MLB Player News

Sale averaged 91.8 mph on his fastball Thursday, down significantly from the 94.5 mph he flashed in his first start off the injured list last Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Neither Sale nor manager Alex Cora were overly concerned after the game. The pitcher was pleased he was able to fight through his diminished velo and make pitches when he had to, but he continues to face a restricted workload. The left-hander wasn't fully built up when he started last week and was pulled after 58 pitches. On Thursday, he got up to 65 pitches when Cora pulled him in the fifth inning after Sale issued a pair of walks.

Davies (back) is ready to return from the 15-day injured list and could start Sunday against the Padres, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

The caveat to Davies pitching in San Diego is the weather. Hurricane Hilary is gaining strength off the coast of Mexico and is expected to bring heavy rains to Southern California on Sunday. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo indicated that he wants Davies to throw that day and implied the right-hander could make another rehab start in the minors if the Diamondbacks are rained out. If the right-hander doesn't get activated Sunday, then his return to Arizona's rotation would be pushed back to the following weekend for a home series versus the Reds.

Sale (5-3) took the loss Thursday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and three walks over 4.1 innings against the Nationals. He struck out three.

After walking Jeter Downs to open the bottom of the third inning, Sale was plagued by two fielding errors, which would lead to the first run coming across for the Nationals. The veteran lefty would then be relieved by Josh Winckowski with one out in the fifth, after issuing two walks to begin the frame. It's been a tough go for Sale this season as he's failed to make it through five innings in either of his last three starts dating back to June 1, with a two-month stint on the IL due to shoulder trouble in the middle of that stretch. On a positive note, he has not allowed more than two hits in either of his two starts since returning from the shoulder injury.

Corbin (8-11) earned the win Thursday, allowing one run on four hits over six innings against the Red Sox. He struck out six.

The lefty was mostly dominant over his six innings of work, with his one big mistake coming in the top of the third when a 92.7 mph four-seamer to Triston Casas wound up in the stands in center field. However, Corbin made up for it by retiring 13 of the next 14 batters he faced to seal the win. He has now allowed three or fewer runs and no more than four hits in each of his last three starts, lowering his season ERA to 4.71. He's also won four of his last six decisions (spanning nine starts).

Kirby did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing four runs on eight hits over six innings against the Royals. He struck out two.

Kirby pitched well for most of the afternoon, allowing one run over the first five innings before four consecutive hits and a sac fly led to three more runs coming across for Kansas City in the sixth. Kirby had allowed one or fewer runs in each of his previous three starts coming in, while his two strikeouts on the afternoon matched his season low. He now holds a 2.05 ERA through three August starts and has not issued a walk over that stretch.

Burnes allowed two hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over seven innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Thursday.

Burnes dominated one of the league's top offenses, but Los Angeles starter Lance Lynn matched him with seven scoreless frames of his own. Though Burnes had to settle for a no-decision, this was one of his best outings of the campaign and a strong bounce-back from his previous start, when he gave up five runs over 5.2 innings against the White Sox. The right-hander improved his season ERA to 3.43 and his WHIP to 1.06 with the standout performance Thursday, and with nine punchouts he moved up to 10th in the National League with 155 on the season.

Lynn pitched seven scoreless innings in a no-decision against Milwaukee on Thursday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out three batters.

Though Lynn finished without a win for the first time in four starts since joining Los Angeles in late July, the right-hander enjoyed arguably his best performance in Dodger Blue, going toe-to-toe with Corbin Burnes for seven scoreless innings and allowing just five baserunners. Lynn didn't rack up strikeouts as he did in his previous three starts, when he tallied 22 punchouts over 18 frames, but Milwaukee didn't manage to notch an extra-base hit against him. The veteran has appeared rejuvenated since joining Los Angeles, bringing back memories of his third-place finish in AL Cy Young award voting in 2021. Fantasy managers who dropped him during his rough tenure with the White Sox earlier this season are largely ruing that decision now.

Hill (7-13) took the loss against Arizona on Thursday, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk while striking out three batters over five innings.

Hill had gone a total of 6.1 frames and surrendered nine runs over his first two appearances since joining San Diego, so his five-inning, three-run outing Thursday was a step forward. The veteran hurler retired the first 10 batters he faced and gave up only three baserunners in total, but all three scored, with homers by Tommy Pham and Gabriel Moreno responsible for the damage. Hill has lost all three of his starts as a Padre, posting a 9.53 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB over 11.1 frames during that stretch.

Gallen (13-5) earned the win over San Diego on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 6.1 innings.

Gallen made his second start against the Padres in less than a week and took home his second win, limiting San Diego to just a fifth-inning run. The Arizona ace wasn't quite as dominant as in his previous outing -- he gave up multiple hard-hit balls that went for outs and notched just three swinging strikes -- but he nonetheless finished with his fourth straight quality start. Gallen lowered his ERA to 3.17 with the strong outing, moving him into eighth place among qualified MLB pitchers. He's added a 1.05 WHIP (sixth in the league) and 168 strikeouts (also sixth-best in baseball) over 162 innings.

The Yankees optioned Vasquez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

New York is off Thursday and again on Monday, so a thin rotation will suffice for the time being. Vasquez started Wednesday's game against Atlanta and allowed two earned runs on two hits and three walks over 3.1 innings as the Yanks fell 2-0.