MLB Player News

Freeman extended the Dodgers’ lead with a base hit in the fifth to drive in a run. He later hit a ground-rule double in the ninth. The 36-year-old first baseman is on a 22-game home run drought, with his last round-tripper coming on April 6. Though strong barrel and hard-hit rates suggest this may be a buy-low opportunity. Freeman is hitting .271/.333/.419 with 12 runs scored and 16 RBI across 141 plate appearances.

Greene also drew a walk, so it was a four-reach day for the 25-year-old talent. His homer was his 13th of the season; a two-run blast off Kumar Rocker. He came a double short of the cycle, and in the process he saw his slash improve to .292/.380/.474. He hasn’t shown as much power as he did in 2025, but he’s been a more well-rounded player in 2026. It’s a fair trade-off.

Paredes extended the Astros’ lead to 2-0 with his solo blast. The 27-year-old also singled to improve his slash to a respectable .257/.348/.423 over the first 92 games of the campaign. It’s also worth noting that he’s swung the bat much better than that since the end of May, as he he forged an .877 OPS in June and has picked up hits in all four July contests.

Walker’s solo homer was all of the offense the Astros would need, although they did get another run on a solo blast from Isaac Paredes. That’s now Walker’s 20th homer of the season for the 35-year-old veteran, and he’s driven in 57 runs over 92 games. Walker hasn’t been elite as seen in a slash of .238/.311/.470, but it’s a vast improvement from the production — or lack thereof — in the first half of 2025.

Hader issued a leadoff walk, and then had no issue getting through the rest of the Rays’ lineup while picking up his ninth save. He’s been dominant since returning from the injured list, and this scoreless frame lowers his ERA to a miniscule 0.61 over his 15 frames.

Englert was just recalled from Triple-A Durham to start Sunday’s game, and while he picked up the loss, it went well. The only damage was a pair of solo homers, and outside of that, he had the Houston hitters off-balance while throwing 65-of-101 pitches for strikes. The Rays don’t have a starter scheduled for Friday against the Mariners, and it seems pretty likely that Englert will get the nod for that contest. If he doesn’t, it won’t be based on the results from Sunday.

Lambert threw 60-of-90 pitches for strikes, and he struck out six against one walk while allowing just three hits. The right-hander scuffled a bit in his previous outing against the Twins, but for the most part, he’s been a solid — and surprising — helper for the Houston rotation as seen in his 7-5 record and 3.26 ERA. He’ll make his final start before the All-Star break against the Rangers on the road.