MLB Player News

Montgomery (7-9) picked up the win Friday, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk over six-plus innings in a 6-2 victory over the Marlins. He struck out six.

The veteran southpaw gave up single runs in the first and second innings in his debut for the Rangers, but Montgomery settled in after that and cruised to his eighth quality start in his last 10 trips to the mound. He holds a 2.51 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 54:18 K:BB through 61 innings over that stretch, and with a potent Texas offense at his back, he could be headed for double-digit wins for the first time in his career. Montgomery lines up for a very juicy matchup in his next start, which is likely to come next week in Oakland.

Luzardo (8-6) took the loss Friday as the Marlins were downed 6-2 by the Rangers, giving up four runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out eight.

The three homers allowed were a season high for Luzardo, who hadn't served up multiple long balls in a start since May 21, but he still generated 18 swinging strikes among his 90 pitches before exiting. The southpaw has stumbled a bit in his last two outings, but his ability to miss bats gives him a solid fantasy floor even when he isn't at his sharpest -- he's fanned at least eight batters in six of his last eight starts, posting a 2.51 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 61:15 K:BB through 46.2 innings over that stretch. He'll look to get back in the win column in his next trip to the mound, which is likely to come next week in Cincinnati.

Paxton (6-3) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on nine hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over five innings as the Red Sox fell 7-3 to the Blue Jays. He struck out four.

The southpaw was catching too much of the strike zone to begin the night, and Toronto hit three solo shots in the first two innings before Paxton was able to settle in. After an impressive run to begin the season after his mid-May debut, the 34-year-old has seen his numbers slip -- over five starts since the beginning of July, Paxton's stumbled to a 5.40 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB through 25 innings. He'll try to get back on track in his next outing, which is likely to come at home next week against the Royals.

Cortes (shoulder) was activated from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start Saturday against the Astros.

Cortes' rehab assignment was initially expected to include one more start before he joined the big-league rotation next week, but he will instead slot in this weekend. His most recent rehab start was July 28, in which he threw 49 pitches over four innings, so Cortes will probably need to be pretty efficient to go deep enough to qualify for the win in this one. He was expected to throw only 60 pitches in the rehab start that got nixed.

Manoah (3-8) picked up the win in Friday's 7-3 victory over the Red Sox, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander continues to battle his control and consistency -- he hit another batter with a pitch, his fourth HBP in his last three starts, and he's issued multiple free passes in four straight outings -- but Manoah has at least looked a little more confident and aggressive on the mound since being sent down to the minors to reset. In five starts since his early July return, he's posted a 4.26 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, numbers that represent a vast improvement on the 6.36 ERA and 1.90 WHIP he stumbled to over his first 13 trips to the mound in 2023. Manoah will continue his efforts to regain his old form on the road next week in Cleveland.

Kremer wound up with a no-decision in the Orioles' 10-3 win over the Mets on Friday, giving up two runs on two hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander was handed an early 2-0 lead, but after five scoreless frames New York was able to get to Kremer in the sixth and he missed a chance to collect his 11th win or 11th quality start of the year. The four free passes also tied his season high, and he's walked multiple batters in five straight outings, posting a 4.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 23:14 K:BB through 27 innings over that stretch. He'll try to get back in the win column in his next start, likely to come at home next week against the Astros.

Peterson came away with a no-decision Friday in the Mets' 10-3 loss to the Orioles, allowing one hit and three walks over three scoreless innings. He struck out one.

The southpaw tossed 30 of 52 pitches for strikes in the short outing, but considering he hadn't pitched more than two innings in an appearance in nearly a month, a restricted workload was to be expected. Peterson has a 2.66 ERA in 20.1 innings since the beginning of July, but that comes with a lackluster 1.43 WHIP and 19:11 K:BB, and the jury is still out on whether the 27-year-old will ever develop into an effective rotation option. He'll make his next start, and get stretched out further, at home against the Cubs next week.

The Nationals released Urena on Thursday.

He signed a minor-league deal with the Nationals in May and registered a 6.31 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 15 starts for Triple-A Rochester. Urena was released by the Rockies earlier this year after walking more batters (14) than he struck out (nine) in five big-league starts across 18.1 innings.

Gray will start Saturday against the Marlins.

This will be Gray's first time pitching since July 24, a span of 11 days in between outings. Since he last pitched, the Rangers acquired two new starters at the trade deadline, which altered the rotation pattern and may have resulted in the long layoff. Gray had a leg injury entering the previous start, so perhaps that was involved in the decision to give him so much time off. Gray has not won a game since June 2 and sports a 5.36 ERA over the eight starts since.

Lodolo (lower leg) will throw another bullpen session Monday, MLB.com reports.

If all goes well, Lodolo is expected to throw two innings the following Friday, presumably as part of a simulated game. The left-hander's condition has improved over the last 10 days, and the Reds moved up his expected return date to late August.