Cam Smith goes 3-for-5 in Astros’ victory

It was a quiet night for the Marlins offensively. Edwards’ single was one of just four hits the Marlins could manage on the night, and all of the team’s hits were singles. Edwards and the Marlins also failed to draw a walk all night, making scoring opportunities hard to come by. Edwards has recorded a hit in three of his last four games but is slashing just .212/.276/.250 in his last 15 games.

The Reds were held in check by Sandy Alcantara all night, but finally broke through in the sixth inning when Suárez ripped a double to left-center to bring in Tyler Stephenson for the lone run of the game. Suárez has now hit safely in three of his last four games while driving in six runs over that span.

Alcantara found himself in the middle of a pitching duel with Chase Burns on Friday. Alcantara was solid in this one. Despite issuing four walks over his seven innings of work, he kept the Reds hitless through his first three innings of work, with his lone earned run coming in the sixth inning after an RBI double by Eugenio Suárez. The lone earned run by Alcantara marks his first since July 22nd, bringing his scoreless innings streak to 25 2/3 innings. He’ll look to start a new streak when he takes the mound again on Wednesday against the Phillies.

It was another dominant outing for Burns, who was in need of a bounce-back after allowing five earned runs in his last outing against the Nationals. Burns needed to be on top of his game to match Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara, who allowed just one earned run in seven innings of work. Burns limited the Marlins to just three hits on the night, all of which were singles, and never allowed a runner to get into scoring position. Burns has allowed one earned run or less in four of his last five starts. He’s next scheduled to take the mound Tuesday at home against the Cardinals.

The fact that Rushing has progressed enough to be facing live pitching likely means that a rehab assignment is on the horizon for some point next week. The Dodgers have been patchworking their catching situation while Rushing and Will Smith have been sidelined.

It looks to be just a routine evening off for the 26-year-old slugger. Brett Sullivan will do the catching for the Rockies and will bat ninth against Giants’ right-hander Landen Roupp.

Giants’ skipper Tony Vietllo told reporters on Friday that Adames had an MRI on his back on Thursday which revealed only a minor lower back strain. He’s considered day-to-day and still isn’t expected to require a trip to the injured list. Christian Koss will start in his place at shortstop and bat ninth for the Giants against Rockies’ left-hander Kyle Freeland on Friday evening in San Francisco.

The Rangers needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster for the addition of Marco Gonzales on Friday and Curvelo was left out in the cold. It’s possible that the 25-year-old hurler could garner some attention on waivers despite his 9.58 ERA over 10 1/3 innings at the MLB level this season.

Peoples has done a terrific job in his time with the Rangers this season, posting a 2.51 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and an 8/6 K/BB ratio over 14 1/3 innings in his 14 appearances. Unfortunately for him, he still has minor league options remaining, which often makes him the odd man out when they need to find a spot on the active roster. He should get another chance with the Rangers in relatively short order.

Gonzales has pitched decently in a pair of bulk appearances for the Rangers this season, posting a 1.50 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and a 3/4 K/BB ratio over six innings. He’ll add a fresh arm that’s capable of working multiple innings to a Rangers’ bullpen that has been taxed recently.