MLB Player News

It’s hard to fully capture how dominant Hernandez has been in his professional debut. The numbers speak for themselves as he’s compiled a microscopic 0.75 ERA with a 23/3 K/BB ratio over 12 innings. The 19-year-old, taken sixth overall in last year’s MLB Draft, already looks like one of the most polished young arms in baseball and could reach Double-A by the end of the season. A rapid ascent to the majors like collegiate arms Chase Burns or Trey Yesavage last year seems unlikely, but the stuff is there for him to debut at some point next year.

Rutschman kicked things off with a solo homer in the first inning to give the Orioles the early lead, and wound up falling a triple shy of the cycle. He would drive in four more runs in this one, with two of those coming on an RBI single in the sixth inning to retake the lead over Trey Yesavage and the Jays in what ended up being a five-run inning for the Birds. Rutschman continues to be one of the hottest bats in the O’s lineup and is slashing .308/.424/.577 in his last seven games.

Pérez continues to string together strong outings for the Braves, picking up his second-straight win while limiting baserunners all night. All three runs and all five baserunners Pérez allowed in this one came in the third inning, as the Pirates appeared to be getting after him early on. That said, he settled in to pitch back-to-back scoreless frames while the Braves battled their way back from a 3-1 deficit to position Pérez for the victory. He’ll look to pick up a third-straight win in his next outing, which is scheduled for Thursday at the White Sox.

Keller narrowly avoided trouble in the first inning after allowing two batters to reach base, but didn’t enjoy the same fortunes in the second inning. After putting two men on again in the inning, Keller would allow an RBI single to Ronald Acuña to give the Braves their first run of the night. Keller would surrender a two-run homer to Mauricio Dubón in the third inning and was lit up for three more runs in the fifth before being pulled with two outs. Keller is in a bit of a funk after allowing 13 earned runs over his last 8 2/3 innings. Things won’t get any easier for him in his next start, which is scheduled for Thursday against the Dodgers.

After retiring the first two batters he faced to start the game, Yesavage surrendered a solo homer to Adley Rutschman to give the O’s an early 1-0 lead. It would be the only run and hit Yesavage would allow through the first five innings, as the righty was largely in control of the strike zone while generating weak contact. The Orioles got after Yesavage a bit in the sixth, however, with Jackson Holliday kicking things off with a leadoff double. Gunnar Henderson would later walk to put two runners on with one out, and was driven in by Adley Rutschman two pitches later to tie the game at 3-3. Yesavage would then give up an RBI single to Jeremiah Jackson to put the Orioles out in front, which was followed by a two-run homer by Coby Mayo to officially knock Yesavage from the game. Yesavage was solid before disaster struck. What was nearly one of his best outings of the season turned into the most earned runs he’s allowed in a game all year. He’ll look to bounce back in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Phillies.

Young allowed a leadoff double to George Springer to start the game. Springer would eventually come home on a sacrifice fly by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to tie the game at 1-1. In the second inning, Young would narrowly escape a jam with runners on the corners and two outs, and went on to pitch two more scoreless frames before falling victim to a two-run homer by Brandon Valenzuela, which put the Jays up 3-1. Overall, it was a solid outing for Young, who didn’t allow a free baserunner all night and left the game with a chance to pick up the win after the Orioles drove home five runs in the sixth inning. Young continues to be one of the more reliable arms in the Orioles’ rotation. He’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight of his nine starts and has pitched into the seventh inning in his last three outings. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday at home against the Mariners.

Contreras got his first RBI on a little chopper with a projected landing distance of one foot; Ryan Weathers was able to go to his right to get it, but he couldn’t make the accurate throw to first under pressure. The other two came on a 113-mph homer projected at 419 feet. Contreras has five RBI the last two days and 38 for the season. He’s eighth in the majors with a .934 OPS.

He was facing the Bombers in Yankee Stadium for the first time since an offseason interview about how much he dislikes his former team. Gray gave up two homers and six other hits while allowing two walks and striking out only three, but he really limited the damage in improving to 7-1 with a 3.20 ERA on the year. A couple of double plays, one on a Paul Goldschmidt grounder and another on an Anthony Volpe liner, helped there. Gray due to face the Rays in St. Pete next week.

Chapman walked the first and third batters he faced, both on four pitches, but the three outs all proved pretty easy. It was his 16th straight scoreless appearance, and he still hasn’t blown a save this year.

Weathers had a little extra velocity tonight, averaging 96.4 mph with his fastball, but he gave up two homers, seven hits and 11 hard-hit balls in all. He allowed two runs in the third after a potential double play ball resulted in only one out, as Anthony Volpe, probably overly cautiously, didn’t feel comfortable trying to make the initial throw to second with a pulled over Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ceddanne Rafaela both running towards the bag. The last two runs came on a Willson Contreras homer with two outs in the fifth. Chisholm seemed to have a real shot at handling the single to his left that kept the inning going, but he alligator armed it. Although he obviously deserves a significantly better record, Weathers dropped to 2-4 with a 3.86 ERA. He’ll face the Guardians next.

The Yankees certainly can’t ask Rice to step it up with Aaron Judge out, but they do need him to keep doing what he’s doing. He’s tied for fourth in the majors in homers and sixth with his 45 RBI. Only Yordan Alvarez has a higher OPS.