Kazuma Okamoto swats 18th homer in loss Thursday

Kahnle posted an 8.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and a 5/6 K/BB ratio across nine innings of work in eight appearances with the Red Sox. It seems likely that he’ll refuse the outright assignment and elect free agency.

The 28-year-old hurler has made two appearances with the Padres this season, posting a 9.00 ERA, 2.50 WHIP and a 3/2 K/BB ratio over two innings of work while picking up a victory. He’ll add a fresh arm to the club’s bullpen with Randy Vásquez (ankle) hitting the injured list on Friday.

As one Padres’ catcher gets healthy, they lose Freddy Fermin (head) to the injured list on Friday. Campusano had been shelved since early May due to a fractured left big toe. Prior to landing on the injured list, the 27-year-old backstop was hitting .288/.362/.596 with three homers and 10 RBI.

It’s a separate issue from the concussion that he suffered in mid-June. No word yet from the Padres on how long he’ll be shelved for. Luis Campusano was activated from the injured list to take his place on the Padres’ active roster.

Vásquez was injured when he took a comebacker off of his ankle during the first inning on Thursday. While he only sustained a bruise, it was going to cost him his next turn in the rotation, so the Padres made the wise decision to place him on the injured list and get a fresh arm added to their bullpen.

Tracy cautioned not to read too much into it and that most pitchers that are dealing with arm-related injuries do head for a second opinion. Early landed on the injured list earlier in the week due to what was termed posterior left elbow inflammation. The Red Sox should have another update on his status in a few days.

It’s an encouraging development as the flame-throwing right-hander inches his way back towards a return to the Angels’ bullpen. Joyce is going to ultimately need several appearances in a minor league rehab assignment once he’s ready for a game setting, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could be ready to go before July is through.

Robles was pulled early from Thursday’s game after he was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning. Fortunately, he avoided any structural damage and just came away with a bruised wrist. He’s starting in center field and batting eighth against Blue Jays’ right-hander Dylan Cease on Friday evening in Seattle.

Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast. The Cardinals scored multiple runs in every inning from the second to the sixth and Herrera was in the middle of most of those rallies. This was the second time this season he’s reached base four times in a single game and fourth time he’s scored three runs. It’s been a bit of a cold month power-wise for him with just three homers and a .349 slugging percentage over his past 30 days, but he remains one of the most productive catchers in the league.

It’s very easy to pitch when your team puts up 17 runs like the Cardinals did here against David Peterson and the Cubs. Yet, Pallante still let his pitch count get a bit too high and Oli Marmol wouldn’t let him work through a two-out double in the sixth despite them having a 16-run lead. Nevertheless, Pallante was rarely squared up here and was able to be effective despite forcing just four swings-and-misses. Also, he became the fourth pitcher to join the 10-win club so far this season, joining Jacob Misiorowski, Chase Burns, and Justin Wrobleski. Now that’s a crew. Pallante will take a 3.60 ERA and 70 to 27 strikeout to walk ratio through 95 innings into his next scheduled start against the Brewers.