MLB Player News

Assad completed five innings against Cincinnati in a no-decision Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out four batters.

It wasn't the most dominant of performances by Assad, as he served up two homers among seven total hits. However, both long balls were of the solo variety, and the the right-hander otherwise dodged damage in the scoring column -- in part due to throwing an efficient 54 of 82 pitches for strikes and issuing zero free passes. Since re-entering the rotation July 5, Assad has held his own, allowing two runs over 9.2 frames with a 6:2 K:BB. However, Jameson Taillon (hamstring) is slated to return shortly after the All-Star break, and Edward Cabrera (hamstring) may not be far behind, so it's up in the air whether Assad will remain in the rotation beyond late July.

Buehler allowed four runs on three hits and four walks while striking out one over two innings in a no-decision versus the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Buehler and Trey Yesavage both labored in the early innings of this contest. Buehler ended up throwing just 65 pitches (31 strikes) in his shortest start of the season. He heads into the All-Star break on a wicked skid, having allowed 20 runs and six home runs over his last 11 innings. Overall, he has a 5.36 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 81:35 K:BB through 89 innings over 19 starts.

Rocker (2-8) took the loss against Houston on Saturday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six batters over 5.2 innings.

Rocker gave up the seven runs on a trio of homers, including a grand slam off the bat of LaMonte Wade. That was out of character for the right-hander this season, as he entered Saturday with a 1.0 HR/9 and having yielded no more than two long balls in any outing. The seven earned runs and eight hits allowed were also season-worst marks for Rocker, who has had a very up-and-down campaign. He heads into the All-Star break with a 4.40 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 80:34 K:BB over 90 innings spanning 18 appearances (16 starts).

Lambert (8-5) allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six innings to earn the win over Texas on Saturday.

The only run Lambert allowed came on an Ezequiel Duran home run in the fourth inning. Beyond that, the Rangers collected just two other hits (both singles) against him and struck out seven times. Lambert finished with his sixth quality start of the season and collected his eighth victory -- as many as he recorded over his first four MLB campaigns combined. The right-hander seems to have benefitted from his year in Japan last season, as he's become a vital part of Houston's injury-plagued rotation. Through 15 starts, he holds a strong 3.14 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 81:33 K:BB over 86 innings.

Cameron (5-7) took the loss against Baltimore on Sunday, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over seven innings.

Cameron allowed a modest seven baserunners in his seven frames, but three of those rounded the bases on home runs. It was the second time this year that the left-hander has served up three homers in a game, but on a more positive note, he also struck out a season-high nine batters. Cameron has improved his strikeout rate over his rookie campaign, but he's otherwise had a shaky first half, posting a 4.89 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 95.2 innings spanning 18 starts.

Chandler didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out six.

It was a slightly better effort for Chandler after he failed to strike out a batter and coughed up four runs over four innings during his prior start, but the 23-year-old right-hander is still struggling to find some consistency. He heads into the All-Star break with a 4.77 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 85:55 K:BB through 94.1 innings.

Ashcraft didn't factor into the decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers, coughing up five runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out six.

All five hits off Ashcraft went for extra bases, including homers by Jake Bauers in the second inning and Sal Frelick in the fifth. The right-hander has served up six long balls in his last three starts as he shows signs of fatigue -- Ashcraft's tossed 113.1 innings already this season, nearly matching the 118 innings he tossed all of last season between Triple-A and the majors. Despite the swoon before the All-Star break, he still sports a 3.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 128:27 K:BB on the year.

Sproat didn't factor into the decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates, giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks over three innings. He struck out three.

The 25-year-old right-hander also plunked three batters and uncorked a wild pitch, getting the hook after 83 pitches (51 strikes) and forcing the Brewers to go to their bullpen much earlier than they wanted in the twin bill. Sproat has failed to get an out in the fifth frame in three of his last five starts, but he's still managed to put together a 3.68 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 30:9 K:BB over 22 innings during that stretch. His spot in the rotation is precarious, but Sproat sees likely to stick around for a while given the current state of Milwaukee's rotation, which recently had Jacob Misiorowski (fatigue) and Kyle Harrison (elbow) miss starts.

Schlittler took a no-decision Saturday against the Nationals, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks in 6.2 innings. He struck out six.

It looked like a rough day was brewing for Schlittler, who served up a pair of first-inning solo home runs, but he settled in and silenced the Washington bats the rest of the way. The four walks were a season-worst figure, though it didn't end up biting him Saturday. The All-Star right-hander is now up to 12 quality starts already this year. Schlittler trails only Dylan Cease's 148 strikeouts for the American League lead in the category, sporting a 2.05 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:25 K:BB over 118.2 innings.

Reds manager Terry Francona said after Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs that Lodolo (finger) will likely require a stint on the injured list, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Lodolo was pulled in the sixth inning of Saturday due to a blister on his left finger, taking a no-decision after allowing two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four over five frames. The southpaw notably missed the first six weeks of the season due to a blister on the same finger, though it's unclear if he'll require as lengthy of an absence this time around. Assuming the Reds move him to the IL on Sunday, Lodolo wouldn't be eligible to pitch again until July 27.