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Tarik Skubal struggled in Friday night’s loss to the Astros, giving up four runs on six hits over his 6 1/3 innings of work.

Advice: Skubal recorded only two strikeouts in the ballgame while allowing one base on balls. He kept the Astros’ offense completely off the board and was engaged in a scoreless pitcher’s duel heading to the sixth inning. They broke through there though, as Jose Altuve doubled, Alex Bregman smacked an RBI triple, Yordan Alvarez followed with a sacrifice fly and Mauricio Dubon tacked on a two-run homer. Skubal got 13 swings and misses on just 84 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 24 percent. Now 8-2 on the season, he’ll carry a pristine 2.20 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and a 98/16 K/BB ratio (86 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Braves in Atlanta. Rotoworld Friday, 8:09 pm

Kittredge allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.

Advice: The Cardinals' bullpen delivered 4.2 scoreless innings, with Kittredge closing it out since Ryan Helsley had pitched each of the two previous days. The save was Kittredge's first of the year to go with 18 holds and three blown saves over 33 appearances. He's hit a rough patch since May 25, allowing eight runs (seven earned) over his last 9.2 innings, but he remains firmly in the high-leverage mix for the Cardinals. Kittredge has a 3.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 31:8 K:BB through 30 innings. Rotowire.com Friday, 12:12 am

Wacha (foot) completed a three-inning simulated game Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Advice: The Royals will wait and see how Wacha feels Friday following the sim game before deciding on his next steps, but the right-hander will most likely head out on a minor-league rehab assignment if he's not feeling any renewed discomfort in his fractured left foot. If Wacha is cleared to make a rehab start Monday or Tuesday, he could be an option to return from the 15-day injured list and slot back into the Kansas City rotation next weekend. Rotowire.com Thursday, 11:13 am

Neris earned a save against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and a walk with no strikeouts.

Advice: Entering with a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning, Neris surrendered a solo home run to Jose Caballero and then allowed a single and a walk before retiring Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe to escape with the save. This wasn't the most encouraging outing after Neris yielded four runs in a blown save Tuesday night, but manager Craig Counsell showed his faith in Neris as the team's closer by relying on him again Wednesday. On the season, Neris is 10-for-13 in save chances with a 4.21 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 24:19 K:BB across 25.2 innings. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 7:39 pm

Lively (undisclosed) is listed as the Guardians' probable starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Advice: Lively experienced some unspecified tightness during his most recent start in Miami on Saturday, when he tossed five shutout innings prior to being lifted. The issue won't result in Lively's turn being skipped, but he'll be pushed back in the schedule and given a full week off before stepping back into the rotation. After joining the Guardians this offseason on a modest one-year, $750,000 contract, Lively has been a valuable piece of the Cleveland rotation in 2024, going 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 55.2 innings across 10 starts. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 6:37 pm