Kyle Tucker hits solo homer in loss to Cubs

Ortiz began the game on the bench with southpaw David Peterson on the mound for the Cubs. In the sixth inning, he pinch hit for Andres Chaparro and hit a home run off right-hander Javier Assad. Ortiz’ home run was his third in his first 26 at-bats in the major leagues. While his playing time will continue to be limited to the strong side of the first base platoon, his power appears legitimate enough to be worth a twirl in mixed leagues.

Swanson’s home run was his 18th of the year. He hit a solo shot off Nationals reliever Trevor Williams in the eighth inning. The home run was just Swanson’s second in 24 games in the second half so far. He’s hitting .216 with a .703 OPS and 66 RBI.

All three of Bregman’s home runs came off Nationals relievers. His first home run was a three-run shot in the fifth inning before he added two-run home runs in the sixth and eighth innings. Bregman is now 26-for-67 (.388) with six home runs, 17 RBI, 19 runs scored and a stolen base over his last 16 games. Still in the middle of perhaps his worst hitting season in his career, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Bregman’s bat were to stay hot for the final two months of the season.

Kent gave up three hits, walked five and struck out six. The five walks were uncharacteristic for Kent, who had walked only 30 batters in 94 1/3 minor league innings this year. That’s something he’ll need to clean up as the Cubs were able to get him out of the game after throwing 78 pitches in four innings. The six strikeouts show Kent could have some promise, though he’s still too risky a proposition for fantasy managers at this point. Kent is lined up to face the Rangers on the road next week.

Peterson gave up nine hits, walked three and struck out six. He improved to 7-7 on the season with the win. Since coming over to the Cubs this year, Peterson is 4-1 with a 4.19 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 43 innings over eight starts. He’s lined up to face the White Sox at home next Tuesday, but won’t get a two-start week with the Cubs only playing six games next week.

Contreras’ home run was his 24th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Jose Soriano in the fifth inning. Contreras hadn’t hit a home run since June 30 against the Athletics, a span of almost two weeks. While he remains in the lineup, it’s been reported that he continues to deal with a lingering hamstring injury. Contreras is hitting .280 with a .919 OPS and 71 RBI.

The Blue Jays led 6-1 heading into the ninth inning, but the Red Sox rallied, creating a save situation for Varland. He retired both hitters he faced to preserve the win and earn his 26th. Varland came out of nowhere this season to become the Blue Jays closer and with a 1.30 ERA he’s been one of the best in the game.

Suarez gave up six hits, walked one and struck out two. It’s the first time he’s completed at least five innings in a start since June 29 against the Nationals. Suarez’ 3.25 ERA and 3.32 xFIP are in line with his career norms, he just had a July to forget. Even though he only recorded two strikeouts Wednesday, Suarez has a 25 percent strikeout percentage this year. He’s lined up for a two-start week next week, starting with the Diamondbacks at home on Monday.

Griffin was much better in this start compared to his Guardians debut last week. His cutter command was back on track as that pitch lived on the edges and he did well mixing his deep repertoire off it. He still wasn’t especially sharp, forcing just three swings-and-misses, but also didn’t get much help from his defense after an error by José Ramírez opened the door for two unearned runs to score in what turned into a 26-pitch first inning. Still, this was a fine start and Griffin is scheduled to a tense two-start week coming up first at home against the Giants and then into Coors Field to face the Rockies.

Smith let this one get a little too crazy. He entered in a three-run game with two outs in the eighth inning and promptly threw a wild pitch to let one run score. Then, gave up a lead-off single in the ninth to send the tying run to the plate. Gleyber Torres singled after that to put the tying runs on base with Dillon Dingler and Kevin McGonigle due up. Smith turned up the heat in that moment, throwing six fastballs of at least 98 mph – a full tick above his season average – over his last seven pitches to get out of the jam. He has a 2.30 ERA and is second in the league with 31 saves in what’s been a standout season.