MLB Player News

Burke (7-6) took the loss Wednesday against the Red Sox, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out four.

Wednesday's outing disrupted an exceptional stretch of play for Burke, who entered the day on a streak of five consecutive starts of at least six innings while yielding two runs or fewer. The right-hander labored Wednesday, needing 91 pitches to record 13 outs, and the four punchouts were his fewest since May 8 versus Seattle. Burke is set to carry what's still an outstanding 3.08 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 144:39 K:BB over 128.2 innings into a home matchup with the Reds.

Hill was removed from Wednesday's game against the Nationals after colliding with the outfield wall, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hill leaped headfirst into the fence in center field while trying to make a catch in the 11th inning. After remaining on the ground for a few minutes, he was able to walk off the field under his own power. He'll presumably undergo further evaluation -- possibly for a concussion -- and the Phillies may provide more details on his status in the near future.

Gray (14-2) earned the win Wednesday against the White Sox, allowing no runs on three hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out eight.

The veteran right-hander had his entire pitch arsenal working Wednesday, registering an impressive 17 whiffs en route to recording his most strikeouts in an outing since the end of June. Gray has excelled, especially since coming off the injured list with a hamstring strain in early May, logging 12 quality starts in his past 16 appearances. He'll bring a tidy 2.78 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 106:32 K:BB over 119.2 innings into his next scheduled start in Toronto.

Ohtani went 3-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Cubs.

In a battle between NL MVP contenders, Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong each left the yard twice, but it was the latter who came out on top. Ohtani remains limited to DH duties due to knee and bicep issues, but they are hardly slowing him down at the plate. He's hit safely in nine straight games, batting .457 (16-for-35) during that blistering stretch with four of his 26 homers on the year.

Lauer (6-6) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up six runs on 11 hits over four innings as the Dodgers fell 7-6 to the Cubs. He struck out one without walking a batter.

Six of the 11 hits off the southpaw went for extra bases, including a pair of homers by Pete Crow-Armstrong. It's the first time Lauer has failed to complete five innings since June 2, while the 11 hits allowed were a career worst. Since being picked up from the Blue Jays in May, Lauer has put together a 3.72 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 31:13 K:BB over 55.2 innings in 10 appearances (nine starts), and even with Blake Snell (elbow) poised to come off the IL within the next week, he seems likely to stick in the Dodgers' six-man rotation while Shohei Ohtani is limited to hitting. Lauer is scheduled to make his next start at home next week against the Royals.

Brown didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out eight.

The right-hander had a shutout going through five frames but faded in the sixth, with a two-run homer by Jesus Sanchez tying the game. Brown exited after 93 pitches (54 strikes), having to settle for his fifth quality start of the season. He'll take a 3.53 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 63:32 K:BB through 58.2 innings into his next outing, which is set to come on the road early next week in San Francisco.

Clement went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Astros.

The All-Star second baseman took Bennett Sousa deep in the top of the 10th inning to break a 3-3 tie. It was Clement's first long ball since the All-Star break, snapping an 18-game drought, and on the season he's produced a .285/.310/.415 slash line with nine homers, four steals, 38 RBI and 48 runs in 112 contests.

Varland (4-4) picked up the win Wednesday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning as the Blue Jays downed the Astros 5-4 in 10 innings.

Called in to keep the game tied at 3-3, Varland fired 12 of 17 pitches for strikes and fanned Jeremy Pena to end the frame before Ernie Clement launched a game-winning, two-run homer in the top of the 10th. It was Varland's first win since June 9, but only because he's been so effective as the closer -- over 20 appearances and 22 innings since then he's converted all 13 of his save chances with a 2.05 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 28:6 K:BB.

Taillon didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Astros, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out four.

All the damage off Taillon came in the third inning, highlighted by a Jose Altuve solo shot. It wasn't an impressive Toronto debut for the veteran righty, who got lifted after 80 pitches (49 strikes), but he was taken off the hook for the loss when his new teammates got to Hunter Brown for three runs of their own in the sixth. Taillon will continue to round out the rotation until Trey Yesavage (knee) or Spencer Arrighetti (foot) are cleared to return, and he'll take a 5.96 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 72:29 K:BB through 80 innings on the season into his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Red Sox.

Harrison was removed from Wednesday's game against Pittsburgh due to cramping in both of his calves, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Wednesday marked Harrison's return from a four-week absence due to elbow/forearm problems, but his early exit was due to an unrelated issue. After firing five scoreless innings Wednesday and collecting each of his final eight outs via strikeout -- giving him 10 for the game -- he took the mound ahead of the sixth inning and was removed by a trainer after throwing a warm-up pitch. The Brewers will likely keep an eye on Harrison's calves during the days leading up to his next start -- tentatively scheduled for Tuesday against San Diego -- but he appears to have avoided a significant injury.