MLB Player News

Smith took Spencer Bivens deep for a solo homer in the fifth inning to extend Arizona’s lead, only his fourth home run of the season. He later drew a walk in the eighth and stole second before scoring on a groundout. The 28-year-old is hitting .253/.326/.458 with 14 runs scored and 18 RBI across 95 plate appearances on the season.

The game-ending hit to right likely would have been caught under normal circumstances, but the outfield was playing in with the bases loaded and none out in a tie game. Arizona overcame an 8-5 deficit to win this game, scoring two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth. The Brewers scored twice in the 10th, but the Diamondbacks rallied off Jared Koenig in the bottom of the inning. Suárez wound up with three RBI on the day. He’s at 95 for the year, and it looks like he’ll reach 100 for the third time in his career. It was hard to imagine this coming when he finished June with 32 RBI.

Gallen left with a two-run lead, but it disappeared right away in the sixth. Gallen struck out seven today and has a nice 36% CSW. It’s the fifth straight outing in which he’s struck out seven, which is great and also really surprising, given that he fanned seven in just four of his first 21 starts.

Hall had impressed since returning from the minors, but his three walks caused problems today, and he gave up five hits despite allowing just three hard-hit balls. It’s possible he’ll get another start against the Diamondbacks next weekend, but it seems more likely that he’ll work in relief instead.

That Megill pitched the eighth today suggests that the Brewers thought Devin Williams would be available. But then Williams went unused in the ninth and 10th in what turned into an 11-10 loss. Megill’s blown save while working for a third straight day was the product of a walk, a steal, a wild pitch and a sac fly. The trainer actually went out to visit him in the midst of all that, only to be promptly sent back to the dugout by Megill. He might wind up as Milwaukee’s closer again if Williams has some sort of physical issue, but he’ll certainly need Monday off after this.

The homer was his 21st, placing him 21st all-time on the list for players 20 or younger. 25 would put him in the top 10, in a tie with Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews and Orlando Cepeda. He’s also now 14th on the RBI list for 20-year-olds; his 82 ties him with Johnny Bench, Phil Cavarretta and Tony Conligiaro. One more will make him a match for Frank Robinson and Mike Trout, which is pretty good territory.

That’ll help the OBP, which had checked in at just .266 in 243 plate appearances since the beginning of July. The Brewers have kept leading him off against righties anyway, and he certainly thrived today. That said, we’re not sure what the Diamondbacks were thinking in intentionally walking him in a tie game with two outs in the 10th inning today. Jackson Chourio followed with a two-run triple.

Something is definitely going on here. It makes sense that the Brewers might have wanted to stay away from Williams for a second day in a row after he threw 53 pitches from Tuesday through Friday, but he did start warming up with Jared Koenig in trouble in the 10th today, only to take a seat shortly afterwards. If Williams is going to miss some time, Trevor Megill would probably be first in line for saves. Megill, though, won’t be available Monday after pitching on a third straight day today.

Blanco was making his first start since Sept. 1, having pitched once in relief on Sept. 7. He was terrific in spite of the layoff, and he’s now up to 13 scoreless innings this month. Although he’s perhaps being viewed as the Astros’ sixth starter right now, one would think he has a strong case for the postseason rotation. He’ll likely face the Angels again next weekend.

The Astros weren’t expecting to use Hader with a 6-1 lead entering the ninth tonight, but Caleb Ferguson retired just one of the four batters he faced. It was Hader’s third appearance in four days, so he might be unavailable Monday now. If so, Ryan Pressly could geta chance to close.

We’re still not sure why the Angels called up the 20-year-old Dana after he had already thrown twice as many innings this year as he did in 2023. They might have some regrets now, as he’s tumbled to 1-2 with a 10.45 ERA. Of the 12 balls in play against him today, nine were hit at least 94 mph and five were hit at least 102 mph. The early returns suggest he’s going to need some additional minor league time next year.