MLB Player News

It’s simply a routine day off for Sanchez, who has hit just .244/.261/.356 in his first 12 games this season. Greg Dobbs is starting at first base against the Cubs.

Lopez had a solid day at the plate, collecting three hits against the Dodgers. He knocked a double in the first inning, then singled in the fifth and seventh. The 27-year-old infielder has had an excellent first month at the dish, hitting .325/.366/.500 with three homers, 20 runs scored, 12 RBI, and four steals across 123 plate appearances.

With Pete Fairbanks hitting the injured list on Tuesday with nerve irritation, Phillips got the call to close out the game in the ninth inning with a 2-1 lead against the Dodgers. He worked around one hit, keeping the Dodgers off the board for his second save. The 28-year-old right-hander has been one of the more consistent arms in the Miami bullpen, posting a 1.47 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and a 19/12 K/BB ratio across 18 1/3 innings.

Junk stranded the bases loaded in the first inning, then settled in to blank the Dodgers over six frames. He scattered three hits in all and one walk while striking out four. That’s now 11 scoreless innings with four hits and two walks allowed over his last two starts. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 21/8 K/BB ratio across 33 innings into a start against the Phillies in Miami on Monday.

Ohtani hit the leadoff man in the second inning. He then committed a throwing error on a steal attempt to put the runner on third, who scored on a groundout to put the Marlins on the board. A walk and a hit brought another run in for Miami in the fifth. Ohtani would collect his sixth strikeout to escape that frame with the bases loaded. He ended his night on a strong note, striking out the side in the sixth to finish with nine. The 31-year-old right-hander has posted an incredible 0.60 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and a 34/9 K/BB ratio across 30 innings. He’ll take on the Astros in Houston next Tuesday.

Alonso, who just went 1-for-13 in the weekend series against the Red Sox, took Ryan Weiss deep in the fifth for his fourth homer of the year. He’s still batting just .198 for the season, but his hard-hit rate is considerably better than usual, and his 25 percent strikeout rate isn’t much of a problem. Even with the slow start, he’ll still probably get his 30 homers and 100 RBI this year.

Baz gave up six hits, but Brice Matthews’ homer was the only one that did any damage. He struck out six and walked one. Through six starts, Baz has a 4.50 ERA and a 29/11 K/BB in 34 innings. He’d be a better bet in fantasy leagues if the Rays hadn’t traded him, but he still probably has some mixed-league value anyway.

Helsley has walked seven in 10 2/3 innings to start the year, but he’s also struck out 15 and he’s a perfect 7-for-7 in save chances. He retired Yordan Alvarez, Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve in this one.

Knowing he’d be going a little longer than he typically has of late, Teng dialed it back some tonight, with his average fastball checking in at just 92.2 mph. It was 94.9 mph in his relief appearances this season. That seems like a bad sign for him being useful as a starter. It’s easy to understand why the Astros wanted to give this a try, as he’s mostly been a starter in his career and he’d been quite effective in middle relief to start the year. Still, if this is all Teng has as a starter, he’s probably going to be more useful throwing 95 mph out of the pen.

The Astros were down by two with none on and two outs in the ninth, so the bunt actually a bad play. He just hit it too hard and failed to catch Blaze Alexander by surprise. Altuve has gone hitless in five of six games, dropping his average from .298 to .248. He already has four 0-for-5s this year. That’s one more than he had in 155 games last season.

Crow-Armstrong drew a walk in the sixth inning and scored on a double, then took Wandy Peralta deep for a three-run blast to extend the Chicago lead in the seventh. It was just the second home run of the season for the 24-year-old outfielder. He’s slashing .241/.309/.339 with 18 runs scored, 10 RBI, and six steals across 124 plate appearances.