MLB Player News

It was one of the better outings of the season for Lodolo, who struck out three batters through his first two innings of work. He struggled a bit with his command in this one, hitting three batters on the night. One of those hit batters was Jordan Lawlar, who would take his base after the HBP and later come around to score in the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2. Lodolo continues to look better than the player we saw earlier in the season, showing better command of the strike zone while also allowing just three earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. We’ll see if he can string together another good start on Wednesday when he takes on the Mets.

Machado took Orioles reliever Albert Suárez deep in the ninth inning to close out a five-homer afternoon for the Padres that included blasts by Jackson Merrill, Samad Taylor, Gavin Sheets and Rodolfo Durán. The 33-year-old veteran third baseman has hit a bit of a rough patch lately, batting .196 (9-for-46) with two homers and five RBI since the start of June.

Alonso delivered one of his strongest performances of the season on an otherwise forgettable afternoon for Baltimore. He took Padres starter Randy Vásquez deep with two outs in the opening frame and also added an RBI double in the seventh inning as part of a three-hit effort. The power-hitting 31-year-old is scorching hot of late, hitting .326 (15-for-46) with five homers and 12 RBI in 12 games since the start of June.

Vásquez got off to a rocky start when he coughed up a pair of runs in the first inning, including a solo shot to Pete Alonso. However, he managed to settle in and keep Baltimore off the scoreboard into the middle innings to pick up his sixth win of the season. He struck out five and only issued two walks. He’ll face the Rangers in a road matchup on Friday his next time out.

Pasquantino popped up, grabbed his wrist on the followthrough and then went straight down toward the clubhouse after the ball was caught. Isaac Collins replaced him in the game, with Jac Caglianone moving from right field to first. If Pasquantino lands on the IL, the Royals could call up John Rave for the outfield and play Caglianone at first base regularly.

Goldschmidt became the first hitter to take Toronto stopper Louis Varland deep this season, launching a majestic 400-foot blast to left field in the ninth inning. It was his ninth round-tripper of the season and third time he’s left the yard in 10 games since the start of June. The 38-year-old has seen a huge uptick in playing time with Giancarlo Stanton (calf) on the shelf. That trend should continue with Stanton suffering a setback in his recovery.

Okamoto’s third-inning solo homer was Toronto’s lone tally against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler and a pair of relievers, who combined to somehow allow just one run on just six hits and seven walks. The 29-year-old third baseman has homered in back-to-back games in the series and is up to 15 round-trippers through 69 games.

Domínguez took Blue Jays veteran starter Kevin Gausman deep in the fourth inning of his return from the injured list. It was New York’s lone run of the contest until Paul Goldschmidt’s go-ahead blast in the ninth. The 23-year-old former top prospect has plenty of runway to prove he belongs in the majors with Aaron Judge (rib), Trent Grisham (hamstring) and Giancarlo Stanton (calf) sidelined with injuries.

Bednar got the call to protect a two-run lead in the ninth and needed just 13 pitches (10 strikes) to slam the door, setting down Andrés Giménez, George Springer and Nathan Lukes on strikes to preserve the win. The 31-year-old veteran stopper has converted 14 of 16 save opportunities this season. He’s reeled off seven consecutive scoreless appearances dating back to May 22.

Varland was called upon to work the top of the ninth in a tie ballgame and wound up surrendering a go-ahead homer to Paul Goldschmidt. He’s given up three runs over his last three appearances after allowing just one earned run across 34 2/3 innings through June 7. He’s put together an outstanding first-half performance and will continue serving as Toronto’s primary closer.