MLB Player News

Whitlock allowed three runs on four hits while striking out three over two innings to earn a hold in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.

Whitlock followed starter Brayan Bello, who pitched six cruised innings. Whitlock cruised through the seventh before adversity struck in the eighth. He was tagged for a single, two home runs and flyout that Alex Verdugo tracked down in front of the bullpen in right field. It was the second consecutive game in which Whitlock allowed three runs and nearly wiped out a stellar pitching effort by a starter. Prior to his last two outings, the right-hander pitched well since returning from a hip injury July 15, including five saves, two holds, a 1.59 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 22.2 innings.

Kluber (10-7) earned the win against the Yankees on Saturday, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out four and walking none over seven innings.

It was a vintage Kluber performance Saturday, as he limited the Yankees' offense to just two hits. He tossed 62 of 88 pitches for strikes across seven frames. Kluber now has three straight wins in his last three appearances and is on a streak of four quality starts. He has five quality starts in his last six games, with the exception being a seven-run clunker against the Orioles. After that game spiked his ERA to 4.40, Kluber has pitched well and his ERA now sits at 4.00.

Schmidt (5-4) took the loss Saturday against the Rays, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out two and walking none over 4.1 innings.

Despite allowing no walks and four hits, Schmidt picked up the loss thanks to a Yandy Diaz two-run single in the third inning that would turn out to be the winning runs for the Rays. This was Schmidt's third appearance this season as a starter, although he may be called upon to start more games with Nestor Cortes on the IL. Schmidt seems to have a short leash for the Yankees as a starter, which limits his fantasy upside.

Matz (knee) will throw a bullpen Sunday and then report to Double-A Springfield for a rehab assignment next week, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Matz continues to work his way back from an MCL strain in his left knee. He's still not expected back until late September, which suggests the southpaw may spend more than one week in the minors working his way back to full health. Matz will pitch out of the St. Louis bullpen once he's activated from the injured list.

Garcia didn't factor in the decision against the Angels on Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over seven innings.

Garcia and the Astros held a 1-0 lead over opposing starter Shohei Ohtani through six innings, but Los Angeles tied the score on a single, walk and sacrifice fly in the seventh. That was the only run Garcia gave up in the contest, but it was enough to prevent him from picking up his fourth straight win. Despite the no-decision, it was the right-hander's first quality start in over a month and the first time he's surrendered less than two runs since a July 12 outing against the Angels. Garcia has recorded a 3.99 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 139:42 K:BB over 135.1 innings on the campaign.

Burnes didn't factor in the decision against Arizona on Saturday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five batters over 5.2 innings.

Burnes struggled with his control in the contest, allowing three walks and throwing 67 of 110 pitches for strikes. He still had a chance to win, entering the bottom of the sixth inning with a 4-3 lead. However, the right-hander allowed a pair of two-out hits in the frame, and both runners came around to score. Burnes has given up at least three earned runs in each of his past four contests, posting a 7.29 ERA over 21 innings during that stretch.

Nelson will be called up from Triple-A Reno to start Monday's game against the Padres, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The team will afford its starters an extra day of rest this turn through the rotation and give Nelson a look at the major-league level. A second-round pick in 2019, Nelson flashed some impressive strikeout stuff at prior stops in the minors. His strikeouts are down this season, however, and his flyball tendencies have led to some home-run issues in the Pacific Coast League.

Pepiot will be called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City and will pitch behind Caleb Ferguson in Sunday's series finale against the Padres, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Prior reports indicated that Pepiot would start Sunday's game, but manager Dave Roberts has decided to throw the lefty Ferguson in front of the rookie right-hander. The arrangement might make Pepiot slightly more appealing as a fantasy streamer, as theoretically he has a better chance at factoring into the decision working behind an opener. Pepiot has a 4.02 ERA in the majors and a 2.58 ERA at Triple-A this season.

Urias (15-7) earned the win over San Diego on Saturday, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out two batters over six innings.

Urias didn't need to expend excessive energy on a hot night in Los Angeles, riding a wave of run support to a cool 78-pitch, six-inning quality start. The left-hander pitched mostly to contact, inducing only six swinging strikes and notching just two punchouts. The lone run he gave up came on a Manny Machado home run in the sixth inning. With Sandy Alcantara getting hammered for six runs Friday, Urias now owns the top ERA in the National League among qualified starters at 2.29.

Bello (1-4) picked up the win Saturday, allowing three hits and one walk over six scoreless innings against the Rangers. He struck out five.

The 23-year-old earned his first career win in his eighth major-league appearance (sixth start). A top pitching prospect in the organization, Bello has endured his fair share of growing pains this season. He should be considered a volatile option, though Bello may finally be finding his footing at the big-league level.