MLB Player News

Pham started his career with the Cardinals in 2014 and played four seasons there before being traded away. He’ll now return to St. Louis after hitting .266/.330/.380 in 70 games for the White Sox with five home runs, six steals, and 33 runs scored. The 36-year-old figures to play frequently in left field, with Alec Burleson spending most of his time at DH and Brendan Donovan returning to a super-utility role. However, the Cardinals love to play matchups and rotate their lineup, so Pham may not start as much as he did with the White Sox, even though he gets a major upgrade in team context. The White Sox will now have right field available for Gavin Sheets, though he’s been playing most of the time anyway.

The Rangers lost this one by a score of 15-1 and were held to just five hits on the night. Lopez’s RBI single to drive home Cam Cauley in the eighth inning was all the Rangers could muster on the evening as Chris Sale was masterful through seven innings of shutout ball.

Gómez walked the first batter he faced of the inning, but was able to retire the next three batters he faced to end the game and any hope the Cubs had of a comeback. The righty is a perfect 12-for-12 in save opportunities this season and has allowed just one earned run in the month of July.

Steer broke the game open as he tagged Jimmy Herget for a 404-foot (103.5-mph EV) two-run blast in the sixth inning that gave the Reds a 3-1 advantage. He then ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Jeff Criswell for a 421-foot (102.4-mph EV) solo shot in the eighth. For the season, the 28-year-old is now slashing .250/.330/.441 to go along with 16 homers and 40 RBI through his first 362 plate appearances.

The 24-year-old superstar led off the top half of the first inning with a single and raced around to score the game’s first run on an RBI double off the bat of Sal Stewart. He then put the cherry on top of the victory with a 434-foot (105.8-mph EV) solo shot off of Jeff Criswell in the ninth inning. With his four-hit attack, De La Cruz is now slashing an impressive .282/.354/.506 with 16 homers, 45 RBI and 14 stolen bases (in 20 attempts) on the season.

Suárez smacked a one-out double off of Gabriel Hughes in the fourth inning, but he wound up being stranded there. He then clobbered a 415-foot (98.6-mph EV) solo shot off of Jimmy Herget in the sixth inning, going back-to-back with Spencer Steer to increase the Reds’ advantage to 4-1. On the season, the 34-year-old slugger is hitting a disappointing .213/.288/.406 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI.

The 29-year-old right-hander racked up six strikeouts on the night and didn’t allow a base on balls. The Rockies scratched out a run against him in the fifth inning, then Willi Castro tagged him for a solo blast in the seventh. That was the full extent of the damage done against him. Singer piled up 17 swings and misses on 96 offerings in the game — 11 on his slider — while posting a strong CSW of 31 percent. He’ll try to keep the good times rolling as he carries a 4.56 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and an 82/31 K/BB ratio (96 2/3 innings) into Wednesday’s showdown against the Mariners in Seattle.

Castro did his damage in the seventh inning of this one, launching a 2-0 slider from Brady Singer for a 382-foot (99.2-mph EV) solo shot that pulled the Rockies to within three runs at 5-2. For the season, the versatile 29-year-old is now slashing .264/.333/.390 with eight long balls, 38 RBI and six stolen bases across 323 plate appearances.

The rookie right-hander struck out six batters in the contest while issuing a pair of walks. He allowed an RBI double to Sal Stewart in the opening inning, then kept the Reds off the board until the sixth where he left a man on base when he turned the ball over to the bullpen — and he ultimately scored. Hughes generated eight swings and misses on 82 pitches on the evening, posting a CSW of 29 percent. The 24-year-old hurler will carry a solid 3.14 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and a 14/5 K/BB ratio (14 1/3 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Nationals.

Busch’s RBI single in the first inning wound up being the only run the Cubs would drive in on the night, as the other run that scored came via a wild pitch. Busch was one of just six Cubs to tally a hit in Friday’s loss and he has now hit safely in three-straight games.

Jeffers hit a three-run homer off Cubs starter Colin Rea in the third inning to cap a four-run inning for the Twins. The homers was the eighth of the season for Jeffers, who is playing only his third game in the month of July after returning last week from a hamate injury. Jeffers has hit safely in all three games since his return and has three extra-base hits to his name over that span.