MLB Player News

Lake had four homers in his first 15 games with the Cubs, but he had gone without one in 29 games before taking Kyle Lohse deep today. He hadn’t so much as driven in a run since Aug. 18. The Cubs figure to continue playing him regularly after trading away two-thirds of their outfield, but he shouldn’t project as a regular headed into 2014.

Varsho opened the scoring in the fourth inning of this one, smacking a 1-1 fastball from Bailey Ober for a 397-foot (107.4 mph EV) solo shot. That would wind up being the extent of the Jays’ scoring. Varsho finished the night 1-for-4 with a strikeout and is now hitting .235/.312/.408 with four homers and eight RBI on the season.

Gausman struck out two batters on the evening while issuing a pair of free passes. After cruising through three scoreless frames to start the game, the right-hander served up a two-run blast to Ryan Jeffers in the fourth inning. He then allowed another pair in the sixth inning including a solo shot by Byron Buxton. The 35-year-old hurler got just seven swings and misses on 94 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 26 percent. Now 2-2 on the season, he’ll carry a 3.10 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and a 40/8 K/BB ratio (40 2/3 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Rays in Tampa Bay.

Alvarez also drew a walk in the contest, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances. He started a five-run rally in the first inning by beating out an infield single with one out before coming around to score on a two-run knock by Dustin Harris. He then belted a 424-foot (107.4 mph EV) solo shot off of Young in the second inning that extended the Astros’ lead to 6-0. Alvarez also walked in the fourth inning and scored on a sacrifice fly. He has been lighting the world on fire so far this season, slashing a robust .356/.462/.737 to go with his league-leading 12 homers and 27 RBI.

Smith capped off a five-run uprising in the opening inning with a 414-foot (108.1 mph EV) three-run shot off of Orioles’ right-hander Brandon Young. That would be hit lone hit in four at-bats on the night, though he also worked a walk. For the season, the 23-year-old outfielder is slashing an underwhelming .219/.317/.381, though he has blasted four home runs, stolen four bases and driven in 15.

Diaz singled and scored a run as part of the Astros’ five-run uprising off of Brandon Young in the opening inning. He then added on with an RBI single in the fourth that made it a 10-0 ballgame. His bat has started to show signs of life over the past couple of weeks as Diaz is now hitting .250/.268/.359 with a pair of homers and 14 RBI on the season.

The 32-year-old right-hander allowed just two hits and four walks on the evening. The Astros staked him to a five-run lead in the first inning and all McCullers had to do was keep the train on the tracks to earn a victory here. All of the damage done against him came in the fourth inning on an RBI double by Pete Alonso and a two-run triple off the bat of Leody Taveras. McCullers generated 18 swings and misses on 99 offerings in the contest — 11 of them on his knucklecurve — while registering a strong CSW of 35 percent. Now 2-1 on the season, he’ll look to further improve upon his 6.32 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 33/17 K/BB ratio (31 1/3 innings) when he toes the slab against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Taveras smacked a two-run triple off of Lance McCullers Jr. in the fourth inning of this one, but all it did was pull the Orioles to within seven runs at 10-3. He has been sizzling at the dish in recent weeks and is slashing a healthy .288/.397/.455 with two homers, 17 RBI and a stolen base in his first 79 plate appearances with the O’s.

Young also issued a pair of walks in the forgettable performance while striking out two. The Astros jumped on him for five runs in the opening inning including a three-run blast by Cam Smith. They added another on a solo blast from Yordan Alvarez in the second and then tacked on four more in the fourth inning. Young got seven whiffs on 82 pitches on the night, posting a miserable CSW of only 18 percent. He’ll try to put this one behind him and get back on track when he brings a 6.14 ERA and 1.64 WHIP into Wednesday’s showdown against the Marlins in Miami.

Schwarber went back-to-back with Trea Turner off of Adrian Houser to start the ballgame, with his being a gargantuan 446-foot (112.4 mph) blast to right-center. He then doubled in the fifth inning and scored on a two-run knock off the bat of Adolis Garcia. The 33-year-old slugger also smacked a game-tying RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning that forced extra innings. He’s now slashing .225/.381/.595 to go with 11 long balls and 20 RBI on the season.

Turner opened the home half of the first inning with a bang, launching the first pitch thrown by Adrian Houser for a 373-foot (102.3 mph EV) solo shot. He also singled in the fifth inning and scored on a two-run single by Adolis Garcia. The dynamic 32-year-old shortstop is off to a bit of a slow start at the dish this season, slashing .252/.317/.386 with four homers, 11 RBI and three stolen bases in his first 139 plate appearances.