MLB Player News

Brown's last six starts for Triple-A Sugar Land have seen him go 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 35:9 K:BB through 29 innings.

The strikeouts are always there for the 23-year-old fireballer, but the improved control he's shown lately -- a 2.7 BB/9 over that six-start span -- is key to Brown's eventual ascension to the big leagues. High walk rates have inflated his ratios in the minor leagues, but there's never been a question as to the quality of his raw stuff. This stretch might be enough for a promotion to the majors if Brown was with a different organization, but the Astros have no room in their rotation for now. He could in theory make an impact in 2022 as a multi-inning bullpen arm, similar to how Houston brought Cristian Javier along, but the team hasn't signaled any intention in that regard.

Mikolas took a no-decision in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Cubs. He allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 6.1 innings.

Mikolas had an extra day of rest after Wednesday's rainout, though he only produced middling results. The Cardinals' seventh-inning rally got him off the hook for the loss. He's turned in quality starts in five of his last six outings, and the veteran right-hander owns a 2.92 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 106:27 K:BB through 138.2 innings across 22 starts overall. Mikolas is tentatively set for a tough road start in Colorado his next time out.

Toussaint pitched in long relief during Thursday's 8-7 loss to the Athletics, covering 4.1 innings and striking out six while allowing two earned runs on two hits and five walks.

According to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register, the Angels listed Toussaint as their starting pitcher for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader in Seattle, but that's likely off the table after he made a 85-pitch relief appearance two days before the scheduled start. The impromptu outing came about after starter Janson Junk lasted just 2.1 innings Thursday before departing, prompting the Angels to summon Toussaint out of the bullpen to provide length.

Cabrera is starting Friday against the Cubs, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Cabrera seemed likely to start Friday after he was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Thursday, and the Marlins confirmed him as the starter a few hours before the start of the game. Over his three starts this season, he's posted a 3.45 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 15.2 innings. Manager Don Mattingly didn't commit to a pitch count for Cabrera ahead of the game but said that the team will be cautious with him during Friday's start after the right-hander threw just 61 pitches during his final rehab start July 28, McPherson reports.

Freeland (7-7) allowed two earned runs on six hits and four walks while striking out seven across 5.2 innings to earn the win Thursday against the Padres.

Freeland turned in a strong effort against the revamped Padres lineup, but his line could have looked even better. Juan Soto was credited with a triple to lead off the sixth inning, but it came on a routine fly ball that fell in between Charlie Blackmon and Yonathan Daza due to miscommunication. Freeland unraveled a bit from there and surrendered two runs before being pulled. Nevertheless, he's been on a good run of late, maintaining a 2.41 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with a 20:5 K:BB across his last three starts -- two of which have come on the road.

Syndergaard (6-8) allowed four earned runs on 11 hits and no walks while striking out two across five innings to earn the win Thursday against the Nationals.

Of the 11 hits Syndergaard surrendered, only one went for extra bases. That allowed him to avoid a disastrous start in his debut with the Phillies, though he was forced to regularly work out of jams and managed only seven swinging strikes on 79 total pitches against a depleted Nationals lineup. Despite racking up only 66 strikeouts across 85 frames for the season, Syndergaard has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 12 of his 16 starts, which has resulted in a 4.02 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.

Cueto (4-5) took the loss during Thursday's 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Rangers, allowing three runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts in eight innings.

Cueto kept the ball in the zone all game with 76 of 106 pitches going for strikes and issued zero walks for the third time in 15 turns, though the 11 hits are the most the 36-year-old has surrendered. Still, he induced an impressive 12 swinging strikes and was only done in by a rough seventh inning that featured two runs and four singles with two failing to leave the infield. Despite the loss, Cueto still features a 2.91 ERA and 1.19 WHIP and lines up to face off against Kansas City midweek.

Ragans didn't factor into the decision during Thursday's 3-2 win against the White Sox, allowing an unearned run on three hits and four walks with three strikeouts in five innings.

Making his MLB debut, Ragans stranded the bases loaded in the first inning and kept the damage manageable in the next four frames, with one run coming across due to an Adolis Garcia error in the third. The 2016 first-round pick tossed 55 of 93 pitches for strikes but was able to record only seven called strikes, with Chicago fouling off 43.6 percent off his offerings in the strike zone. The other concerning factor was four walks in five frames, though he issued a reasonable 2.9 BB/9 across 94.2 innings in the minors this season. Ragans will be in for a tough test with a matchup against Houston on the dockett next week.

Musgrove (8-5) allowed six earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out six across 4.2 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Rockies.

Musgrove gave up four earned runs -- including a three-run homer to Ryan McMahon -- in the fifth inning and turned in his shortest outing of the campaign. Some regression was inevitable, but Musgrove has now allowed four or more earned runs in three of his last four starts -- translating to a 7.29 ERA. Despite the bumpy stretch, Musgrove has a 3.00 ERA and 120:28 K:BB across 120 frames on the season.

Junk (1-1) allowed six earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two across 2.1 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Athletics.

Junk got through two innings without any trouble, but he allowed six of the first seven batters he faced to reach base to begin the third frame to sour his outing quickly. He could remain in the rotation moving forward if the team opts for a six-man rotation, even after the Angles recently promoted Touki Toussaint and acquired Tucker Davidson at the trade deadline. Junk has pitched primarily at Triple-A Salt Late this season and has maintained an impressive 3.88 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 40:11 K:BB across 48.2 innings at the level.