MLB Player News

Benintendi hit his seventh homer of the season off of Roki Sasaki in the first inning to give the White Sox an early 1-0 lead. It was the only homer the White Sox would manage on the evening despite an eight-run outburst that included a five-run fifth inning against Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki. Benintendi is slashing .250/.382/.571 on the month with three homers and six RBI.

Smith took the mound in the eighth with two outs and a runner on and struck out the final batter in the inning before working out a walk and a hit in the ninth, closing it out for his MLB-leading 23rd save. The 27-year-old right-hander has been outstanding, posting a 2.48 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 49/6 K/BB ratio across 32 2/3 innings.

The Tigers brought a run in on Cantillo in the first inning on a pair of hits. He stranded a runner in the second and allowed the first two runners to reach in the third before retiring nine straight batters, ending his day after the fifth with just the one run allowed and four strikeouts. Cantillo needed this one after giving up 15 runs across his last three starts. The 26-year-old left-hander will take a 4.38 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and a 67/36 K/BB ratio across 72 innings into a start against the Astros in Houston on Friday.

Skubal, making his first start in six weeks following his rapid recovery from elbow surgery, worked around a hit in the opening frame, striking out the final batter. The Guardians then brought an unearned run in to score on an error in the second. Daniel Schneemann took Skubal deep for a two-run blast in the third inning. Skubal would pitch into the fifth, leaving with two outs at 80 pitches, right at his pitch count goal for the day. Despite taking the loss on Saturday, perhaps the most important number of the day, just 38 days following surgery, was 97.8, his average fastball velocity. The 29-year-old left-hander will take a 2.81 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 49/7 K/BB ratio across 48 innings into a start against the White Sox in Detroit on Friday.

Ramos’s return will complicate the playing time situation in San Francisco with Bryce Eldridge starting regularly and Casey Schmitt replacing Ramos in left. The 26-year-old is one of the Giants’ better hitters, but unless someone else gets hurt between now and then, he might not be a regular after returning.

The Cubs have Pedro Ramírez at third base and Alex Bregman DHing tonight. Ballesteros seems to be swinging better lately, so the worst of his slump is probably over. Nevertheless, he’s still hitting just .125/.212/.159 in his last 31 games.

With the Padres up 9-3 and two outs and none on in the ninth, Marinaccio sent his first pitch at Henderson’s rib cage. Xander Bogaerts had been hit in the head earlier, and this appeared to be the Padres’ second attempt at revenge, directed at Henderson, after Bradgley Rodriguez missed twice with inside pitches in Henderson’s previous at-bat.

Bogaerts was able to shake it off initially after getting hit by a 94-mph fastball, but Sung-Mon Song then replaced him at shortstop. He’s likely day-to-day.

White put the Braves on the board with a double to drive in a run in the second inning. He then extended the lead with a solo homer in the fourth, driving in two of the team’s three runs on the day. White added a double in the seventh for his third extra-base hit. Saturday marked his first start in a week. The 31-year-old is hitting .244/.294/.436 with three homers and 14 RBI across 85 plate appearances.

Iglesias was summoned in the ninth to close out Saturday’s contest with a two-run lead. Juan Soto just missed a home run to lead off the inning as his knock was ruled a double. Iglesias then struck out the next batter and induced a double play to end the game with his 14th save to go with a 1.16 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 27/5 K/BB ratio across 23 1/3 innings.

Pérez was excellent against the Mets on Saturday, holding New York scoreless through five innings. He started the sixth and recorded one out and left one runner on before he was relieved at 71 pitches. The inherited runner would come in to score. Pérez collected four strikeouts and ended his day with a solid 2.90 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a 51/21 K/BB ratio across 62 innings. The 35-year-old left-hander will take on the Brewers in Atlanta on Friday.