Reds shift Hunter Greene (elbow) to 60-day IL

Irvin gave up eight hits, including a pair of run-scoring singles by Jackson Merrill, to wind up on the hook for his ninth loss of the year. He struck out three and only issued two walks. The 29-year-old is not a recommended fantasy option when he takes the ball against the Angels to wrap up a two-start week on Sunday.

Pivetta recorded two strikeouts and allowed just two baserunners, requiring an economical 63 pitches (39) strikes to cruise through five frames in his first start back in the majors since April 12. He gave up some loud contact, including six batted balls with exit velocities over 99 mph, but they didn’t come back to burn him. It was completely justifiable to question whether the 33-year-old veteran starter would make any sort of fantasy impact down the home stretch after such a lengthy layoff, but he seems to have answered those concerns with a strong effort right out of the gate. He’s in line for an extremely favorable matchup against the rebuilding Giants to wrap up a two-start week on Sunday.

Greene spearheaded Detroit’s offense with an impressive three-hit performance, which included taking rookie southpaw Connor Prielipp deep in the fifth inning, to lift his team to a badly-needed win that keeps their slim playoff hopes alive. The 25-year-old middle-of-the-order force has gone deep three times in his last three contests and is up to 19 round-trippers on the season. He’s hitting .385 (10-for-26) with 10 RBI in seven games since coming off the injured list on September 1.

Larnach was one of the few bright spots for Minnesota in this one as he took Tigers starter Troy Melton out to right field in the fourth inning to get his club within one run at the time. It was his 12th big fly of the season. He’ll continue getting opportunities against right-handed starters, but he’s pretty much just a platoon bat at this stage of his career.

McGonigle connected for his first round-tripper since August 23, launching a no-doubter to right field off Twins ace Joe Ryan in the opening frame. The 22-year-old remains the heavy favorite to take home the American League Rookie of the Year Award with less than three weeks remaining on the calendar.

Jansen got the call to protect a one-run lead in the final frame and immediately made things interesting by issuing a leadoff walk to Kody Clemens. He managed to wriggle out of the jam completely unscathed by coaxing a harmless fly ball from Ryan Jeffers before getting Josh Bell to hit into a game-ending double play. The 38-year-old veteran has converted 18 of 24 save opportunities this season to go along with a pedestrian 3.63 ERA across 39 2/3 innings of work.

Prielipp essentially piggybacked with ace Joe Ryan during the latter’s return from the injured list, needing just 68 pitches (45 strikes) to navigate the final four frames. All of the damage against him came courtesy of a two-run blast from Tigers slugger Riley Greene in the fifth inning. He struck out five and didn’t hand out a free pass. He’s likely to take the ball again early next week when Minnesota kicks off a home series against the Yankees.

It won’t qualify as one of the more aesthetically pleasing pitching lines of the season as Melton gave up seven hits, including a solo homer to Trevor Larnah in the fourth inning. He finished with just three strikeouts while issuing one walk and hitting two batters. Yet, it was still good enough for him to pick up his eighth win of the season. The 25-year-old is in line for a tasty home matchup against the Rockies to close out a two-start week on Sunday.

Ryan served up a solo homer to Detroit’s rookie sensation Kevin McGonigle in the opening frame, along with a pair of runs in the second inning. However, he managed to settle in shortly afterwards, needing just 66 pitches (46 strikes) to navigate four frames in his return from the injured list. He looked fine from a velocity standpoint, averaging 94 mph on his four-seam fastball, while coaxing 12 swinging strikes in the abbreviated outing. He’s probably going to be on a pitch count again when he faces the Guardians on Sunday, but he still offers enough strikeout upside to be a worthwhile fantasy option in that matchup.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy told reporters they pretty much forced Bauers to take a day off since he’s been playing through shin splints in addition to several other physical issues. He figures to be back in the lineup at some point this week. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.