MLB Player News

Cease (7-5) earned the win against the Red Sox on Saturday, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out 12 in a complete-game shutout.

Cease threw a career-high 120 pitches en route to his third career complete game, shutting out the Red Sox and allowing just one hit for the second time in his past three starts. Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, he joins Nolan Ryan as just the second pitcher in the modern era to allow no more than one hit while going at least eight innings and striking out 10 or more batters in consecutive road outings. The 30-year-old has now logged four straight quality starts in July, allowing only three earned runs while recording 39 punchouts during that stretch. He'll take a 2.46 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 167:48 K:BB across 113.1 innings this season into a home matchup with the Cardinals next weekend.

Griffin (12-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the Diamondbacks, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out two.

The 30-year-old left-hander continues to impress in his first MLB action since 2022. Griffin has delivered 12 quality starts this season, including seven in his last eight outings -- a stretch in which he's produced a 1.56 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 44:7 K:BB over 52 innings. While his name has come up in trade rumors, it's hard to imagine Griffin getting dealt if the surprising Nationals intend to remain in playoff contention. He's scheduled to make his next start on the road next week in Atlanta.

Bratt (0-1) took the loss Saturday, surrendering five runs on seven hits and five walks over five innings as the Diamondbacks fell 5-3 to the Nationals. He struck out three.

The 23-year-old southpaw had trouble finding the plate in his fourth career MLB start, tossing 55 of 92 pitches for strikes. Even when Bratt did get the ball into the strike zone, he paid for it -- four of the seven hits off him went for extra bases, including a solo homer in the fifth inning by CJ Abrams. Through his first 15.2 innings for Arizona, Bratt carries a 6.32 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and 10:11 K:BB, but with none of the team's injured starters expected back until August, he may stick in the rotation for another turn or two. He's set to make his next start on the road next weekend in Cleveland.

Ray (9-6) picked up the win Saturday, allowing six hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a 9-2 victory over the Angels. He struck out five.

The veteran southpaw tossed 54 of 80 pitches for strikes en route to his eighth quality start of the season. Ray could be on the move at the trade deadline, and he's doing what he can to improve the return the Giants might get for him -- over his last seven starts he's held the opposition to one earned run or fewer six times, posting a 1.04 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 35:20 K:BB in 43.1 innings while serving up just one home run. Ray will look to stay locked in during his next outing, which currently lines up to come on the road next week in San Diego.

Johnson (2-5) took the loss Saturday, coughing up eight runs on eight hits and a walk over 3.1 innings as the Angels were downed 9-2 by the Giants. He struck out four.

San Francisco reeled off six straight hits in the third inning to get the rout rolling, capped by a three-run homer from Jung Hoo Lee. Johnson had given up just seven earned runs total over his prior five outings, but Saturday's disaster undid all the progress he'd made in getting his ratios under control. The 23-year-old right-hander will take a 7.34 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 34:17 K:BB over 41.2 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Brewers.

Weathers (4-7) earned the win Saturday against Philadelphia, allowing one run on six hits and one walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out seven.

Weathers held an imposing Phillies lineup in check Saturday, keeping the ball in the park while inducing six groundouts on the evening. The left-hander is still searching for some consistency -- he's given up at least four runs in half of his last 12 outings while yielding two runs or fewer in the other half. Weathers will take a 4.25 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 122:30 K:BB over 108 innings into his next scheduled appearance against the White Sox.

Martinez (10-2) earned the win Saturday against Cleveland, allowing no runs on four hits and no walks in six innings. He struck out five.

It was a brilliant performance by Martinez, who scattered four singles across six shutout frames Saturday. The veteran right-hander is on an excellent run on the hill, either turning in a quality start or working at least five innings while yielding two runs or fewer in each of his past six appearances. Martinez will take a career-best 2.45 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 67:20 K:BB over 117.1 frames into his next scheduled outing against the White Sox.

Bibee (4-10) took the loss Saturday against Tampa Bay, allowing three runs on nine hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five.

Bibee appeared to wear down as the outing went on Saturday, giving up each of his three runs across the fifth and sixth frames. Despite yielding his second-most hits of the year, the right-hander still managed to hold on for his third consecutive quality start and eighth in his last 10 outings. Bibee will carry a respectable 3.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 97:37 K:BB over 125 innings into his next scheduled appearance against Arizona.

The Twins announced that Paredes suffered a left oblique strain prior to his start against the Athletics on Saturday, which led to him being scratched, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.

While warming up in the bullpen before his slated start, Paredes suffered a left oblique strain. On the season, Paredes owns a 4.72 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 19:13 K:BB. It is unclear how much time the 25-year-old will miss, but he's a safe bet to be placed on the injured list in the near future.

Perez (5-8) took the loss Saturday against San Diego, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out two.

It was a bit of a hard-luck loss for Perez, who delivered his fourth consecutive quality start. The hard-throwing right-hander opened the campaign with a 4.60 ERA through his first 11 outings but has been outstanding since coming off the injured list in late June, holding a 1.75 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 34:10 K:BB over his last six appearances (36 innings). Perez will bring a 3.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 106:38 K:BB across 98.2 frames overall into his next scheduled start against the last-place Mets, who will be without superstar Juan Soto (calf).