MLB Player News

The 23-year-old Fields has always been a big strikeout guy, but he’s taken it up a notch with a 49/4 K/BB ratio in 157 at-bats this season. While he does have nine homers and a respectable .261/.302/.490 line, he’s not much of a prospect.

Betts drew a walk off of Yu Darvish in the opening inning on Sunday and rode home on Freddie Freeman’s three-run blast. He then played the role of hero in the eighth inning, clobbering a 2-0 fastball from Padres’ closer Robert Suarez for a 394-foot (102.5 mph EV) solo shot that gave the Dodgers a 5-4 lead and proved to be the difference. Betts finished the day 1-for-3 and is now hitting .242/.312/.371 with just 13 homers, 57 RBI and eight stolen bases across 503 plate appearances in what has been a disappointing campaign for the 32-year-old superstar.

Freeman did his damage in the opening inning, crushing an 0-2 fastball from Yu Darvish for a 422-foot (103.9 mph EV) three-run shot to open the scoring in the contest. That would be the only hit on the day for the 35-year-old slugger. Freeman has been as solid as ever for the Dodgers this season, slashing a healthy .298/.369/.481 with 15 homers, 69 RBI and three stolen bases through his first 471 plate appearances.

Vesia was called upon with runners at second and third and one out in the eighth inning with the Dodgers clinging to a one-run lead. He got Jose Iglesias to ground out to short, but Xander Bogaerts scampered home with the tying run. He then got Freddy Fermin to ground out to end the inning. Vesia then returned for the ninth after Mookie Betts’ clubbed a go-ahead solo homer in the home half of the eighth, and he retired the heart of the Padres’ lineup in order to secure his victory. On the season, the 29-year-old southpaw boasts a 2.81 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and a 67/18 K/BB ratio over 51 1/3 innings to go along with three victories and four saves.

Glasnow punched out eight batters on the afternoon while allowing just one base on balls. He allowed an RBI double to Fernando Tatis Jr. in the third inning and served up a solo homer to Ramón Laureano in the fifth. The 31-year-old right-hander generated 14 swings and misses on 91 pitches on the day — nine of those on his slider — while posting a CSW of 33 percent. He exited with a 4-2 lead and in line for his second victory of the season, but the Dodgers’ bullpen couldn’t hang on for him. He now sports a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 72/28 K/BB ratio over 57 2/3 innings through his first 12 starts on the season. Glasnow will square off against these same Padres his next time out in San Diego on Saturday.

Laureano tagged Dodgers’ right-hander Tyler Glasnow for a 372-foot (98.8 mph EV) solo shot in the fifth inning that pulled the Padres to within two runs at 4-2. He was also hit by a pitch in the sixth inning and doubled in the eighth, reaching base safely in three of his four plate appearances. He’s having a very solid season offensively, slashing .298/.364/.556 with 19 homers and 58 RBI in 352 plate appearances.

The 39-year-old right-hander struck out five batters on the day. All of the scoring against him came in the opening inning, as Freddie Freeman tagged him for a three-run homer and Andy Pages added a two-out, solo shot. He settled in nicely afterwards, but the damage had already been done. Darvish got 10 whiffs on 82 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 26 percent. He’ll try to get his season back on track as he carries an unsightly 5.97 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 34/13 K/BB ratio (37 2/3 innings) into a rematch against the Dodgers at home next Friday.

The Giants were sitting in a scoreless tie with two outs and no one on in the fifth inning when their offense finally awoke. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases for Smith and the 30-year-old first baseman capitalized, jumping on the first pitch that he saw from Ryan Pepiot and smacking his go-ahead knock into right field. He then raced around to score on a double off the bat of Christian Koss. With his 1-for-4 afternoon, Smith is slashing a respectable .281/.340/.404 with three homers, 23 RBI and two stolen bases on the season.

Fitzgerald went back-to-back with teammate Drew Gilbert off of Mason Englert to open the seventh inning, with his 398-foot (101.8 mph EV) blast extending the Giants’ lead to 6-0. The 27-year-old infielder has had a rough season overall with the Giants, slashing just .220/.278/.335 with four homers, 14 RBI and nine stolen bases in 233 plate appearances.

The 24-year-old outfielder led off the seventh inning with a 384-foot (102.1 mph EV) solo shot off of Mason Englert that extended the Giants’ lead to 5-0. He also tacked on a run-scoring single in the eighth inning that made it a 7-1 ballgame. With his two-hit attack, Gilbert is now hitting .136 (3-for-22) with a homer, two RBI and a stolen base in his limited action with the Giants.

Nootbaar is 7-for-24 (.291) in six games since returning from the injured list with a rib injury. Nootbaar is hitting just .233 overall on the season, but still occupies the Cardinals’ lead-off spot against right-handed pitchers.