MLB Player News

The 29-year-old hurler also issued three free passes while striking out five batters on the night. All of the damage against him came on a two-run blast by Corey Seager in the opening inning. While there was plenty of traffic on the bases after that, Blackburn didn’t allow another run to score. He got eight whiffs on 87 pitches on the night, posting an underwhelming CSW of only 20 percent. Blackburn now holds a 3.88 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and a 95/35 K/BB ratio over 92 2/3 innings on the season. He’ll do battle against the Astros his next time out in Houston on Wednesday.

Lopez struck out three, walked one, and allowed six hits. Luis Medina served as an opener since Lopez entered the start with an ERA over 6. The plan worked as it was the first time this season he pitched multiple innings and allowed fewer than two runs. Consider him an avoid for fantasy purposes with his next appearance at home against the Yankees.

Barlow recorded two outs after Hogan Harris got into trouble to begin the ninth. It was Barlow’s first save of the season, and he became the third Athletics reliever to earn one this week. Harris should remain the favorite for ninth-inning chances.

King struck out four. He surrendered a leadoff homer to Carlos Cortes, setting the tone for the rest of his afternoon. He might’ve been due for a clunker given his double-digit walk rate and lack of homers allowed prior to Sunday. He’ll still carry a 2.76 ERA into a road matchup against the Nationals in his next scheduled start.

Cortes led off the ballgame with a solo shot off Michael King on an 0-2 count. The 28-year-old breakout has walked more than he has struck out this season, and he was recently given the leadoff role against right-handers. That premium lineup spot could help with counting stats to offset any possible regression Cortes faces this summer.

Soderstrom’s RBI gave the A’s an insurance run in the top of the ninth. It’s been a slow start following last year’s breakout, but one has to figure the entire Athletics offense will heat up once the summer home games begin piling up. Soderstrom has actually increased his walk rate and lowered his strikeout rate so far. He entered Sunday with a .225 BABIP that should positively regress in the coming months.

France hit a line-drive homer to right field off Justin Sterner in the bottom of the seventh. He’s performing well in limited playing time, though his walk rate has sharply fallen. France will continue spelling Gavin Sheets at first base when San Diego is facing a lefty or otherwise shaking up their infield.

Devers’ grand slam came off Grant Taylor in the bottom of the fifth, giving San Francisco a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Devers is typically a slow starter, but one aspect of his profile that bears watching is his walk rate. It has collapsed following a career-high mark last season. The Giants have easily the lowest BB% in the league this season. It’s nitpicking given how strong his May numbers are, but there’s still work to do to get his season-long stats in a spot that fantasy managers expected on draft day.

Ray allowed a leadoff homer to Chase Meidroth, and he never settled in, struggling badly with his control in particular. The 34-year-old southpaw managed to limit the homers last season, but the issue has resurfaced in 2026. He’ll carry a 4.60 ERA into a road trip to Coors Field next time out.

Kilian had given up an earned run in four of his past six appearances, so it was a nice response in this never-ending closer by committee. He’s now tied with Ryan Walker for the team lead in saves. Keaton Winn pitched two innings earlier in this game and still doesn’t have a save this year. Meanwhile, Erik Miller handled the eighth on Sunday. Kilian is worth rostering where fantasy managers need saves, but there’s no guarantee he even gets the next ninth-inning opportunity based on how this season has played out so far.

The rookie left-hander only struck out one in the outing and served up a two-run homer to Casey Schmitt. Schultz now carries a 5.82 ERA through his first eight big-league starts. Walks have been an issue, and none of his ERA estimators point to positive regression on the horizon. He’ll still look to get back on track when facing the Tigers at home next time out.