MLB Player News

Lopez (6-4) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over five innings in a 5-2 victory over the Mets. He struck out five.

A third-inning solo shot by Brandon Nimmo was the only real blemish on Lopez's line, but the right-hander wasn't efficient and left after 93 pitches (64 strikes) with the Marlins clinging to a 2-1 lead. He also hit another batter, his sixth HBP in his last five starts. Lopez's early-season success has faded, and since the beginning of June he carries a 4.50 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 37:13 K:BB through 40 innings over seven outings.

Cortes didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 12-5 win over the Red Sox, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks over 3.2 innings. He struck out four.

The southpaw got staked to a 4-0 lead before he even stepped on the mound, but Cortes had his own struggles and couldn't stick around long enough to capitalize on the run support. His early season magic appears to have worn off, as the 27-year-old has failed to last longer than five innings in four of his last last six starts, stumbling to a 5.34 ERA over that stretch thanks to a 2.8 HR/9 despite an otherwise solid 1.36 WHIP and 27:7 K:BB through 28.2 innings.

Blackburn (6-4) gave up six earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out six over four-plus innings to take the loss in an 8-3 defeat to the Astros on Friday.

Blackburn got off to a very good start by facing the minimum number of batters through three innings and striking out five of them. However, he started to unravel when Alex Bregman went deep in the fourth. Blackburn wasn't able to right the ship and was pulled without having recorded an out in the fifth after another home run to Martin Maldonado. The 28-year-old right-hander began the season on a high note with a 2.15 ERA through the end of May, but he appears to be coming back down to earth after being shelled by the Astros and posting an ERA of 5.13 in June. Look for him to start next week at Texas.

Urquidy (8-3) gave up three earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two over eight innings to earn the win in an 8-3 victory over the Athletics on Friday.

Urquidy got plenty of run support and was effective over eight innings to pick up his eighth win of the season. The 27-year-old right-hander took advantage of the weak Athletics lineup by pitching to contact all night long. He induced seven groundouts and seven flyouts while allowing one home run. Urquidy has now strung together five quality starts in a row and has lowered his ERA to 4.08 from a season-high 5.04 on June 9. He is expected to make his next start at home in a rematch against the Athletics on Friday.

Wainwright (6-7) gave up two earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out three over nine innings to take the loss in a 2-0 defeat to the Phillies on Friday.

Wainwright pitched his first complete game of 2022 but did not get any run support and was saddled with a tough loss. The two runs he gave up both came as solo home runs off the bat of Alec Bohm. The 40-year-old veteran lowered his ERA to 3.15 with the nine-inning performance and he now has 84:27 K:BB on the season. He will look to follow up with another strong outing next week against the Dodgers.

Wheeler (8-4) gave up five hits and a walk while striking out five over seven shutout innings to earn the win in a 2-0 victory over the Cardinals on Friday.

Wheeler continued his dominant campaign by holding the dangerous Cardinals lineup scoreless over seven innings on 97 pitches. The 32-year-old right-hander has now thrown 14 scoreless innings in a row to begin July. The road win is an especially good sign from Wheeler, since he has fared much better at home this season. Wheeler's home OBA is .188 compared to .280 on the road. He will look to pick up his ninth win of the year next week, most likely at Toronto.

Ashby (2-6) gave up two earned runs on two walks and three hits while striking out three over five innings to earn the win in a 4-3 victory over the Pirates on Friday.

Ashby did just enough to earn the win against a weak Pirates offense by lasting five innings on 72 pitches. The only runs he gave up came on a two-run shot off the bat of Diego Castillo in the fourth. The win breaks a chain of poor outings which saw the 24-year-old left-hander's ERA spike from 2.70 at the end of May to 4.60 coming into this start. Despite the struggles, Ashby's plus stuff has racked up 76 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched this season. He is expected to take the mound next week at San Francisco.

Brubaker (2-8) gave up three earned runs on five hits and five walks while striking out six over five innings to take the loss in a 4-3 defeat to the Brewers on Friday.

Brubaker didn't do himself any favors in this contest by walking five batters en route to his eighth loss of the season. Control has been a problem for Brubaker all season long, and he came into the game with a 3.6 BB/9. The 28-year-old right-hander now sports a bloated 1.47 WHIP on the season. Brubaker is striking out a batter an inning so if he can figure out how to limit his walks, he does have the potential to improve his overall numbers. Look for him to take the mound next week at Miami.

Stripling allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk with six strikeouts in five innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.

Stripling wasn't able to pitch past the fifth inning for the third straight start, but he provided solid work with 61 of his 94 pitches going for strikes. The veteran right-hander has given up 11 runs (10 earned) in 24.1 innings across his last five appearances. For the season, he owns a 3.34 ERA, 1.16 WHIP And 55:14 K:BB across 67.1 innings in 20 outings (12 starts). Stripling is lined up for a favorable home start versus the Royals next week. His place in the rotation should be secure with Yusei Kikuchi (neck) on the injured list at least through the All-Star break.

Kirby allowed two runs on 10 hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 4.1 innings Friday, taking a no-decision versus the Blue Jays.

The 10 hits Kirby allowed marked a season high for the rookie right-hander, but only two of them went for extra bases. He did fairly well with damage control, as the two runs on his line were on RBI singles from Lourdes Gurriel and Teoscar Hernandez. It's a little concerning Kirby's failed to complete five innings in two of his last three starts. He has a 3.78 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 62:9 K:BB through 64.1 innings. He'll look to show more command in a projected road start against the Rangers next week.