MLB Player News

Reed hasn’t allowed a run in his last two starts. Over that span, he’s recorded 18 strikeouts with only four walks. Opponents have hit just .173 against the left-hander in 98 at-bats. Saturday’s six-inning outing was the longest of Reed’s career. Arizona selected Reed in the second round of the 2014 draft.

McNeil led off the second inning with a single, then took Luis Castillo deep for a solo homer in the fourth. The 34-year-old second baseman gets on the board with his first home run of the season while hitting a solid .278/.361/.389 with seven runs scored and five RBI across 83 plate appearances.

Raleigh knocked a base hit in the third inning, then took Jacob Lopez deep for a solo homer in the fifth. It was the fourth home run of the season for the 29-year-old slugger. He’s gotten off to a slow start, slashing .177/.266/.333 with the four homers and 13 RBI across 109 plate appearances.

With Joel Kuhnel, Hogan Harris, and Mark Leiter Jr. all pitching in two of the last three days, Perkins got the call in the eighth inning with a two-run lead and closed out the game with a pair of perfect frames with two strikeouts for his first save. The 26-year-old right-hander has some of the best strikeout stuff in the A’s bullpen, but has been used in a multi-inning role through five appearances and likely won’t factor into regular save chances just yet.

Lopez tossed two scoreless frames, then gave up one run in the third on two hits and a sacrifice fly. He later served up a solo homer to Cal Raleigh in the fifth inning. Lopez would work into the sixth, striking out the first batter before he was relieved at 86 pitches. Despite collecting just one strikeout, it was one of Lopez’s better starts of the season. The 28-year-old left-hander will take a 5.70 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, and a 17/19 K/BB ratio across 23 2/3 innings into a start against the Royals in Sacramento next Tuesday.

Castillo walked the leadoff man in the first inning. Tyler Soderstrom made him pay for it with a double, putting the A’s on the board with a run. Jeff McNeil later took Castillo deep for a solo homer in the fourth inning. He’d give Seattle a scoreless fifth before his day was done at 95 pitches with six strikeouts. The 33-year-old right-hander will take a 5.01 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, and a 23/9 K/BB ratio across 23 1/3 innings into a start against the Twins in Minnesota on Monday.

Murakami had another big day at the plate, starting with a single and a run scored in the first inning. He then took Merrill Kelly deep for a solo homer in the second. It was his fourth straight game with a home run and ninth of the season. The 26-year-old slugger is hitting .234/.394/.584 with 18 runs scored and 17 RBI across 99 plate appearances.

Antonacci put his speed on display against the D-backs on Tuesday, starting with an RBI triple deep off the center field wall in the first inning. He later hit one down the left-field line in the ninth inning and touched them all for an inside-the-park home run. While not conventional, he gets credit for his first career round-tripper. The 23-year-old is 4-for-21 at the plate so far with just one strikeout.

Thomas knocked a base hit in the third inning, then later took Sean Burke deep for a solo homer in the fifth for his first of the season. The 25-year-old outfielder has struggled so far on the year, hitting .185/.221/.338 with seven runs scored, eight RBI, and three steals across 69 plate appearances.

Burke stranded four runners over three scoreless frames before the Diamondbacks brought a run in to score in the fourth on a triple and a groundout. Alek Thomas later took Burke deep for a solo homer in the fifth. Burke’s sixth and final frame was his only clean inning. His day would be done after six with three strikeouts. The 26-year-old right-hander will take a 4.10 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 20/7 K/BB ratio across 26 1/3 innings into a start against the Nationals in Chicago on Sunday.

The White Sox jumped on Kelly right away, putting four runs on the board in the first inning, including two on a bases-loaded double by Colson Montgomery. Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Montgomery got to him in the second, going back-to-back-to-back with solo homers. The D-Backs had to stick with Kelly to give the bullpen a rest. Kelly would pitch into the fifth, leaving with two runners on. It was only the second start for the 37-year-old right-hander since returning from a back injury. He’ll look to bounce back against the Brewers in Milwaukee next Tuesday.