MLB Player News

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.

Rice hit just .184 with four home runs and 13 RBI in August. So far in September, he’s 9-for-17 (.529) with one home run and two RBI in four games. Rice is hitting .261 with an .883 OPS and 88 RBI this year.

Machado’s home run was his 25th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Carlos Rodon in the fourth inning. Machado’s home run was his first since August 18 against the Mets, a span of 13 games. It’s one thing to go on a homer drought, but it’s another entirely when you’re also hitting .221. Hopefully, Saturday was a sign that Machado can end the season strong after hitting just one home run in 28 games in August.

Ray gave up five hits, walked four and struck out one. He fell to 11-8 with the loss. Ray had completed at least five innings with two runs allowed or less in his last three starts entering play Saturday. He has a 3.39 ERA despite a 4.89 xFIP this year. Ray is lined up to face his former team the Giants on the road next weekend.

Rodón gave up two hits, walked three and struck out seven. He improved to 5-3 with the win. Rodón hadn’t completed five innings in his last three starts entering play Saturday, so his outing against the Padres was a step in the right direction. He has a 3.09 ERA. Rodón is lined up to face the Mets at home next weekend.

Paredes drove in all three of the Astros runs on Saturday. He had a two-run single in the third inning and an RBI single in the fifth inning. Paredes now has six RBI over his last five games. He’s hitting .259 with a .781 OPS and 79 RBI this year.

Marte’s home run was his 22nd of the season. He hit a solo shot off Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh in the eighth inning to tie the game 3-3. Marte’s home run was his first since August 11 against the Rockies, a span of six games. He’s hitting .251 with a .766 OPS and 68 RBI in what’s been a season to forget for the three-time All-Star.

Pecko gave up five hits, walked one and struck out two. He pitched well, but was pulled in the middle of the fifth inning with 81 pitches thrown. Pecko hasn’t thrown more than 89 pitches in any of his four starts. He has a 5.19 ERA. Pecko is lined up to face the Rays on the road next weekend, though he remains off the radar for fantasy managers.

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.