MLB Player News

Lively (illness) was activated from the COVID-19-related injured list Thursday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Per Wittenmyer, Lively is slated for bulk-relief duty Thursday in Detroit once opening pitcher Derek Law exits the contest, likely after one or two innings. Before landing on the COVID-19-related IL, Lively hadn't pitched since Aug. 26, when he covered 5.2 innings. Lively didn't go out on a minor-league rehab assignment while he was on the IL, so deploying him behind an opener will allow the Reds to better manage his workload in his return to the active roster.

Harrison did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk over four innings against the Guardians. He struck out three.

It was a disastrous first inning for Harrison as the lefty surrendered a walk to open the frame, followed by a two-run homer to Jose Ramirez in the next at-bat. Another two runs would come across for Cleveland in the inning, though they weren't charged to Harrison on account of a fielding error by Casey Schmitt. The rookie hurler has now allowed at least three earned runs in each of his last three starts, yielding six home runs and 18 hits over that stretch. He currently holds a 7.36 ERA this month after maintaining a 1.86 ERA through two August starts.

Allen did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and three walks over five innings against the Giants while striking out five.

Allen got himself in a jam right out of the gate, surrendering back-to-back singles to open the first inning, which would eventually lead to one run coming across for San Francisco. However, the rookie left-hander allowed just two hits and two walks from the second inning on and was in line for his eighth win prior to the Giants' late comeback. Allen has now pitched five innings of one-run ball in back-to-back starts, lowering his season ERA to 3.60. On the downside, he's also issued multiple walks in each of those starts and in seven of his last nine outings overall.

Lively (COVID-19) is expected to be activated and pitch bulk innings Thursday against the Tigers, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Lively has not thrown since Aug. 26, when he went 5.2 innings. Reliever Derek Law, one of two active relievers not used Wednesday, will open for the Reds.

Priester (3-2) allowed four earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four across four innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Nationals.

He was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday and followed opener Colin Selby. Priester worked four effective innings, during which the only hit he allowed was a solo home run. However, things fell apart when he stayed for his fifth frame and allowed a three-run home run. The outing was encouraging from the perspective that Priester induced nine swinging strikes on 62 total pitches and was in the zone consistently, but he's now allowed at least four earned runs in all but one of his seven big-league appearances.

Blach (3-1) earned the win Wednesday, allowing three runs on nine hits and one walk over five innings against the Cubs. He struck out four.

Blach found himself in a jam on multiple occasions Wednesday, surrendering back-to-back hits to open both the first and third innings, which would lead to three runs coming across for Chicago. The lefty matched his season high with nine hits allowed on the afternoon, but he still managed to make it through five frames for the fourth consecutive start while securing his third win of the year. Blach has allowed at least three runs in three straight outings, though he's still 2-0 over that stretch despite a 6.75 ERA.

Gallen (15-8) took the loss against the Mets on Wednesday, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Gallen clearly didn't have his best stuff against New York, as he served up four extra-base hits, including a two-run homer to Mark Vientos. The Arizona ace tossed a shutout against the Cubs in his previous trip to the mound but has been struggling as a whole of late -- Wednesday's outing was his third over his past four starts in which he's given up at least five earned runs. Gallen's sudden inability to miss bats has played a factor in the poor stretch, as in each of the aforementioned three starts he's struck out four or fewer batters. The recent rough patch has pushed his season ERA up to 3.50, nearly a run higher than the 2.54 mark he posted last year.

Lucchesi (3-0) notched the win over Arizona on Wednesday, allowing an unearned run on five hits and three walks while striking out two batters over seven innings.

Lucchesi got the chance to start after spending most of the past month in the minors and took advantage of the opportunity, keeping the Diamondbacks scoreless through seven frames. He exited after the first two batters he faced in the eighth reached base -- one on a walk and the other on an error -- but the run that was charged to him after his departure was unearned. This was Lucchesi's second seven-inning outing of the campaign, with his other coming in his first start April 21 against San Francisco. The southpaw has pitched pretty well when given the chance in the majors this season, posting a 2.83 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 24:13 K:BB over 35 frames, and he could stick in the rotation down the stretch with the Mets essentially out of the playoff race.

Blackburn (4-5) took the loss against Houston on Wednesday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out two batters over three innings.

Blackburn struggled to get the ball over the plate in the outing, as only 36 of his 69 pitches went for strikes. The right-hander walked three batters, with the final two coming around to score on a Yordan Alvarez three-run homer in the third frame. This was the second straight three-inning start for Blackburn, who has allowed six runs on 10 hits with a 7:6 K:BB over six innings during that time. The recent ineffectiveness has pushed his season ERA up to 4.14, which is accompanied by a 1.54 WHIP and 97:38 K:BB over 95.2 frames.

Brown (11-11) earned the win over Oakland on Wednesday, issuing two walks and striking out seven batters over five scoreless and hitless innings.

Brown had been struggling coming into Wednesday, posting a 9.56 ERA and 2.06 WHIP over his previous four starts. The rookie bounced back in impressive fashion against the A's, holding them without a hit and racking up seven punchouts over five dominant frames. Brown's final pitch of the fifth was his 78th of the night, and there was no chance he'd be allowed to push for a complete game or a no-hitter (especially since he's already thrown a professional-high 146.1 frames on the campaign). He'll look to build upon this stellar start in what projects to be tougher matchup against Baltimore next week.