MLB Player News

Martinez got off to a brutal start this year, going 2-for-36 in his first 12 games for Buffalo, but he showed improvement in posting an .811 OPS last month and he’s on a tear now, having gone 8-for-13 in the current series against the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate. The problem now is that the Jays are treating him strictly as a second baseman of late, and he has both Andrés Giménez and Ernie Clement ahead of him there.

Pfaadt gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out four. He has only eight strikeouts in 19 innings over his last three starts. Pfaadt isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, but has still managed a 3.53 ERA this year. He’s lined up to face the Rangers at home next weekend.

De La Cruz crushed a solo homer off Dustin May in the first inning, turning a fastball around for a 438-foot blast at 112.1 mph. He later added a base hit in the fifth. The 24-year-old shortstop is having a stellar season, slashing .278/.356/.484 with 22 homers, 85 runs scored, 62 RBI, and 24 steals across 550 plate appearances.

Contreras put the Brewers on the board early, taking Andrew Abbott deep for a solo homer in the first inning. The 28-year-old backstop is hitting .271/.340/.407 with 14 homers, 73 runs scored, and 74 RBI across 573 plate appearances.

Pagán was summoned in the top of the ninth to close out the game against the Brewers with a two-run lead. He struck out the first batter, then loaded the bases on a double, a walk, and a base hit. A pop-out held the runners before Pagán generated a flyout to end the game with his 21st save of the season.

Montgomery’s home run was his 31st of the season. He hit a solo shot off Taj Bradley in the first inning. Montgomery now has three home runs in his last six games. He’s hitting .213 with a .734 OPS and 82 RBI.

Abbott surrendered a solo homer to William Contreras in the first inning. The Brewers brought a second run across in the third inning on a single, an error, and a groundout. Abbott would toss a scoreless fourth before a two-hour rain delay cut his outing short, ending his day at 58 pitches with five strikeouts. The 27-year-old left-hander will take a 4.43 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and a 120/70 K/BB ratio across 152 1/3 innings into a start against the Brewers in Milwaukee on Friday.

May served up a solo homer to Elly De La Cruz in the first inning. He then retired all three batters in the second and third before a rain delay cut his start short with two outs in the fourth. May would leave two runners on. One would come in to score following the two-hour delay. May struck out five. The 29-year-old right-hander will take a 4.69 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 127/45 K/BB ratio across 132 1/3 innings into a start against the Reds in Milwaukee next Saturday.

Murakami’s home run was his 30th of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Taj Bradley in the first inning. Murakami had been in a 1-for-24 (.042) slump over his last seven games entering play Saturday. The home run was his first since August 18 against the Cubs, a span of 16 games. Murakami is hitting .211 with an .832 OPS and 61 RBI on the year.

Jeffers’ home run was his 14th of the season. He hit a three-run shot off Anthony Kay in the fifth inning. Jeffers has now hit four home runs in his last five games. He’s hitting .271 with an .877 OPS and 53 RBI.