MLB Player News

Flaherty (8-9) allowed three earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out six across four innings to take the loss Friday against the Rays.

Flaherty had an uneven performance, with the positive being that he racked up 15 swinging strikes on only 79 pitchers. On the other hand, he allowed a lot of hard contact, including two doubles and a solo home run. Overall, Flaherty has now failed to work at least five innings in four of his last five turns through the rotation, during which he has a 9.15 ERA and 1.89 WHIP to go along with a 22:8 K:BB across 20.2 frames.

Cueto allowed three earned runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out two across four innings Friday against Atlanta. He did not factor into the decision.

Cueto got through his first two innings unscathed but struggled to conclude the outing, including serving up a solo home run to Michael Harris to lead off the third frame. Since returning from the injured list, Cueto has allowed 11 earned runs across 12.2 frames and three starts. Cueto has also failed to work more than four innings in either of his last two appearances.

Cole allowed two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four batters over five innings in a no-decision against Pittsburgh on Friday.

Cole's highly anticipated first start in Pittsburgh (the team that drafted him) since 2017 ended up being a bit of a dud, as the Cy Young contender failed to complete six frames for the first time in five starts and struggled at times with his control, tying a season high with three walks. The Yankees ace nonetheless gave up just two earned runs, and he's held opponents to that amount or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts since the All-Star break. While this certainly won't rank as one of Cole's best performances this season, he probably didn't do anything to hurt his Cy Young case, and his overall numbers -- including a 2.81 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 208:48 K:BB over 192 innings -- remain excellent.

Elder allowed four earned runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out six across five innings Friday against the Marlins. He did not factor into the decision.

The Marlins got to Elder early as three of his earned runs came in the first inning. He managed to settle in thereafter and tallied 14 swinging strikes on 92 total pitches and also induced six groundball outs. After a rocky stretch in the immediate aftermath of the All-Star break, Elder has maintained a 2.97 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and a 29:12 K:BB across 36.1 frames in his last six starts.

Diaz allowed seven runs on seven hits and two walks over one-third of an inning in relief during Friday's loss to Detroit.

When Diaz entered the game for the Angels in the eighth inning, the game was still relatively close, with the Tigers leading 4-1. However, the lefty reliever couldn't keep it that way -- he allowed nine of the 10 batters he faced to reach base, with his only out coming on a sacrifice fly. Diaz had been unscored upon over 4.2 major-league innings coming into Friday, but his ERA now sits at 12.60.

Miley (8-4) picked up the win in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Nationals, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out three.

All three Washington runs came in the first inning as it looked like Miley might get chased early, but the veteran southpaw settled down after that and came one out short of his ninth quality start of the season. Since rejoining the rotation at the beginning of August, Miley has posted a solid 3.89 ERA and 1.13 WHIP despite a weak 24:16 K:BB through 41.2 innings. His next trip to the mound will likely come next week in St. Louis.

Irvin (3-6) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on three hits and five walks over 4.2 innings as the Nationals fell 5-3 to the Brewers. He struck out six.

The right-hander kept Milwaukee off the board for four innings, but his command and control issues caught up to him in the fifth as two free passes set up a three-run homer for William Contreras. Irvin has walked multiple batters in five straight starts, but he's largely been able to escape the jams he's created, posting a 2.93 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB through 27.2 innings over that stretch. He hasn't won a game since July 21 however, limiting his fantasy appeal in traditional 5x5 formats. He'll face a tough matchup in his next outing, likely to come at home next week against Atlanta.

Greinke did not factor into the decision Friday as the Royals downed the Astros 4-2, giving up three hits and a walk over two scoreless innings. He struck out one.

The 39-year-old got the start but was limited to 48 pitches (28 strikes) before being lifted in favor of Angel Zerpa, who wound up getting the win. It was Greinke's shortest appearance of the season by innings, although he did toss 44 pitches in a much more efficient five-inning outing May 3 against the Orioles -- his last, and only, win of the season. He hasn't completed five frames in any of his last six games, posting a 5.73 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB through 22 innings over that stretch.

Javier (9-4) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk over five innings as the Astros fell 4-2 to the Royals. He struck out six.

Single runs by Kansas City in the third, fourth and fifth innings -- the latter two on solo shots by Nelson Velazquez and Bobby Witt -- proved to be too much for the Houston offense to overcome, and Javier got the hook after 81 pitches (52 strikes). The right-hander has served up at least one homer in nine straight outings, a stretch in which he has a rough 5.68 ERA and 1.47 WHIP despite a 44:22 K:BB through 44.1 innings. Javier will try to get back on track in his next start, likely to come at home next week against the Orioles.

Heaney allowed six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out three over two relief innings in Friday's 12-3 loss to Cleveland.

Heaney looked likely to rejoin the starting rotation this weekend with Max Scherzer (shoulder) on the shelf, but he ended up being summoned in long relief Friday after starter Jon Gray lasted just 3.2 innings. The veteran lefty made his second long-relief appearance in as many outings, both after short outings by Gray. Since he tossed 55 pitches Friday, Heaney is removed from consideration to start Sunday in what would have been Max Scherzer's turn in the rotation. The Rangers will need a fifth member of the rotation at least two more times beyond Sunday during the regular season, so Heaney could be used as a traditional starter over the coming two weeks.