MLB Player News

Crawford allowed one hit and struck out five over 6.1 scoreless relief innings in Monday's 5-4 loss to the Angels.

The game was delayed after 2.2 innings, necessitating a heavy bullpen day for both teams. As it was, Crawford's length would likely have been needed on a perfect day after Brayan Bello's rocky start (five runs, eight hits, 2.2 IP). The 19 outs recorded by Crawford represented a longer performance than all but one Boston start -- Garrett Whitlock's seven-inning gem Sunday. Given the state of the rotation, which has not been able to go deep into games, Crawford figures to be part of the long-relief crew for now but could eventually head back to Triple-A Worcester as a starter.

Javier (2-0) allowed one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out five across five innings to earn the win Monday against the Blue Jays.

Javier was handed a 7-0 lead after one inning, but he still needed 97 pitches to complete five innings of work. The only damage against him came on a solo home run by Matt Chapman in the fourth inning, and he otherwise relied primarily on strikeouts and flyouts to complete his outing. Javier has a fine 3.68 ERA through four starts, though he's only accrued 22 innings in that span while maintaining a mediocre 20.9 percent strikeout rate.

Dunning (1-0) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out five over 4.1 innings to pick up the win over Kansas City on Monday.

Dunning came in after Jacob deGrom was removed from the game with right wrist soreness. Like he's done all season, Dunning gave the Rangers strong work and length out of the bullpen. The right-hander has yet to allow a run over 15.1 innings (six appearances). After striking out just one batter over his first 7.1 frames, Dunning has eight punch-outs over the last eight innings.

Gray (elbow) played catch on consecutive days and is expected to throw an in-between starts bullpen session Wednesday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The news couldn't be any better for Gray, who was smoked last Saturday by a 109.3 mph comebacker off his throwing elbow. After reporting minimal pain and playing catch Sunday and Monday, the right-hander is scheduled to throw a bullpen Wednesday ahead of Friday's start against the Athletics.

May allowed five runs on eight hits while striking out one batter over 5.2 innings Monday in an 8-6 loss to the Mets. He didn't factor in the decision.

May issued four walks in his previous start, so it was a positive that he didn't give up any free passes Monday. That was one of the only positive takeaways for the right-hander, who surrendered a season-worst five runs and recorded a season-low one strikeout. Most of the damage against May came in the fourth inning, when the Mets put up three runs on three singles and a hit batsman. May still holds a solid 3.00 ERA on the campaign, and he'll look to get back on track his next time out, which is lined up to be in Chicago this weekend.

Peterson (1-2) was the pitcher of record in Monday's 8-6 win over the Dodgers, allowing six runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out six batters over six innings.

Peterson didn't pitch particularly well in the outing, yielding three homers, including two by Freddie Freeman. However, he managed to hang around for six innings and got enough run support to pick up his first win of the campaign. Peterson punched out six batters for the second straight time, and he recorded a healthy 14 swinging strikes among his 94 total pitches. The left-hander has yet to find consistency this season, alternating good and bad starts through four appearances. All told, he has an uninspiring 6.10 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 22:8 K:BB across 20.2 frames.

Flexen fell to 0-3 in Monday's 7-3 loss to Milwaukee on Monday. He surrendered four earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five batters over six innings.

Flexen pitched better than in his previous outing, when he was hammered for eight runs on 10 hits over 2.1 innings, but he couldn't avoid his third straight loss. The right-hander notched season highs with six frames and five punchouts, but he was done in primarily by a rough third inning during which he gave up three runs. Flexen's fantasy appeal is limited by his lack of strikeout stuff -- he's fanned just 11 batters through 17.1 frames -- and his 7.79 ERA and 1.73 WHIP thus far have him off the radar outside of deep leagues.

Fried (1-1) earned the win over the Padres on Monday, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out four batters over five scoreless innings in Atlanta's 2-0 victory.

In his first start since Opening Day, Fried was held to 79 pitches but showed no signs of rust. The left-hander allowed just four baserunners, all on singles -- two of which didn't leave the infield. He retired the final 10 batters he faced and looked strong throughout, with his only limitation being a managed pitch count due to a multi-week layoff that was necessitated by a hamstring injury. Fried will likely be allowed to go deeper in his next outing, which is tentatively lined up to come at home against Houston.

Burnes suffered a left pectoral strain in Monday's 7-3 win over the Mariners but is hopeful that he'll be able to make his next start, which will likely fall Sunday versus the Red Sox at American Family Field, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Per McCalvy, the early read from the Brewers is that Burnes' pectoral strain is a minor one, but the team will monitor the situation closely over the next few days. Before exiting with a trainer after throwing 85 pitches Monday, Burnes was able to pick up his second win of the season after striking out three over 5.1 innings of one-run ball. His status will likely be updated over the next few days in advance of this weekend's series versus the Red Sox.

Muller dropped to 0-1 after allowing six earned runs on 13 hits and two walks over four innings in Monday's 10-1 loss to the Cubs. He punched out three batters in the outing.

Muller coughed up two runs through three innings before the Cubs broke the game open in the fourth. He was tagged with six hits in that frame, including three RBI singles. After allowing just three runs through his first 10.2 innings, Muller has given up 12 runs in his last two starts, spiking his ERA to 7.23. He'll carry a 14:9 K:BB into his next start, which is scheduled to be on the road against the Angels next week.