MLB Player News

Battenfield's contract was selected from Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

Battenfield will join the Guardians for their weekend series in Toronto after James Karinchak (personal) was placed on the restricted list Friday. Battenfield hasn't yet made his major-league debut but has posted a 3.19 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 121.1 innings over 21 starts in Columbus this year, although if he sees any action for Cleveland it will likely come out of the bullpen.

Skubal (arm) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday.

The 25-year-old originally landed on the shelf with arm fatigue after his last start Aug. 1. He can technically be activated in early October, but with only a couple games left on the schedule at that point the move to the 60-day IL will likely end his 2022 campaign. Skubal was able to quickly resume a throwing program after being shut down, but he apparently had some type of a setback over the past week. He came on strong for the Tigers this year with a 3.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 117:32 K:BB across 117.2 innings.

Lodolo (3-4) took the loss against the Cubs on Thursday, giving up four runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out six batters over 4.2 innings.

Lodolo threw a first-pitch strike to 19 of the 24 batters he faced, yet he issued four free passes and hit one batter. The rookie gave up three runs in the first inning, struck out the side in the second and allowed three baserunners in each of the third and fourth frames in the uneven performance. Lodolo has walked multiple batters in each of his past five starts, and he's added five hit batsmen over that stretch. He's registered a strong 12.1 K/9 over 47.2 innings on the season, but his control issues have led to an unsavory 4.72 ERA and 1.66 WHIP.

Smyly (5-6) earned the win over Cincinnati in the Field of Dreams game Thursday, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over five scoreless innings.

Smyly's nine punchouts came out of nowhere -- he hadn't fanned more than five batters in any of his 14 appearances coming into Thursday. The veteran racked up 18 swinging strikes and didn't allow any extra-base hits in the dominant outing. This was Smyly's second consecutive scoreless appearance, and he's allowed one run or fewer in four of his past five starts. Over that stretch, the southpaw has posted a 2.42 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 26:6 K:BB over 26 innings while picking up three victories.

Kremer (4-4) took the loss against Boston on Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out six batters over 5.2 innings.

Kremer picked up a win with 6.1 scoreless innings against Pittsburgh in his previous start, but he couldn't build on that momentum Thursday. The right-hander fell behind 3-0 after three innings before Baltimore tied the score in the sixth. However, Kremer couldn't capitalize on the comeback effort, as a two-out walk in the bottom of the frame resulted in his removal from the contest, which was followed by a run-scoring double off the bat of Eric Hosmer. Kremer has lost three of his past four starts and has given up a combined 14 runs over 15.1 innings in the trio of defeats.

Brubaker did not factor in the decision against Arizona on Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six batters over five innings.

Brubaker allowed a pair of runs in the fourth inning but was otherwise impressive, allowing only one hit and one walk over his other four frames. The right-hander racked up 13 swinging strikes and finished with six punchouts for the second straight game, but he lost his chance at a victory when the Pirates' bullpen gave up seven runs in the seventh inning. Brubaker has had some poor outings this season, but he's given up three or fewer earned runs while pitching at least five frames in 14 of his 22 starts.

Kelly completed five innings against Pittsburgh on Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six batters. He did not factor in the decision.

This appeared to be a great opportunity for Kelly to extend his streak of seven consecutive quality starts, but he needed 99 pitches to get through five innings and wasn't allowed to go out for the sixth. The right-hander gave up three runs in the fourth frame and departed in line for the loss before a big Arizona seventh inning took him off the hook. Kelly hasn't taken a loss since late June, and he's posted a 1.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 44:12 K:BB over 53.1 innings across his past eight starts.

Kershaw (back) threw a baseball at "really light intensity" Wednesday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

The activity was minimal -- Kershaw made only a handful of throws -- but it was nonetheless a positive sign that the All-Star hurler is feeling better after receiving an epidural shot Friday for his ailing back. An MRI last week didn't show anything concerning, so it appears that Kershaw could return by the end of the month. However, the Dodgers are 16 games up in the NL West, so they have no reason to rush their ace back into action. It's likely that they'll take a conservative approach to Kershaw's recovery to ensure that he's fully healthy before returning.

Greinke (4-7) allowed nine hits and no walks while striking out five across 6.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the White Sox.

Greinke didn't allow any free passes or extra-base hits, which allowed him to hold his opponent scoreless for the third time in his last six starts. He's maintained a 3.00 ERA with a 23:7 K:BB in that span. For the season, Greinke has a 4.29 ERA in 98.2 frames.

Cease (12-5) allowed one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight across six innings to take the loss Thursday against the Royals.

Cease took a tough-luck loss, as the only run he allowed came on a solo home run by Vinnie Pasquantino. Cease dominated the Royals lineup otherwise, racking up 19 swinging strikes across 94 total pitches. He's now allowed one or fewer earned runs in 14 consecutive starts, helping him maintain a stellar 1.96 ERA across 128.2 frames for the season.