MLB Player News

Perez (5-5) took the loss Thursday, allowing three runs on five hits over 4.2 innings against the Brewers while striking out seven and not issuing any walks.

Perez got off to a solid start, striking out five of the first nine batters he faced before surrendering a leadoff double to William Contreras in the fourth, which would lead to one run coming home for Miami in the frame. The young right-hander would then go on to allow another two runs in the fifth before being relieved by George Soriano, marking the fourth time in his last seven starts that he's failed to make it through five innings. Perez has not won a start since June 25 and currently holds a 5.02 ERA in September to go along with a 16:6 K:BB.

Civale did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk over five innings against the Orioles. He struck out eight.

After surrendering solo home runs in the second and fourth frames, Civale escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth, limiting the damage to just one run in the inning. The 28-year-old hasn't thrown more than 5.1 innings in any of his last five starts and despite an impressive 13.1 K/9, posting a 5.33 ERA across 25.1 innings during that stretch that has caused his season-long ERA to rise above 3.00 for the first time since early July. He will likely take the mound next in an upcoming home matchup with the Angels.

Houser (6-4) earned the win Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings against Miami while striking out five. He did not issue any walks.

Houser allowed a leadoff double to Luis Arraez to open the game, eventually leading to one run coming across for Miami in the first. The right-hander then retired nine of the next 10 batters he faced before surrendering a second run in the fifth. It was a solid outing for Houser in his return from the 15-day injured list (elbow), and he's now allowed three or fewer runs in three of his last four starts. He's also won three of his last four decisions (spanning six starts).

Lively allowed three runs on four hits over 4.1 innings against the Tigers on Thursday. He struck out four and did not issue any walks.

Lively set down the Tigers in order after relieving Sam Moll to open the third inning but immediately ran into trouble in the fourth, yielding three consecutive hits -- including a two-run home run to Akil Baddoo. The right-hander hit another snag in the seventh, surrendering a leadoff single while also allowing a batter to reach due to a throwing error. It wasn't a great outing for Lively in his return from the COVID-19 injured list, and he's now allowed at least three runs in each of his last three appearances dating back to Aug. 1. He's also given up at least one home run in six consecutive outings.

Gausman (11-9) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and six walks over 4.2 innings against the Rangers. He struck out five.

The 32-year-old ace endured a tough outing Thursday, issuing a season-high six walks. Corey Seager led the the charge for the Rangers with a solo home run in the first inning and a two-run double in the second, while Jonah Heim added a solo homer in the third. This marked the second time in three September starts that Gausman failed to complete five innings, inflating his ERA to 4.15 and WHIP to 1.35 across 56.1 second-half innings. Despite the inconsistency, he has maintained impressive strikeout numbers this season, boasting an 11.6 K/9 while accumulating an AL-leading 222 punchouts in 172 innings. He is expected to get his next start in New York against a struggling Yankees' offense.

Eovaldi did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over 3.1 innings against Toronto. He struck out three.

The 33-year-old had another short outing and surrendered a two-run homer to Vladimir Guerrero in the first inning. The silver lining is that Eovaldi fired 73 pitches, his most in three starts since returning from the injured list Sept. 5, as he continues to build back up to a normal workload. In the right-hander's previous two outings, he threw 35 and 47 pitches while failing to complete three innings. While it's encouraging to see his pitch count increase, fantasy managers have to hope Eovaldi can improve upon the 7.71 ERA, 2.43 WHIP and 7:6 K:BB he has posted across just seven innings since his return. He is currently slated to make his next start early next week in a home matchup with one of his former teams, the Red Sox.

Olson (4-7) earned the win Thursday, allowing one run on two hits and four walks over six innings against the Reds. He struck out seven.

Olson didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning, when Jake Fraley singled to open the frame. The right-hander then surrendered a solo homer to Spencer Steer two batters later but was still able to get through the inning and earn his fourth win of the season. Olson has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in three consecutive starts to open the month, going at least six innings on each occasion. He's also recorded at least seven strikeouts in three of his last five outings.

Gray (7-12) took the loss Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits over 6.1 innings against the Pirates. He struck out 10 and did not walk a batter.

The right-hander struck out six of the first 10 batters he faced but was victimized twice by long balls, while Washington's offense was getting shut down by Mitch Keller. It was just the second time in Gray's last seven starts that he made it through six frames, while the 10 strikeouts marked his season high. However, he has lost his last four decisions and six of his last seven overall (spanning 11 starts).

Keller (12-9) earned the win Thursday, allowing two hits and one walk over eight scoreless innings against Washington while striking out seven.

Keller was spectacular, allowing only two singles all night -- and one of those came in the first at-bat of the game. It was a great bounce-back performance after the right-hander had matched his season high with eight runs allowed in his previous outing, and Thursday's start marked the third time this season he's gone at least eight innings. Keller has won three of his last four decisions (spanning five starts), posting a 37:6 K:BB over that stretch.

Urena (0-6) took the loss against Minnesota on Thursday, allowing six runs on seven hits while striking out eight batters over 6.1 innings.

Urena gave up a pair of solo shots in the fourth inning, but those were the only runs he gave up through six frames. Things fell apart for him in the seventh, however, as he allowed four straight one-out hits that led to four runs, with Kyle Farmer's two-run homer being the biggest blow and marking the end of his outing. Urena has been tagged with the loss in all but one of his seven appearances this season, compiling an ugly 8.48 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 20:16 K:BB over 28.2 frames.