MLB Player News

Smyly (7-5) took the loss against Philadelphia on Wednesday, allowing seven runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 3.2 innings.

Smyly, working on eight days of rest since his previous start, allowed a season-high seven earned runs and recorded his second-shortest start of the campaign while tying a season-low mark with just two punchouts. The left-hander gave up multiple homers for just the second time this year, though both of those instances have come across his past three starts. He has been mostly boom-or-bust in terms of performance this season, allowing two or fewer earned runs in 11 starts but surrendering five-plus earned runs in four of the other five appearances.

Nola (7-5) earned the win over the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Nola recorded his shortest outing since going just 3.2 frames in his Opening Day start versus Texas, and he needed 97 pitches to get through five frames. However, the Phillies supported him with plenty of runs, allowing the right-hander to pick up his third win over his past five starts. Despite the victory, Nola's outing was mostly forgettable -- he snapped a 13-game streak of completing at least six innings and tallied his lowest strikeout total since May 14. His ERA is up to 4.51 on the campaign, a significant drop-off from the 3.25 mark he posted last season.

Rodon (back/forearm) is set to make his next minor-league rehab start Saturday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Rodon has been excellent in his first two rehab outings, totaling seven innings during which he has allowed just one run and two hits while posting a 9:1 K:BB. However, the left-hander has topped out at 48 pitches, so he's not quite ready to make his Yankees debut yet. Manager Aaron Boone explained that having Rodon go Saturday will keep him on six days of rest, and that the hurler's following outing could potentially be his debut with the big club July 7 at home against the Cubs. Boone added that Rodon would likely be in the "low-60 range" in terms of pitch count for that start and that the team intends to give him "somewhat regular" rest. Though Rodon may be facing multiple limitations early on, his return should still be a boost to fantasy managers who have been stashing him over the first half of the campaign. Even with less than a full workload, Rodon has the ability to rack up strikeouts and contribute strong ratios given his 2.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 12.2 K/9 over 55 starts across the past two seasons.

Giolito (6-5) allowed four runs on six hits and struck out nine without walking a batter over seven innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Angels.

Giolito faded a bit late, allowing solo home runs to Brandon Drury and Hunter Renfroe in the seventh inning. Over five starts in June, Giolito allowed 11 runs (eight earned) across 31 innings, making this his best month of the season so far. He's at a 3.53 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 108:29 K:BB over 99.1 innings through 17 starts this season. Giolito's first outing in July is projected to be a home start versus the Blue Jays.

Davies allowed two hits and two walks while striking out three over seven scoreless innings but took a no-decision in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Rays.

Davies did an excellent job in his best and longest start of the season, but Scott McGough couldn't close it out. Over his previous three starts, Davies had allowed a combined 21 runs (18 earned) over 10.2 innings. The right-hander's recent slump is a large part of why his season numbers -- 6.54 ERA, 1.62 WHIP -- are less than impressive. He's added a 33:20 K:BB over 42.2 innings through nine starts on the season. Davies' next start is projected to be a home outing versus the Mets next week.

Eflin allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over seven innings, but he took a no-decision in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Eflin gave up a run in each of the third and fourth innings, and the Rays didn't get on the board until the ninth. It was just his third no-decision this season -- he's posted a 9-3 record while emerging as a valuable mid-rotation option in his first year with the Rays. Eflin gave up 11 runs over 30.1 innings across his five starts in June. He's at a 3.29 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 91:15 K:BB through 90.1 innings over 15 starts overall. The right-hander is projected for a home start versus his former team, the Phillies, next week.

Sears (1-6) allowed seven runs (five earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out five over four-plus innings, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Yankees.

Not only was Sears' performance lackluster, but his Oakland teammates couldn't muster a baserunner against Yankees starter Domingo German. Prior to Wednesday, Sears had allowed all of nine runs over his first four starts in June. The southpaw saw his ERA rise to 4.43 with a 1.08 WHIP and 85:20 K:BB through 87.1 innings over 16 starts this season. Sears will attempt to bounce back in his projected road start in Detroit next week.

German evened his record at 5-5 while throwing the 24th perfect game in major-league history Wednesday, striking out nine in an 11-0 win over the Athletics.

After two straight awful starts versus the Red Sox and the Mariners in which he allowed 17 runs (15 earned) over just 5.1 innings, German responded with the best outing of his career. The right-hander was efficient, throwing 99 pitches (72 strikes) to complete the rare feat. His perfect game was the first of the pitch-clock era and the first in the majors since Felix Hernandez achieved the feat Aug. 15, 2012. For the season, German now owns a 4.54 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 78:25 K:BB over 81.1 innings across 15 starts. His encore is tentatively scheduled for a home game versus the Orioles next week.

Wentz (1-9) allowed six runs (four earned) on nine hits across 4.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Rangers. He walked two and struck out five.

Wentz dropped to 0-6 in his last nine starts with a 7.41 ERA during that stretch. The lefty wasn't much better before then, either, going 1-3 with a 6.09 ERA over his first seven appearances of the year. Wentz can't be trusted as a fantasy asset, but he figures to stick in Detroit's rotation for now with the team thin on rotation options due to injuries. He's penciled in to start again next Wednesday against Oakland.

May (forearm) played catch Wednesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

May has been on the injured list since May 18 with a right forearm strain, and Wednesday marks the first time he's thrown since then. There is still no plan in place for May to return, but it is certainly a positive sign to see him throwing once again. The 25-year-old righty held a 2.63 ERA and 0.94 WHIP through 48 innings across nine starts before getting injured.