MLB Player News

Oviedo (3-9) allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out one over five innings to take the loss Saturday against the Brewers.

Oviedo gave up six runs across his first two innings of work, with the big damage being a three-run homer by Christian Yelich. The outing adds to his inconsistent campaign, as he's allowed one or fewer earned runs in seven of his 17 starts. On the other hand, he's allowed more than five earned runs on three occasions. The end result has been a 4.61 ERA across 93.2 frames, though Oviedo hasn't significantly improved his strikeout rate (19.2 percent) or his other underlying skills.

Ober (5-4) earned the win Saturday against the Orioles after he allowed just two hits and no walks across seven scoreless innings. He struck out eight.

The 27-year-old needed only 85 pitches to get through seven frames, and the Minnesota bullpen maintained a 1-0 advantage to give him his second win in his past eight starts. Despite the lack of victories during that stretch, Ober has pitched well of late with quality starts in five of his last six outings, and he has a 37:4 K:BB during that six-start span. A rematch at home versus Baltimore likely awaits next weekend for the right-hander.

Miller, who exited Friday's start against the Rays with a blister on his right middle finger, may be forced to miss his next turn through the rotation, Brandon Gustafson of SeattleSports.com reports. "We're concerned," manager Scott Servais said. "We'll be hopeful he'll make his next start, but right now it's up in the air."

Miller would line up to face the Giants on Wednesday for his final pre-All-Star-break start, and despite the rookie's initial optimism after exiting the game Friday, he could be looking at a shutdown that extends through the Midsummer Classic. Servais explained prior to Saturday's game that Miller's finger was still very sore, adding that although the right-hander was receiving treatment designed to get his nail down, a lot would be determined by whether he was dealing with pockets of blood below the surface. Given Miller's importance to Seattle's injury-hampered rotation, the team may well err on the side of caution and take full advantage of the extended layoff afforded by the upcoming pause in play to try and get him back to full health. Servais stated he expected to have a firmer grasp on Miller's progress after Sunday's series finale versus the Rays, which could tee up an early-week decision on Wednesday's starter.

Kikuchi (7-3) took the loss Saturday, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.1 innings against Boston. He struck out seven.

Kikuchi was first victimized by a two-run home run from Rafael Devers in the top of the third to put the Blue Jays down 2-1. He would again run into trouble in the fifth after giving up a leadoff single to Rob Refsnyder, surrendering another three runs in the inning on four hits as Boston added to its lead. It marked the lefty's first loss since May 24 against the Rays, which was also the last time he allowed five runs in a start this season. Kikuchi had made it through at least six innings in each of his previous two starts and now sports a 40:8 K:BB since the start of June following his seven-strikeout performance.

Crawford (3-4) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out five.

Crawford gave up a leadoff home run to George Springer to open the bottom of the first but was able to keep his composure, allowing just one more run over the next 4.2 innings, which again came on the long ball. The right-hander produced 14 swinging strikes on the afternoon while recording five strikeouts for the third time in his last four starts. Crawford has now won two of his last three decisions, though he's also allowed two home runs in back-back-back starts after not allowing more than one in any of his appearances since April 3 against the Pirates.

Morton (8-6) picked up the win in Saturday's 7-0 shutout of the Marlins, allowing four hits and a walk over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Atlanta's offense once again ambushed the opposition, scoring six runs in the first inning, and Morton cruised from there. The veteran righty has won three straight starts despite some inefficiency on his part, as he's completed six innings just once in his last eight outings, posting a 4.36 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 56:22 K:BB through 43.1 innings over that stretch. He'll take the mound one more time before the All-Star break for what's likely to be a road start next weekend in Tampa Bay.

Perez (5-2) took the loss Saturday, coughing up six runs on seven hits in just one-third of an inning as the Marlins fell 7-0 to Atlanta.

MLB's hottest offense provided some harsh lessons for the 20-year-old righty, as Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies led off the game with back-to-back solo shots, and all told five of the seven hits off Perez went for extra bases. Over his prior six starts however, the young phenom had allowed just one run with a 38:9 K:BB in 33 innings. Another outing or two like this might make it easier for the Marlins to send Perez back down to the minors and manage his workload, but with the team currently sitting in the first wild-card spot in the NL, it could be faced with some tough decisions on how to handle him in the second half. For now, Perez lines up for one more start before the All-Star break, which is likely to come at home next week against the Cardinals.

Williamson (1-2) took the loss Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk over five innings against the Padres. He struck out five.

Williamson pitched fairly well against a surging Padres lineup, retiring eight of the first 10 batters he faced on the afternoon before surrendering an RBI double to Fernando Tatis in the top of the third. The right-hander was relieved by Buck Farmer in the sixth inning after giving up a leadoff single to Austin Nola, who would eventually come around to score on a three-run blast from Juan Soto. Williamson had allowed at least three runs in each of his last four starts coming in, so Saturday's effort, despite the loss, was still an encouraging sign for the 25-year-old.

Verlander (3-4) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one unearned run on five hits and a walk over seven innings in a 4-1 victory over the Giants. He struck out six.

The 40-year-old blanked San Francisco for six innings before a Pete Alonso error in the seventh cracked the door open a bit, but Verlander limited the damage and fanned Brandon Crawford to end the threat. The three-time AL Cy Young Award winner is rounding into form, compiling a 2.65 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 33:10 K:BB through 34 innings since the beginning of June, and Verlander is now three wins away from 250 for his career. He'll get one more turn through the rotation before the All-Star break, an outing which lines up for next weekend in San Diego.

Wacha (8-2) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over five innings against the Reds while striking out four.

Wacha (shoulder) returned Saturday after being forced to skip his last start and managed to pitch his way out of trouble for most of the afternoon, despite allowing the leadoff man to reach base in four of his five innings of work. The right-hander has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 consecutive starts dating back to April 26 against the Cubs while winning six of his last seven decisions (spanning nine starts). He'll look to keep that momentum going next weekend when the Padres take on the Mets in San Diego.