MLB Player News

Brebbia won’t be eligible for the postseason, if the Red Sox qualify, but he provides them with some experienced relief depth for the home stretch. The 35-year-old veteran has been hit hard with a bloated 7.71 ERA across 23 1/3 innings of work this season between the Tigers and Braves. He’s made 376 relief appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2017.

Chourio is heating up. He’s hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games and this was his second four-hit game over the past week as he paced his Brewers in a comeback win against the Cubs. In total, they stacked 14 hits and went 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Their opponents claim they do that every game, but this lineup looks a whole lot different when Chourio is locked in like this at the top of their order. Even after missing more than a month to begin the season, he’s up to 21 home runs and his .834 OPS would be his career-best by a decent margin.

Misiorowski didn’t have it in this start from the jump. He walked Pete Crow-Armstrong to start this game with four straight balls after getting ahead 0-2 on him and then Alex Bregman made him pay just after with a two-run homer. The second inning wasn’t much better as Misiorowski tossed 31 pitches and the Cubs brought home three more runs. For the first time in a while, his command was all over the place as he missed spot after spot. His fastball didn’t even have a 40% zone rate and by his second time around the Cubs’ lineup, he was leading with his cutter. That pitch was erratic too and Misiorowski looked more like the pitcher we saw on his worst days during his rookie season than who he’s become this year. Nevertheless, he’ll have a chance to right the ship against these same Cubs next time out.

Bregman absolutely had Jacob Misiorowski’s number in this one. He socked a two-run home run off him in the first inning and then plated two more with a two-out single in the second. That single felt like a huge moment at the time too as the Cubs opened up a 5-3 lead over their rivals and Bregman was pumping up his teammates from second base after the play. Chicago’s offense stalled after that, but don’t let that dampen how scalding hot Bregman suddenly is. During his current six-game hitting streak, he has five home runs, four doubles, 12 RBI, and has raised his OPS by nearly 40 points.

Peterson had a rough time with the Brewers here. It was arduous from the jump as he managed to struggle through a 33-pitch first inning after retiring the first two batters he faced. There were no homers and no balls were hit particularly hard, but the Brewers battled, worked deep counts, found holes, and eventually Peterson let his frustration take over with a four-pitch walk to Gary Sánchez with the bases loaded. The fourth inning went in a very similar way and Cubs’ manager Craig Counsell pulled Peterson before he could get through it. This is still just the second time in 12 starts since being traded to the Cubs where he’s let up more than two runs and he’ll have a chance to get right in his next scheduled start against these same Brewers in Milwaukee. That will begin a two-start week where he also faces the Pirates at home.

Saggese hit a two-run homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the sixth and singled in the go-ahead run in a three-run 10th inning. He has eight hits and three homers in his last three games. It sounds like Masyn Winn is about ready to return, but one imagines Saggese will stay in the lineup. He probably should have been getting at-bats at Nolan Gorman’s expense months ago, but there’s still time for that to happen now.

The Cardinals scored three times in the top of the inning to give O’Brien some margin for error. He’s often needed that recently, but he retired all three batters he faced tonight. The unearned run was produced by a passed ball and a groundout.

Leo Bernal’s two-run homer in the seventh made this just the fourth time this year that Yamamoto has given up four runs and only the third time he’s allowed four earned runs. He did leave with a one-run lead anyway, but it didn’t hold up in what turned into an extra-inning loss. Yamamoto finished up with eight strikeouts, making this four straight starts in which he’s totaled eight or nine. He’ll face the Reds next week.

Instead of holding him back for a save situation, the Dodgers used Scott against the heart of the order in the eighth tonight. Unfortunately, he went on give up a run on an 85-mph groundball double pulled down the third base line, a runner-advancing groundout and then a sac fly. It was just his third blown save of the year, and it shouldn’t have any effect on his standing in the Dodgers pen.

Bernal DH’d tonight after catching in his major league debut Tuesday. His homer in the seventh, a 377-foot fly to right center, brought the Cardinals to within one run. In the ninth, he hit a 359-footer down the right field line that would have been a homer in 23 ballparks but not at Dodger Stadium. Bernal is 2-for-9 with four RBI in his two games, and it looks like he might get enough playing time to justify a roster spot in two-catcher leagues.

Freeman had been stuck on 15 homers since July 4 before hitting a ball 416 feet tonight. It was his 383rd career homer, moving him past Frank Howard, Ryan Howard and Jim Rice and into a tie with Larry Walker for 74th place all-time. The five times on base moved him past Lou Brock and Fred McGriff into 62nd place all-time at 3,836.