six innings.

Burke continued his recent strong stretch of pitching, notching his fourth straight quality start and registering double-digit punchouts for the second time during that span. He got through five scoreless frames, but a three-run Astros sixth, aided by a hit-by-pitch and a Braden Montgomery error, gave Houston all the offense needed to send Burke to the loss. Still, Burke is in the midst of a breakout campaign, and his uptick in punchouts of late -- he's posted eight or more strikeouts five times across his past seven outings -- is particularly promising from a fantasy perspective. The right-hander will look to keep rolling in his next start, which is projected to be a home matchup against the Yankees.

Elder did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Orioles, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks with eight strikeouts over five innings.

Elder allowed single runs in the third and fifth innings, recording eight strikeouts -- his best mark since May 10 -- while also tying a season high with four walks. After limping into the All-Star break having allowed 22 earned runs over four starts, the 27-year-old has now yielded just three earned runs through two outings to open the second half. He'll take a 3.96 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 98:37 K:BB across 113.2 innings into a home matchup with the Nationals next week.

Young did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 3-2 win over Atlanta, allowing one run on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 6.1 innings.

Young opened with five scoreless frames before allowing a run on a groundout in the sixth, throwing 58 of 94 pitches for strikes with 11 whiffs. It marked the third straight quality start for the 27-year-old, who has pitched into the seventh frame in each of those three outings and owns a 3.20 ERA through four July contests. He'll carry a 3.13 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 80:34 K:BB across 97.2 innings this season into a home matchup with the Phillies next weekend.

Brown (2-1) earned the win over the White Sox on Saturday, pitching seven scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and struck out seven batters without issuing any walks.

Brown struggled mightily across his first three starts in July, posting a 7.98 ERA and 1.91 WHIP with a startling 11:15 K:BB over 14.2 innings. He turned things around dramatically against Chicago on Saturday, completing seven frames for the first time in 2026 while collecting a season-high seven punchouts with a whopping 20 whiffs. Brown allowed just two baserunners (on a pair of singles) and retired the final 12 batters he faced in the dominant outing. His performance -- especially the lack of walks -- was promising both for the Astros and his fantasy managers, and Brown will look to build on the effort in his next start, which is lined up to come at home versus Texas.

Gray (12-2) took the loss against the Blue Jays on Saturday, allowing five runs on 10 hits and no walks with three strikeouts over five innings.

All five runs came with two outs in the third inning, but Gray wasn't at his best all day, allowing 10 hard-hit balls despite generating an impressive 12 whiffs on 75 pitches. It was a rare clunker for the 36-year-old, who snapped a streak of nine straight quality starts while taking his first loss since April 14. He owns a 2.78 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 93:28 K:BB across 106.2 innings this season and will aim to rebound in a road matchup with the Athletics next week.

Cease (7-5) earned the win against the Red Sox on Saturday, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out 12 in a complete-game shutout.

Cease threw a career-high 120 pitches en route to his third career complete game, shutting out the Red Sox and allowing just one hit for the second time in his past three starts. Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, he joins Nolan Ryan as just the second pitcher in the modern era to allow no more than one hit while going at least eight innings and striking out 10 or more batters in consecutive road outings. The 30-year-old has now logged four straight quality starts in July, allowing only three earned runs while recording 39 punchouts during that stretch. He'll take a 2.46 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 167:48 K:BB across 113.1 innings this season into a home matchup with the Cardinals next weekend.

Griffin (12-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the Diamondbacks, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out two.

The 30-year-old left-hander continues to impress in his first MLB action since 2022. Griffin has delivered 12 quality starts this season, including seven in his last eight outings -- a stretch in which he's produced a 1.56 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 44:7 K:BB over 52 innings. While his name has come up in trade rumors, it's hard to imagine Griffin getting dealt if the surprising Nationals intend to remain in playoff contention. He's scheduled to make his next start on the road next week in Atlanta.

Bratt (0-1) took the loss Saturday, surrendering five runs on seven hits and five walks over five innings as the Diamondbacks fell 5-3 to the Nationals. He struck out three.

The 23-year-old southpaw had trouble finding the plate in his fourth career MLB start, tossing 55 of 92 pitches for strikes. Even when Bratt did get the ball into the strike zone, he paid for it -- four of the seven hits off him went for extra bases, including a solo homer in the fifth inning by CJ Abrams. Through his first 15.2 innings for Arizona, Bratt carries a 6.32 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and 10:11 K:BB, but with none of the team's injured starters expected back until August, he may stick in the rotation for another turn or two. He's set to make his next start on the road next weekend in Cleveland.

Ray (9-6) picked up the win Saturday, allowing six hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a 9-2 victory over the Angels. He struck out five.

The veteran southpaw tossed 54 of 80 pitches for strikes en route to his eighth quality start of the season. Ray could be on the move at the trade deadline, and he's doing what he can to improve the return the Giants might get for him -- over his last seven starts he's held the opposition to one earned run or fewer six times, posting a 1.04 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 35:20 K:BB in 43.1 innings while serving up just one home run. Ray will look to stay locked in during his next outing, which currently lines up to come on the road next week in San Diego.