MLB Player News

Guzman signed a two-year minor league contract with the Giants last February and didn’t end up making it to the majors for San Francisco. The 27-year-old right-hander was a highly-regarded pitching prospect a few years ago with the Marlins. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2021 campaign.

Lowder made it through the first inning without any trouble, but gave up a leadoff homer to Jazz Chisholm in the second inning. That was just the start of what turned into a rough inning for Lowder, who then walked back-to-back batters, which set the table for Ben Rice, who smacked a three-run homer to put the Yankees up 4-0. Lowder wouldn’t allow another run the rest of the way, but the damage had been done, and his offense didn’t offer him any support against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler. It’s only the third time this season that Lowder has allowed four or more earned runs in a start, but he’s also struggled to pitch deep into games as of late. We’ll see if he can turn things around in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Brewers.

Friday marked one of the most dominant starts in Schlittler’s young career. The righty took the Reds to task all night, striking out a career-high 13 batters without allowing a walk. Schlittler ran into a bit of trouble in the sixth inning when he found himself with runners on the corners and two outs, but he managed to get Spencer Steer to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the threat and put the cap on another impressive outing. Schlittler has allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his last three starts and saw his ERA fall to 1.71 by the time he left the mound. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday on the road against the Tigers.

Baker continues to shut the door on opposing hitters, needing just 13 pitches to retire the Nationals and secure his 19th save of the season. He’s a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities this month and has not allowed an earned run in June.

Mayer sat out on Thursday due to illness and wasn’t feeling well during the day on Friday, but he felt much better as game time approached and seemingly was able to talk his way into the lineup. He’ll start at shortstop and bat seventh with Isiah Kiner-Falefa heading back to the bench.

Aranda came up big for the Rays in the third inning. He stepped up to the plate with runners on first and second and got just enough of a Miles Mikolas changeup to slice it down the left field line and bounce it off the foul pole for a 313-foot homer, giving the Rays a 3-2 lead. It was the 12th homer of the season for Aranda, who continues to put together a career year in his fifth big league season.

The 31-year-old backstop was signed to a minor league deal at the start of April. He hit a terrific .279/.371/.590 with 10 homers and 22 RBI in 140 plate appearances at Triple-A Albuquerque. Given the overall lack of quality catching depth around the league, he shouldn’t be out of work for long.

Abrams wasted little time getting the Nationals on the board. Leading off the top of the second inning, Abrams blasted a cutter left over the middle of the plate 433 feet into right center to put the Nationals up 1-0. It was the 15th homer of the season for Abrams and his third homer this month. Abrams has cooled off a bit after a hot April and May, but he continues to have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs batting as the Nationals’ cleanup hitter.

Jax struck out two of the first three batters he faced to start the game, but gave up a solo homer to C.J. Abrams to kick off the second inning, putting the Rays down 1-0. Jax would again fall victim to the long ball in the third inning, this time via a solo homer from Luis Garcia Jr. to push the Nationals’ lead to 2-0. Jax would settle after that, pitching two straight innings of scoreless ball while retiring the next seven batters he faced after the Garcia homer. This was the first time Jax had allowed an earned run since June 1st, when he allowed six earned runs against the Tigers. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday against the Royals.

Poulin got the nod as the opener for Friday’s game after Cade Cavalli (illness) was scratched from his scheduled start. Poulin was effective in his limited outing, allowing just one hit over two scoreless innings while also striking out a batter. Poulin has made nine starts as an opener this season and has allowed just three earned runs over his last 14 innings pitched, dating back to May.

The Tigers trailed by a run entering the sixth inning when Dillon Dingler smacked a leadoff single and Riley Greene worked a one-out walk. Carpenter then blooped a two-run double into center just in front of the outstretched glove of a diving Tristan Peters. That proved to be the difference in the ballgame. On the season, the 28-year-old slugger is now slashing .234/.313/.497 with 10 homers and 29 RBI in 166 plate appearances.