MLB Player News

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris deserves some credit for utilizing some of the organization’s prospect stockpile to acquire a reliable veteran slugger, while Holub represents an interesting lottery ticket relief project for the Brewers, who also pick up some extra financial flexibility by offloading Canha’s $2 million buyout for 2024. The 25-year-old right-hander was Detroit’s 15th-round selection back in 2021 and posted a solid 3.03 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 76/17 K/BB ratio across 65 1/3 innings (48 appearances) this past season between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie.

Mead was out of the starting lineup for the first time in six games and probably the last time for at least a week or two. He worked the walk after hitting for Nasim Nuñez in the seventh, giving the Nationals a 4-3 lead, and then mostly clinched the game by making it 9-4 in the eighth. Mead is 9-for-26 with four homers, nine RBI and four walks in his last seven appearances.

The runs came on homers from Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. Griffn’s ERA is still a solid 3.76, but he’s up to 13 homers allowed in 67 innings, and it doesn’t seem like things will get a lot better for him there. He’ll make his next start Friday in Arizona.

Varland was pulled from a 7-4 game with the bases loaded, and Clayton Beeter bailed him out. Varland hasn’t taken any blown saves in his opportunities to close, but his stock has declined after a shaky month in which the Nationals have often chosen to play matchups late in games. His fourth and most recent save came on May 7, and he’s given up five earned runs in 7 1/3 innings in eight appearances since. Beeter went on to get the save today.

Beeter, who replaced Gus Varland, stranded the bases loaded by retiring Ty France to end the eighth. The Nationals then gave him two extra runs to work with heading into the ninth, and he pitched a scoreless inning despite walking two. It’s Beeter’s first save in four appearances since returning from the injured list. Consider him to be very much in the mix for saves in D.C., but it’s hard to say that any of the team’s relievers are worth rostering in shallow leagues right now.

It was just one run through six, thanks in part to Jorbit Vivas’s 369-foot fly to right in the fifth turning into an out. Statcast had it as a homer in 26 ballparks. The seventh started with a single, a big miscue from Fernando Tatis Jr. on a grounder to second that went as a fielder’s choice, a walk and a HBP, at which point King was removed. After another botched play in the infield and another walk before the first out was finally recorded, it wound up turning into a six-run inning for the Nationals. King was clearly better than the line suggested, but he dropped to 4-4 with a 3.04 ERA. He’ll likely face the Mets next Friday.

Just a little 451-foot poke to left from the light-hitting Tatis. It went 58 feet farther than any other flyball hit by Tatis this year. His previous farthest-hit pulled flyballs this year were 367 feet and 335 feet. Hopefully, it’ll prove to be the start of something. Tatis is now at .271/.346/.324 in 241 plate appearances on the season.

The Orioles had just one run on three hits and trailed by four going into the ninth inning. The team would rally in the final frame, bringing four runs home and loading the bases with one out. Alonso stepped in and delivered the walk-off base hit to bring home the winning run, his first walk-off as an Oriole. The 31-year-old slugger is hitting .232/.315/.433 with 11 homers, 32 runs scored, and 35 RBI across 254 plate appearances.

Guerrero had an excellent day at the plate, collecting a season-high four hits. He singled in the first inning, then led off the fourth with a base hit and scored a run. He added a single and a second run scored in the eighth before driving in a run with a double in the ninth. The 27-year-old first baseman raises his slash line to .305/.400/.394 with three homers, 35 runs scored, 24 RBI, and five steals across 240 plate appearances.

Louis Varland had shut down the heart of the Orioles lineup in the eighth inning before Hoffman took the mound with a four-run lead in the ninth. It didn’t go well. Hoffman struck out the first batter, then allowed the next six batters to reach, bringing three runs in and loading the bases. Connor Seabold took over and walked in a run before Pete Alonso walked it off with a base hit. Hoffman had been pitching better of late, making six straight scoreless appearances. Though Saturday’s implosion certainly won’t help his cause in retaking the closer role. Varland remains the reliever to roster in Toronto.

Young held the Blue Jays scoreless through three innings, then gave up two runs on three hits in the fourth. That would be the only damage against Young as he went on to pitch into the seventh, leaving with two outs in the inning at 86 pitches. He struck out a season-high seven batters on 13 whiffs. The 27-year-old right-hander will take a 3.35 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and a 33/17 K/BB ratio into a rematch against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Friday.