Rays option Kenny Piper back to Double-A

He struck out six, matching his second highest total of the year. McGreevy has won three straight decisions, though his ERA has climbed some; he was 4-9 with a 3.57 ERA at the end of July but is 7-9 with a 3.83 ERA now. He’ll likely face the Nationals on Saturday.

Soriano gave up a single and two walks before getting Colson Montgomery to fly out to end the game. Soriano’s last five appearances have seen him earn two saves in place of Riley O’Brien but also take two losses. O’Brien, who was down today after pitching both Friday and Saturday, should be available to close on Monday.

Sandlin was perfect for 5 1/3 innings before giving up back-to-back singles. He rebounded to strike out Bryan Torres and then got a potential inning-ending grounder that was booted by Colson Montgomery. Chris Murphy replaced him and gave up a three-run double to Alec Burleson, turning Sandlin’s best outing as a major leaguer into his second loss. Sandlin struck out five and walked none. It sounded like the plan was for him to return to the minors after this, but he certainly made a case to stick around and get another start versus the Tigers next weekend.

The Cardinals had just four hits on the day, but three of them came in one inning that was extended by a Colson Montgomery error before Burleson broke the game open. The knock put Burleson back into the major league lead with 109 RBI. Sal Stewart was on top with 107.

Freeman has started the last two games after sitting with knee soreness Friday, but he hasn’t been himself. Hopefully, it’ll just be one day off. The Dodgers have a very kind schedule with four games in Cincinnati and three at home versus the Giants this week, so it’d be a shame to have to sit Freeman in fantasy leagues. Kiké Hernández will likely start in his place tomorrow.

Burke was lit up for seven runs in 1 1/3 innings last time out, so the White Sox will try something a little different. It’ll be Burke’s first time pitching behind an opener since June 18.

Manager Pat Murphy said it can be a problem for Mitchell, a type 1 diabetic, in day games after night games. Mitchell should be available Tuesday.

Kwan started the game with a 357-footer to right that was a homer in 15 ballparks and probably a double in the rest. It was just his third homer of the year, but he’s been very productive the last couple of months, hitting .356/.438/.411 with 38 runs scored in 51 games since the break. He scored a total of 37 runs in 89 games during the first half.

Bibee struck out seven and generated 16 whiffs on his way to improving to 6-15 on the season. He looks like a nice play in mixed leagues with a home start against the A’s on deck for next weekend.

Ryan gave up a pair of homers and struck out just one in his second start back from the injured list. He also lost the previous one, and he’s now 6-10 with a 3.84 ERA overall. One wonders if he might be looking at a shutdown with the Twins all but out of the playoff hunt. He’s lined up to face the Angels next weekend.