Boone: Volpe will play some 2B in minors

The 23-year-old slugger smacked an RBI double in the third inning that tied the game at two runs apiece. He then chipped in a run-scoring single in the eighth that increased the Royals’ edge to 5-3. With his two-hit attack, Caglianone is now slashing .284/.333/.497 with 23 homers and 69 RBI over 505 plate appearances in what has been a breakout sophomore campaign.

Isbel smacked a one-out single off of Sandy Alcantara in the third inning and raced around to score on Carter Jensen’s RBI triple. He then singled with one out in the fifth and rode home on Isbel’s two-run homer. The 29-year-old outfielder remains an uninspiring option for fantasy purposes, slashing .235/.282/.354 with six homers, 24 RBI and six stolen bases in 269 plate appearances on the season.

Wacha struck out seven batters on the evening while issuing a pair of free passes. Most of the damage done against him came via the long ball, with Heriberto Hernandez belting a solo home run in the opening inning and Agustín Ramírez adding one of his own in the fourth. The 35-year-old hurler generated a whopping 20 swings and misses on 96 pitches on the night — seven each on his fastball and changeup — while posting a strong CSW of 33 percent. Now 9-8 on the season, he’ll carry a strong 3.36 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 143/44 K/BB ratio (176 2/3 innings) into Tuesday’s tilt against the Diamondbacks.

The 24-year-old backstop got the start as the Marlins’ designated hitter in this one and didn’t disappoint, clubbing a 426-foot (108.3-mph EV) solo shot on a first-pitch cutter from Michael Wacha in the fourth inning. He’s now hitting .230/.325/.339 with three homers, 18 RBI and four stolen bases in 200 plate appearances with the Marlins on the season.

Alcantara struck out two batters in the contest while walking one. Carter Jensen was responsible for most of the damage done against him, with an RBI triple in the third inning and a two-run blast in the fifth. The 30-year-old righty got eight whiffs on 98 pitches on the evening, posting a miserable CSW of only 20 percent. He’ll bring a 13-9 record, 3.54 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 142/51 K/BB ratio (195 2/3 innings) into Tuesday’s battle against the Mets.

The 24-year-old budding superstar tagged Brewers’ right-hander Logan Henderson for a 413-foot (104.3-mph EV) two-run shot in the third inning that gave the Cubs an early 2-0 advantage that they would never relinquish. That would be his only hit in four at-bats on the night. He has been absolutely sizzling at the plate over the past few weeks and has surged past Shohei Ohtani as the favorite to take home National League MVP honors — slashing .280/.375/.571 with 39 homers, 93 RBI and 32 stolen bases in what has been a spectacular all-around campaign.

Kelly smacked a one-out single off of Logan Henderson in the third inning then rode home on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-run blast that proved to be the difference in the ballgame. Kelly has had a decent season overall at the dish, slashing .263/.344/.393 with 10 homers and 52 RBI in 372 plate appearances.

With Daniel Palencia unavailable on Thursday night, Rolison was called upon to protect the slimmest of leads with a pair of left-handers scheduled to bat in the ninth inning. He made it look easy, getting Jake Bauers and Andrew Vaughn on comebackers to the mound before retiring Christian Yelich on a bouncer to second to end the game. The 29-year-old southpaw holds a 2.93 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and a 49/24 K/BB ratio over 55 1/3 innings in 51 appearances for the Cubs this season while notching seven victories and a pair of saves.

The 35-year-old right-hander scattered five hits on the night while issuing just one free pass. The only run scored against him came on a solo shot off the bat of Andrew Vaughn with two outs in the fourth inning. Aside from that, Gausman was in complete control. He got 14 whiffs on 103 offerings in the ballgame, registering a strong CSW of 34 percent. He’ll look to keep the good times rolling as he carries a 4.38 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and a 165/44 K/BB ratio (162 1/3 innings) into a tough matchup against Jacob Misiorowski and these Brewers in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Vaughn tagged Cubs’ right-hander Kevin Gausman for a 420-foot (105.5-mph EV) solo shot in the fourth inning that pulled the Brewers to within one run at 2-1. That would wind up being the extent of the scoring in the contest. The 28-year-old slugger finished the night 1-for-4 and is now hitting .313/.397/.462 with six homers and 42 RBI on the season.