MLB Player News

This was shaping up as a no-decision when Cease exited a 1-1 game, but the Padres scored twice in the top of the eighth to put him in line for the victory. Cease struck out eight and walked none in improving to 3-1 with a 1.82 ERA. He’ll face the Phillies next.

Moniak delivered the biggest blow of the game, launching a two-out, 411-foot (109.9 mph EV) three-run shot on the first pitch that he saw from Tanner Bibee in the fourth inning — increasing the Angels’ lead to 5-0. Moniak also singled in the ballgame, finishing the night 2-for-4. On the season, the 25-year-old outfielder is now hitting .164/.211/.269 with a pair of homers and seven RBI.

The 25-year-old hurler punched out three batters on the evening while allowing one base on balls. All five of the hits that he allowed were singles. The only real threat against him came in the fifth inning as the Guardians put runners at first and third with one out, but he got Brayan Rocchio on a comebacker to the mound and ultimately retired Andres Gimenez on strikes to end the threat. Soriano got 10 whiffs on 88 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 26 percent. He’ll attempt to further improve upon his 3.77 ERA and 1.29 WHIP when he does battle against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

As a team, the Guardians were only able to muster six hits and a pair of walks on the night, so Kwan definitely did his part. He has been a tremendous catalyst atop the Guardians’ lineup this season, slashing a robust .356/.406/.500 with three homers, 11 RBI and three stolen bases through his first 31 ballgames.

Bibee walked one and struck out four in the contest. The 25-year-old right-hander followed up one of his best starts of the season with an absolute dud against a depleted Angels’ squad on Friday night. The bulk of the damage came via the long ball, with Nolan Schanuel clubbing a solo homer in the third inning and Mickey Moniak adding a three-run blast in the fourth. Bibee generated nine swings and misses on 91 pitches on the night, posting an underwhelming CSW of only 23 percent. He’ll look to get back on track as he carries a 4.46 ERA and 1.38 WHIP into Wednesday’s matchup against the Tigers.

García’s homer off Erik Swanson made it a 5-3 game in the eighth, and the Nationals kept piling on from there. García was on the bench against a lefty tonight, but it really seems like he should be a full-timer at this point. He’s batting .300/.344/.456, and it seems unlucky that he has just two homers on eight barrels.

Kikuchi left with a two-run lead and then watched the bullpen give up seven runs in two innings. This is probably the Jays’ ugliest loss yet, particularly since they were facing Patrick Corbin. Kikuchi is certainly doing his part thus far, amassing a 2.72 ERA and a 43/9 K/BB ratio in 39 2/3 innings. Still, the Jays are 3-4 when he pitches, having scored a total of 20 runs in those seven games.

Altuve hit a perfect safety squeeze to knock in his 12th run of the game and give Houston a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning. The steal was the seventh of the season and 300th of his career. Altuve has been sensational thus far in 2024, and is playing near — if not at — the MVP level he reached not all that long ago.

Rojas singled all three times. It’s been an outstanding beginning to the 2024 campaign for the long-time Diamondback, as the three-hit game sees his average jump up to .338. Rojas is hitting at the top of the lineup while J.P. Crawford is out, and if he is still available in fantasy leagues, he’s more than worthy of consideration.

Hader did walk a batter to put the tying run at the plate, but the left-hander was able to get a pair of strikeouts to lower his ERA to 5.93 and also pick up his third save. Hader should continue to see those save numbers rise while his ERA plummets over the summer months.

He gave up five hits while walking three and striking out six. Blanco gave up a pair of homers Friday, one of them being a solo shot by Jorge Polanco and the other a two-run homer by Dylan Moore. The right-hander exited with a 3-1 deficit, but the Astros were able to score four after he left to keep him off the hook. Blanco will take a 2.09 ERA into his next start which is scheduled for Thursday against the Yankees.