MLB Player News

It was a grounder into the perfect spot to get past shortstop Orlando Arcia. We’re pretty sure the rest of the NL contenders were overjoyed to see the Padres keep Gurriel and Martín Maldonado as part-timers this year, but even at 40, Gurriel is still a fair source of singles. This one was clutch.

Alvarez is on a different level right now. He became the first Astros player since Jeff Bagwell in 1994 to hit two home runs in the same inning, and Alvarez did so in the first. The second of which was a grand slam that capped off a legendary nine-run top of the first for the Astros where Alvarez drove home six of those runs. Those homers brought him to 24 on the season, which tied Kyle Schwarber for the league-lead. His 1.092 OPS also leads the league by a longshot and his .321 batting average is second in the AL. As of this moment, he’s the clear-cut MVP frontrunner in what’s been a sensational bounceback season after an injury-marred 2025.

Hader did well to shut the door here after the Astros scored nine runs in the first inning, but needed to use seven pitchers to finish off the Royals. He didn’t allow a baserunner despite needing 20 pitches and seeing six foul balls in a one, two, three inning. His fastball has held firm between 95 and 96 mph and his swing-and-miss stuff has thankfully been at his normal elite levels through five outings so far this season.

For the second straight start the Astros gifted Imai a huge lead to pitch with and for the second straight start he did not make things easy for himself. After his offense spotted him nine – yes, nine – runs in the top of the first inning, he could not finish the bottom of the frame. His fastball was erratic and his slider wasn’t good enough to get him out of trouble. That sadly has been the story of his first season stateside as Imai has an ugly 6.43 ERA through 35 innings so far. He’ll have another chance to figure it out next week against the Tigers at home.

The Royals managed to put up eight runs in a game where they had just one extra-base hit and drew three walks. Perez put himself in the middle of a few of their rallies, which was a welcome sight considering how much he’s struggled this season. This was his first multi-hit game in nearly three walks and just barely dragged his average back over the Mendoza line, sitting at .205 after 64 games played.

It’d be almost impossible to script a worse start than Avila’s here. After 12 pitches, three runs were already home on a single and two home runs. After that, he retired the next two batters before a catastrophic five-batter sequence with three walks and two singles. He was mercifully pulled there and reliever Mason Black promptly allowed a grand slam to Yordan Alvarez, his second home run of the first inning. This was one of those starts to simply flush down the toilet and hope it can be moved on from. He’s scheduled to face the Nationals on the road next time out.

The Giants brought in Erik Miller just to face Busch in the fifth, and the left-handed hitter responded with his second homer in 91 plate appearances against a southpaw this season. It was also the first homer Miller has ever allowed to a left-handed batter in the majors; they had hit .200/.318/.242 against him in 196 plate appearances.

Assad allowed three hits, walked one and struck out five. He’s pitched 12 1/3 scoreless innings versus the Giants his last two times out, lowering his ERA from 5.88 to 3.99. Unfortunately, he’ll have to face a more forward-thinking team in the Rockies next time out. He’ll just have to prepare a little harder, most likely.

Roupp allowed just three hard-hit balls tonight, but he took his sixth straight loss anyway. The Giants haven’t won with him on the mound since Apr. 26, but he’ll probably be allowed to try again next week against the Braves.

The rest of the Giants combined for one hit in the game. Eldridge’s homer came in the bottom of the ninth with the team down 5-0, but unlike Wednesday’s game against the Nationals, the Giants did not have the Cubs right where they wanted them. Eldridge has five homers in 113 plate appearances since his callup. He might keep up that pace, but it’s highly unlikely that he’ll maintain his current .316 average.

Please, please let this be the sign that Bichette is finally turning the corner. After homering in his first at-bat on Thursday, he did the same here with a solo shot in the first inning against Spencer Strider. Then, he came up in the second with the bases loaded and blasted a grand slam. That made it three home runs in six at-bats after only having five all season before then. He chipped in a sac fly in his next plate appearance as well. While not as sexy as the home runs, it reminded us of the type of situational awareness Bichette has more so been known for in his career. He jumped up from a .607 OPS to a .635 OPS after this game alone and again, the hope is that he is finally getting himself back on track.