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    George Kirby beats Pirates for first win since May

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    SEA Starting Pitcher #68
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    George Kirby held the Pirates to two runs — one earned — in six innings Tuesday for his first win since May 11.

    It wasn’t a particularly easy effort tonight, as Kirby allowed eight hits. Still, they accounted for only 10 total bases between them, and Kirby was good about spreading them around. He was 0-5 with a 6.27 ERA in his previous six starts, though the two before this one, both against Baltimore, were already improvements. He’s 6-7 with a 3.94 ERA overall. With the Mariners planning to throw both Logan Gilbert and Emerson Hancock on Saturday, Kirby should start against Sunday against the Guardians.
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  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
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    Kirby just needs this season to end. The Astros jumped all over him for four runs in the third inning as he put his club in an early hole in what was a do-or-die game. The Mariners rallied back, and Kirby held the line from there, but the damage was done. As has been a trend lately, Kirby had poor command of both his sinker and sweeper and struggled dramatically with right-handed batters as a result. His ERA has been steadily rising since the All-Star break, and his regular season is over with a disappointing 4.33 mark.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
    The Mariners scored three times in the top of the fifth to take a 5-2 lead, but Kirby didn’t get a chance at a win after a J.P. Crawford error and one last walk with one out in the fifth. Kirby had never walked more than three batters in an outing before until tonight. His 4.0 percent walk rate was the fourth lowest mark of pitchers with 800+ innings in the expansion era, behind only Josh Tomlin (3.4 percent), Dan Quisenberry (3.8) and Bob Tewksbury (3.8). Kirby, though, has issued more walks the last two years than he did in his first three seasons. Some thought that might be a good thing — that he used to simply throw too many strikes — but it hasn’t worked out this year. Kirby is 1-3 with a 5.37 ERA in his last 10 starts. He should face the Astros next week.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
    It would have been interesting to see what the Mariners would have gotten for Kirby at the deadline. Probably more than if they try to move him this winter. The game’s most underachieving starter has given up 12 earned runs in his last three starts and has flopped while facing a decimated A’s offense in back-to-back outings. He seems like a bad play in a road start against the Angels next week.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
    Kirby’s recent struggles had been limited to his road outings, but back at home tonight, he was outpitched by Jeffrey Springs in another Mariners loss. He has a 6.35 ERA in his last five starts, leaving him 9-11 with a 4.18 ERA overall. He’s neck and neck with Seth Lugo for the most hits allowed in the AL. If he ends up on top, it’d be his second time in three years leading the AL, which seems unfathomable for a pitcher who gets to spend half of his time in a ballpark that just kills batting average. He’ll face the A’s again next weekend, this time in Sacramento. It makes him a poor option in mixed leagues.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
    Kirby excelled against the Phillies last time out, but this makes three starts out of four in which he’s allowed at least five runs. His ERA is up to 4.19, and this is set to go down as a second straight season of him being a below average starter propped up by his home ballpark. Whether it’s more him to blame or the complacent Mariners, he’s simply not making nearly enough of his talent. Still, he most likely will post better results in a home start against the depleted A’s this weekend.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
    Kirby needed this one after giving up 11 runs over his last two starts. He stranded a runner in the first inning, then gave up a run on three hits in the second. Kirby would go on to pitch into the eighth without allowing another run, collecting nine strikeouts, the most in his last ten starts. The 28-year-old right-hander will look to build off the strong start when he takes a 4.02 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 126/34 K/BB ratio across 147 2/3 innings into a start against the Red Sox in Boston next Tuesday.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
    Just a tough day all around for Kirby. He had his worst velocity of the season and gave up 12 hard-hit balls. He also took a couple of pitch clock violations. It’s definitely worth wondering if something is up physically after his third rotten outing in his last five starts. He’s due to face the Phillies next week.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
    Kirby is simply not right. His lineup spotted him a two-run lead before he took the mound, and immediately gave one of those runs right back via a solo home run by Yordan Alvarez. It’s hard to fault anyone for that, Alvarez is on another level. Yet, the Astros jumped on Kirby for four more runs the following inning. He fell in love with his sweeper and it forced a few ugly swings, but he couldn’t command it very well. He battled all the way until the fifth inning with just those five runs which saved his line some in what was another rough outing. He now has a 3.89 ERA with 114 strikeouts and 31 walks through 136 2/3 innings as he heads into his next scheduled starts against the Brewers in Milwaukee.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
    The Mariners really needed one more inning out of Kirby tonight, but it wasn’t in the cards with him requiring 99 pitches to get 15 outs. Michael Rucker ended up allowing two unearned runs in the sixth and taking the loss in a 3-2 game. Kirby remained 8-9 with a 3.68 ERA ahead of a start next Friday against the Astros.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
    He was denied the win after the bullpen faltered in the late innings. Kirby allowed just five hits — all of them singles — while walking one and striking out three. It was a nice bounceback outing for Kirby after he was crushed for seven runs, including four homers, in his last outing against the Rangers. He lowered his ERA to 3.76 with the win, and barring a last-minute trade, he lines up to face the Rays in his next start on Saturday.

