Major League Baseball

LEADING OFF: Rays lefty Snell makes debut, Gallardo examined

Published Apr. 23, 2016 5:21 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

A look at what's happening all around the majors Saturday:

---

NOW PITCHING

Blake Snell, perhaps the top pitching prospect in baseball, makes his major league debut when he starts for the Rays at Yankee Stadium. The 23-year-old zoomed through the minors last season, going a combined 15-4 with a 1.41 ERA at three levels. He struck out 163 in 134 innings.

The lanky lefty will certainly look a little different than most pitchers - he'll be wearing a jersey with his favorite No. 4. The previous lowest number worn by a Tampa Bay pitcher was 11, by Hideo Nomo.

CHECK HIM

The Orioles might learn more about right-hander Yovani Gallardo, a day after he left his start in Kansas City after two innings because of a shoulder injury. Gallardo, in his first season with the O's, is heading back to Baltimore to be examined by the team orthopedist.

''It just didn't feel right,'' Gallardo said. ''The previous starts in the spring and the previous starts I had during the season, I tried to go out there and hopefully it went away, but as the game went on it just kept getting a little bit worse and worse, each and every pitch that I made.''

CRUISING CUBS

Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs try to keep up their streaks when they play the Reds. Rizzo has homered in three straight games and Chicago has taken six straight in Cincinnati, its longest such streak since 1945-46.

STRAIGHT A'S

Oakland tries to improve its 7-0 road record when Chris Bassitt starts at Toronto against J.A. Happ. Every other team in the majors has lost at least twice away from home. The Athletics have won six in a row overall.

TRY AGAIN

Corey Kluber (0-3, 6.16 ERA) has lost all of his starts this season for Cleveland. He'll aim to end that streak when he pitches at Detroit. Kluber won the 2014 AL Cy Young Award when he went 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA for the Indians. He was 9-16 with 3.49 ERA last year.

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball