Zack Littell tosses six frames in bulk outing

Peña found himself back atop Houston’s lineup following after missing just over one week recovering from a mild calf strain. The 28-year-old shortstop has been snake-bitten by injuries this season, which have limited him to just 49 games heading into the final weekend of the first half. He’s been an impactful fantasy contributor, when healthy, showcasing an ability to hit for both average and power as the Astros primary table-setter.

Jeffers was back behind the plate and hitting second after missing more than seven weeks recovering from a hamate fracture in his left hand. The 29-year-old represents a decent option for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues as a reliable power source at the position, while his lackluster supporting cast in Minnesota limits his counting stats upside.

Hayes struck out twice. The 29-year-old defensive wizard remains a complete non-factor at the plate and can be safely ignored in all fantasy leagues. He returned to Cincinnati’s lineup on Friday following a seven-week absence due to a back injury.

Milwaukee announced the signing prior to Friday’s rainout in Pittsburgh. Wilson joins the Brewers bullpen after allowing seven runs over 7 2/3 innings for the division-rival Cubs. He’s made three appearances in the big leagues between Chicago and Philadelphia this season. He’s made 166 career appearances dating back to 2018.

Shuster will presumably stick around as organizational depth for St. Louis after getting torched for seven runs over 1 1/3 innings of work in relief during a doubleheader against the Brewers earlier this week. The 27-year-old lefty has made five appearances in the big leagues this season.

Ohtani is slated to have his ailing left knee drained in addition to receiving a pain-relieving injection later this weekend and will miss next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia as a result. The 32-year-old generational talent homered during Friday’s series opener against Arizona and will remain in Los Angeles’ lineup at DH. He added that the issue is impacting his performance on the mound more than at the plate and while he could’ve pushed through the issue he’s going to use the extra time off the be ready for the second half.

Karros fisted a little liner past a drawn-in infield for his big hit, giving the Rockies a 3-2 lead in the ninth. They added one more afterwards, which proved important after the Giants scored one of their own in the bottom of the ninth. It’s Karros’s third three-hit game as a major leaguer but definitely the most important of the three; the others came in a 23-9 win over the A’s on June 14 and in a 15-3 win over these same Giants just a week ago.

Gordon struck out just one. He allowed eight hits, but only Rafael Devers’ second-inning homer did any damage. Gordon stayed 0-2 with a 6.44 ERA in 50 1/3 innings over five starts and seven relief appearances, but the Rockies have won his last two starts after taking losses in each of his first 10 outings.

Romano came in with a 4-2 lead to begin the ninth and walked two of the three batters he faced. Casey Schmitt then came up and hit a liner to center that Cole Carrigg couldn’t quite make a sliding catch on. Except first base ump Lance Barksdale signaled that he did. The Rockies thought the play was live and tagged the runners at second and first, which would have ended the game. However, there was a crew chief review that correctly ruled the ball a single and advanced the runners to second and third. A sac fly and a walk followed, bringing up Bryce Eldridge with two outs and the bases loaded. Romano was pulled in favor Mejia, and Eldridge hit a routine grounder on the first pitch he saw. It’s the fourth save for Mejia this season. Romano might get another chance in the ninth, but this remains a situation to avoid.

Ray owes Dylan Smith dinner after this one; he walked all three batters he faced to start the sixth inning, but Smith was able to strand the bases loaded and preserve the tie after taking over. Ray struck out four and walked six in all. Just 53 of his 100 pitches were strikes. It’s Ray’s sixth career start with six walks and second of this year. He’s now tied with Bubba Chandler for the most walks in the majors at 52. He topped the NL and finished fourth in the majors with 73 last year.