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    Padres signed OF Cal Stevenson to a minor league contract.

    The 30-year-old outfielder spent the 2026 season in the Tigers’ organization where he slashed .264/.410/.456 with nine homers, 33 RBI and seven stolen bases in 330 plate appearances at Triple-A Toledo. He’ll add extra outfield depth for the Friars.
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    Angels re-signed LHP Sammy Peralta to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

    Peralta made 16 appearances at the MLB level between the Angels and Rockies in 2026, posting a miserable 6.65 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and a 23/9 K/BB ratio over 23 frames. It’ll take a strong showing in Cactus League action for him to crack the Halos’ Opening Day bullpen.
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    Angels and C Tyler Heineman avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.2375 million contract.

    The 35-year-old backstop will remain with the Angels in a backup role heading into the 2027 campaign. Heineman slashed just .175/.223/.220 with one homer and 10 RBI in 200 plate appearances between the Blue Jays and Angels in 2026.
  • TOR Right Fielder #25
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    Anthony Santander publicly apologized Friday for since-deleted Islamophobic social media posts.

    Santander shared anti-Muslim videos following the U.S. election last week before eventually taking them down. The Blue Jays released a statement Thursday condemning all forms of hate. Most assume the Jays would like to rid themselves of Santander at this point, though he still has $49 million left on the five-year deal he signed after hitting 44 homers for the Orioles in 2024. He’s since played in just 54 games in 2025 and none in 2026 because of shoulder issues. Even if the Jays are willing to eat the contract, it makes financial sense to wait until after the lockout ends, since any missed games next season would lead to a corresponding reduction of his $16.5 million salary.
  • FA Starting Pitcher #43
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    According to Kevin Barral of Fish on First, the Marlins have expressed interest in free agent southpaw Patrick Sandoval.

    The Marlins are in the market for arms that could fill out the backend of their rotation or provide quality depth. When right, Sandoval should be able to do that, be he had very inconsistent results in his first action back from Tommy John surgery — posting a 1-7 record, 5.12 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and a 73/32 K/BB ratio across 70 1/3 innings in his 15 appearances.
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    Bruce Levine of 670 The Score in Chicago reports that both the Cubs and White Sox have expressed interest in Japanese right-hander Kaima Taira.

    Both teams met with agent Scott Boras during the general manager’s meetings to discuss the 26-year-old hurler. The Padres are also known to have expressed interest in his services. With the potential lockout looming, it doesn’t sound like Nippon Professional Baseball is going to change the posting rules at all, so any player that has been posted for MLB teams will need to sign before the lockout or return to their clubs in Japan. Expect the interest to really heat up here in the coming days.
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    Rangers re-signed INF Max Wagner to a minor league contract.

    Wagner got a $1.9 million bonus from the Orioles as the 42nd overall pick in the 2022 draft, but Baltimore gave up on him after he hit .218/.301/.339 in Double-A in 2025. The Rangers signed him in April, and he put up a much-improved .249/.337/.523 line with 21 homers in 85 games in Double-A at age 25 last season. If he can do that again in Triple-A next year, he might become a candidate for a major league bench gig.
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    Reds re-signed OF Shane Sasaki to a minor league contract.

    Sasaki, the Rays’ third-round pick in 2019, hit .241/.340/.371 in 53 games for Double-A Chattanooga last season before missing the final 3 1/2 months with an injury. He’ll aim to win a spot on the Triple-A roster when minor league spring training starts.
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    Reds re-signed LHP Ben Wereski to a minor league contract.

    Wereski, 28, had a 4.42 ERA in 12 starts between Double- and Triple-A after being plucked out of indy ball last season. He’s probably just Triple-A depth, but there’s the chance he’ll be needed to come up and make a start or two next season.
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    Reds re-signed RHP Trevor Kuncl to a minor league contract.

    Kuncl will compete to retain his spot in the Triple-A Louisville pen after posting a 5.40 ERA and a 42/29 K/BB in 37 1/3 innings for the Bats last season.