• Heston Kjerstad not in Orioles lineup on Friday
    Heston Kjerstad is not in the Orioles’ starting lineup for Friday night’s battle against the Rangers.

    Advice: The 25-year-old slugger went 2-for-3 with a homer, walk, two runs scored and three RBI on Thursday night, so his reward appears to be a spot next to Orioles’ skipper Brandon Hyde on the bench on Friday night. Colton Cowser will start in his place in left field and bat fifth against Max Scherzer and the Rangers on Friday evening in Baltimore. Rotoworld 31 minutes ago
     
  • Taking seat Friday
    Kjerstad is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers.

    Advice: Kjerstad clubbed his first home run of the season in Thursday's win over the Rangers in what was his third straight start against a right-hander. However, he will begin this one on the bench as Texas goes with righty Max Scherzer. Colton Cowser will occupy left field for the Orioles. Rotowire.com 37 minutes ago
     
  • X-rays negative, but not in lineup
    The X-rays on Rutschman's right hand came back negative, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports, but Rutschman is not in Friday's lineup against the Rangers.

    Advice: Rutschman's throwing hand was hit by a foul tip early on in Thursday's game versus the Rangers, although he finished the contest and even homered. He's feeling better Friday and should be fine, but the Orioles have elected to give him a day of rest. James McCann will do the catching for Albert Suarez. Rotowire.com 44 minutes ago
     
  • X-rays come back negative for Adley Rutschman
    Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde told reporters on Friday that X-rays on the injured right hand of catcher Adley Rutschman came back negative for any fractures.

    Advice: The 26-year-old backstop injured his hand when he was hit by a foul tip during Thursday’s victory over the Rangers. Rutschman admitted to being a bit sore on Friday but said that he felt much better overall. Rutschman is not in the O’s lineup on Friday night, but he shouldn’t be looking at any sort of extended absence. Rotoworld 46 minutes ago
     
  • Allows three homers in loss
    Flaherty (5-5) took the loss against the Angels on Thursday, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out seven.

    Advice: Flaherty got tagged for a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the second before proceeding to strike out six of the next nine batters he faced. However, the right-hander would go on to surrender two more long balls on the night as the Tigers failed to back him with anything on offense. Flaherty had allowed one run or fewer in four consecutive starts coming in, and no runs in three of his previous four. The three home runs he gave up Thursday also marked a season high. Rotowire.com Today, 6:29 am
     
  • Triples, swipes bag in win
    De La Cruz went 3-for-5 with an RBI triple, a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's win over St. Louis.

    Advice: De La Cruz kicked things off for Cincinnati with an RBI triple in the first to score Jonathan India. The star shortstop would then add another two singles in the contest, giving him his fifth three-hit performance this month, and third in his last six games. Over that latter stretch De La Cruz is batting .464 (13-for-28) with two homers, four RBI and seven runs scored. He also swiped his league-leading 38th bag Thursday after failing to record a steal over his previous eight games. Rotowire.com Today, 4:22 am
    Elly De La CruzCIN - 3B,SS
    L, 5-9 vs PIT
     
  • Dominant in tough-luck defeat
    Sale (10-3) suffered the loss Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings against the White Sox. He struck out 11.

    Advice: Sale dominated his former team, with a first-inning homer by Luis Robert marking the only blemish to his stellar outing. However, the bats failed to provide any support for Sale, and Atlanta suffered its third shutout loss of the season with each occurring within the month of June. Following an inexplicable blip June 1 when he allowed eight runs to the hapless Athletics, Sale has rebounded over the last four games by allowing a total of six earned runs over 26 innings, giving him an ERA of 2.08 with a 0.85 WHIP and 36 strikeouts during that stretch. His next start is tentatively scheduled to take place in the middle of next week, when Atlanta plays host to the Giants. Rotowire.com Today, 12:06 am
    Chris SaleATL - SP
    PPD @STL
     
  • Hits first homer of season
    Kjerstad went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, an additional RBI, two total runs and a walk Thursday in an 11-2 rout of the Rangers.

    Advice: Kjerstad kicked off a big offensive game by Baltimore with a run-scoring single in the first inning and added a two-run homer in the third. The long ball was the first of the season for the 24-year-old, who returned from the minors Monday following a largely unsuccessful stint in the majors earlier in the campaign. Kjerstad's second go-round has been much better than his first so far, as he's gone 4-for-11 with two extra-base hits across four games since his most recent call-up. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 11:05 pm
     
  • Jack Flaherty tagged for three homers in loss
    Jack Flaherty lost to the Angels after allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings on Thursday.

    Advice: Flaherty surrendered three homers, matching his total from his previous six starts combined. He struck out seven and walked just one, but there was no overcoming the longball in this one. It’s the first time since Apr. 24 that he’s allowed more than three runs. Rotoworld Yesterday, 10:45 pm