MLB Player News

Veen is now hitting .361 with two home runs, one steal, and a 1.051 OPS in 61 at-bats at Triple-A this season. At this point, it seems like the Rockies just need to let the 23-year-old figure it out at the MLB level, but it’s the Rockies, so they probably won’t.

The homer broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth. Muncy passed Ron Cey with his 228th homer as a Dodger, moving him into fourth place in franchise history. He’s 14 behind Roy Campanella for third place.

The runs scored on homers from Alec Bohm and Bryan De La Cruz. Lauer had five runs to play with, so he won for the fifth time this season tonight. He’s 4-0 with a 3.35 ERA for the Dodgers after going 1-5 with a 6.69 ERA for the Blue Jays. He’ll likely face the Mariners next week.

Nola was coming off three solid outings in a row, but the Dodgers had two homers and eight additional hard-hit balls off him. He’s now surrendered 25 homers in 108 1/3 innings this year. When he topped the NL with 30 homers allowed two years ago, it was in 199 1/3 innings. He’s 3-8 with a 5.82 ERA ahead of a date with the Marlins next week.

Rushing entered hitless in 25 plate appearances since July 7, but he crushed the ball tonight; coming in at 108 mph on his homer, 102 mph on the double and 101 mph on a lineout to third. He has 11 homers, 11 doubles and 33 RBI in 222 plate appearances on the season.

De La Cruz had three plate appearances before Brandon Marsh hit for him in the ninth. The plan is for De La Cruz to start against lefties, but if he can get hot quickly, he might stake a claim in right field with Gabriel Rincones Jr. struggling to start his major league career. The Phillies, though, are almost certainly going to acquire an outfield before the deadline.

The 30-year-old rookie and Huntsville, Alabama native Hicklen is becoming a bit of a folk hero. He and fellow bottom of the order mate Jim Jarvis hit back-to-back doubles in the ninth inning that helped catalyze a six-run Braves rally which won them the game. He scorched that double at 104 mph and had another batted ball at 100 mph earlier. After being called up 10 days ago, this was his fifth start out of seven games and his second consecutive start even after incumbent right fielder Mike Yastrzemski was activated off the injured list. This hot stretch will likely be short lived with Ronald Acuña Jr. due back soon, but Hicklen has made his presence felt during this opportunity.

When this game was tied 1-1 entering the ninth inning, it seemed likely that Iglesias would find his way into it. Then, the Braves rallied for six runs in the top of the ninth and he got to relax. Then, Victor Meders let the Padres right back into it with three quick runs and Iglesias was called upon to save it. He gave up a home run to Luis Rengifo, but managed to end this game by striking out Manny Machado and Ty France to preserve the one run lead. That made Iglesias the ninth pitcher this season to record 20 saves and he has a 2.57 ERA to boot.

The Braves were certainly motivated to not expose Pérez in this one. He only faced 16 total batters and thus, didn’t complete two full revolutions around the Padres’ lineup. Also, oddly, he threw a first-pitch strike to 12 of those 16 and still managed to walk four batters. This was his first start back off the injured list for a forearm contusion though. Despite a low 3.38 ERA, Pérez’s rotation spot is in jeopardy ahead of the trade deadline. If nothing changes over the next few days, Pérez is scheduled for a two-start week against the Mets and Nationals coming up.

Merrill’s solo home run in the seventh inning got the Padres on the board and tied this game at one run apiece. It was a majestic blast too, traveling an estimated 449 feet with a 109 mph exit velocity and Merrill is suddenly red-hot. Over his last four games, he’s gone 8-for-14 with four home runs and could finally, at long last, be getting it together this season.

King had his swing-and-miss stuff working here despite struggling with his command. He forced 16 whiffs in total – two off his season-high – and retired eight of the last nine batters he faced. But again, his command was still wonky. His four walks matched a season-high and three of those came in a row to start this game. He was throwing changeups and sweepers that were feet off the plate during that flurry and had to dig deep to only let one run in. It’s incredible how highly effective he’s remained without the fantastic command that made him an ace two seasons ago. In total, he has 103 strikeouts, 49 walks, and a 3.24 ERA across 119 1/3 innings and is scheduled for a juicy two-start week against the Rockies and Giants at home next week.