MLB Player News

If you were born before Feb. 20, 1983 but after March 11, 1980, there might again soon be a major leaguer older than you. At age 45, Hill will attempt another midseason return to the mound after a rather sour experience with the Red Sox last year. If he pulls it off, he’ll be pitching for his 14th different team in his 21st season in the majors. Hill is 90-74 with a 4.01 ERA in 248 starts and 138 relief appearances since debuting with the Cubs in 2005.

It was a 108-mph shot from Patrick Bailey. Curvelo seemed to be interested in trying to walk it off, but going into the clubhouse and getting some ice on it was definitely the better idea.

This is more like how it was supposed to look for Imai. His famous backwards slider was on point here, forcing 11 of his 16 total swings-and-misses and got some really ugly hacks diving low and in against the Athletics’ right-handed hitters. We would have loved to see Imai be a bit more aggressive with his fastball in the zone, especially after pitching with a huge lead from the second inning onward, but just getting a big strikeout total and win is a huge step in the right direction for Imai. He’s scheduled to face the Royals on the road next time out.

Alvarez greeted rookie Kade Morris rudely in his major league debut with a second inning grand slam to put this game out of reach early. The ball got out in a hurry and nearly landed in the upper deck in right field at Daikin Park in Houston. He now has a 1.084 OPS to lead the league along with 22 home runs, one shy of Kyle Schwaber for the league lead there. If you told someone that Alvarez was the best hitter in baseball right now, they would struggle to argue with it.

The Athletics were down 6-0 in what felt like the blink of an eye in this one. Soderstrom’s run-scoring single in the third inning felt like it could’ve helped get a rally going, but it was eventually for naught as the Astros put up an additional touchdown before this one was said and done. For Soderstrom, a nearly 1.100 OPS over his last 15 games with practically twice as many walks as strikeouts has helped raise his season long stats to acceptable levels following an abysmal start to the season. Through 61 games, he now has a .754 OPS with 30 RBI and his 17 doubles are third-most in the American League.

Yikes, you couldn’t script a worse major league debut. This game got ugly quickly for Morris after letting up a first inning run and then second inning grand slam to Yordan Alvarez. He never settled in and was mercifully pulled with no outs in the fifth after allowing the first two hitters to reach base, both of which came around to score. His sinker-sweeper combo was ineffective, his command was poor across the board, and the Astros lit him up. If he sticks in the rotation for another turn, he’ll face the Rockies at home next week.

What a moment for Gonzalez to hit his first career home run. He launched a 428 foot blast off Phillies’ starter Andrew Painter into the upper deck at Citizens Bank Park to extend his squad’s lead to 6-0. Now, after one week of major league action, Gonzalez is 6-for-19 with four RBI, two walks, and four strikeouts as Munetaka Murakami’s replacement at first base. After years of minor league struggles, the former first round pick credits a change to his swing mechanics that’s helped him find significantly more power. His batted ball data at Triple-A back up that story and he’s an incredibly interesting player.

Watching an inning like this from Taylor can give a baseball fan goosebumps. He made mincemeat of Adolis García, Edmundo Sosa, and Kyle Schwarber with three strikeouts and was in control the entire time. He was up 0-2 on all three hitters, regularly flashed triple digits with his fastball, and forced six swings-and-misses in just one inning of work. If he’s ever unleashed as the White Sox’s full-time closer, he’d instantly be one of the nastiest in the league. His last save came nearly three weeks ago though, so be on the lookout if he actually takes this job over.

Following opener Brandon Eisert – which Burke has rarely done this season – he did not have a great outing here. His strikeout stuff was working and each his fastball and slider forced at least four swings-and-misses, but there was either too much nibbling or he was just too focused on hunting those strikeouts. His five walks were his most in any start this season, including two in a row in the sixth inning to set-up a Phillies’ rally. Still, there are reasons to be encouraged by his season as a whole with a 3.88 ERA and a 67 to 23 strikeout to walk ratio across 69 2/3 in total. He’s scheduled to face the Dodgers and Yankees in his next two starts, so he’ll have his work cut out for him.

After going down 6-0 early, Marsh tried to help the Phillies claw their way back into this one with his sixth inning home run. They still wound up losing by a few runs, but Marsh got his. The home run was his seventh of the season and double was his 11th. All in all, he’s leading the National League with a .335 batting average and has an .870 OPS in what’s quietly been a phenomenal season to this point.

It was more of the same here for Painter in another poor outing. The White Sox jumped all over him for four runs in the first inning after their first four batters reached base via two walks, a hit batsmen, and a single. Then, he almost squirmed out of it with just two runs on the board before an 11-pitch battle with Tristan Peters ended with a two-out, two-run double. Then, he gave up two solo home runs in the third and was pulled with runners on second and third in the fifth before Tanner Banks cleaned up his mess. Despite mixing up his repertoire lately to try and hide his subpar fastball, good results have not followed for Painter who left this outing with a rough 6.21 ERA on the season. He’s scheduled to face the Brewers next time out.