MLB Player News

Detmers now has 21 strikeouts in his last two games, which is the good news. The bad news is that he has allowed eight runs in 12 innings over those two starts. The swing-and-miss is nice to see, but Detmers will undoubtedly need to do more to incentivize the Angels to call him back up.

Tinoco seems to be the de facto Marlins’ closer after nailing down his second save in eight days. That may not seem like a lot, but Miami only has three wins over that span. He breezed through this ninth inning in just eight pitches and can be a sneaky source of saves over the final week of the season.

Laureano’s sixth inning home run brought the Braves within one run after they’d trailed for this entire game. The momentum seemed like it was starting to shift as he emotionally rounded the bases while being cheered on by his teammates. Then, he reached on an error to start the eighth inning and it immediately felt like Atlanta was going to tie this game up until Laureno was caught stealing just a few pitches later. Nevertheless, he’s been a key cog for the injury-riddled Braves and has been playing his best ball of late with five home runs and a .917 OPS over his last 30 games.

Bellozo worked around plenty of traffic on the bases and lots of hard contact to earn a surprising win over a Braves team that desperately needed it. A true throwback, Bellozo mixes five pitches that he can spot all over the strike zone without any dominant swing-and-miss stuff. Command is vital when one’s fastball tops out at 92 MPH and Bellozo’s was good enough in this one. He’s scheduled to face the Twins in Minnesota next time out.

It’s a shame Morton has fallen so far that he can’t even cash in on a smash spot against the Marlins at loanDepot Park. Alas, no one can be great forever. His curveball was the only pitch that could get a swing-and-miss which has been the story of his season. Otherwise, he simply missed too many spots and fell into too many long at-bats to be effective. He’s penciled in to face the Mets at home next week.

This is why a team like the Orioles trades for a pitcher like Burnes. Reeling for weeks and coming off a dramatic win the day before, this was a game they had to have to stop the bleeding and build some momentum. Enter Burnes who took the ball and twirled seven shutout innings in a gem. Only three Tigers reached scoring position and none made it to third base as Burnes was in complete control from the jump. His cutter was dominant and he willed Baltimore in a crucial game for them and fantasy managers everywhere. He’s set to face the Yankees in New York next time out.

Tigers’ starter Keider Montero had no answer for Cowser in this one. He jumped on a first-pitch fastball for his first long ball and smacked it over the left center field fence in an impressive display of power. Then, he turned on a hanging curveball as Baltimore put this game out of reach. Cowser has been one of the most impressive rookies in the American League with 22 homers, 64 RBI, and a .774 OPS.

Sweeney’s ninth inning single plated Spencer Torkelson and saved the Tigers from a shutout. He’s held his own fairly well through his first stint in the major leagues with a .703 OPS and has found some power with three home runs in his last 15 games.

Montero simply could not keep the ball in the yard. Colton Cowser and James McCann each took him deep twice and the rout was on in Baltimore. This was the first start in which Montero allowed multiple home runs since the start of August and also, weirdly, his most strikeouts in one outing since August 6th. His changeup was still lethal despite his poor performance overall with eight swings-and-misses on just 10 swings and the Orioles never even put one in play. He’s scheduled to face the Rays at home in what should be his final start of the (regular) season.

Aranda’s blast was the only run scored in this pitchers’ duel. It came on a two-strike slurve from José Berríos that didn’t have enough bite down and in the strike zone. Aranda has pushed his OPS up to .762 over his last 30 games as he vies for a regular role in this Rays’ lineup next season.

Bigge finished off the Rays’ second consecutive shutout in a masterful performance by their bullpen. His stuff is completely electric and he showed off his 99 MPH fastball, curveball, and slider in this one. While he’s always had all the tools, this was his first save or hold of his young career. It seems like he’ll get a shot in this high-leverage role over the final week of the season.