MLB

The hard-hitting 23-year-old backstop opened the scoring in the ballgame with a 397-foot solo shot off of Jon Gray in the second inning. That would wind up being the Angels’ only run in the contest. O’Hoppe also singled in the ballgame, finishing the night 1-for-2. On the season, he’s now slashing .228/.274/.491 with the aforementioned 13 long balls and 27 RBI. Eight of those home runs have come in 20 games during the month of September.

The Giants weren’t able to get anything going against Padres’ starter Blake Snell in this one, but they were able to mount a threat against Robert Suarez in the eighth inning. There, they loaded the bases with one out before Patrick Bailey bounced into a fielder’s choice with LaMonte Wade Jr. being cut down attempting to score. Conforto then pinch-hit for Heliot Ramos and lined a 99 mph fastball into left field for a go-ahead two-run single. Overall in his first season with the Giants, the 30-year-old outfielder is hitting .245/.341/.393 with 15 homers, 58 RBI and four stolen bases in 455 plate appearances.

The 26-year-old right-hander punched out seven batters on the night and didn’t issue a walk. The lone tally against him came on an RBI single by Manny Machado in the opening inning. The Padres threatened again in the ninth inning — with two straight singles to start the frame, but Webb battled back to get Ji-Man Choi to bounce into a fielder’s choice with Juan Soto being cut down at the plate. He then got Jurickson Profar to bounce out to second base to end it. Webb generated 10 swings and misses on a season-high 110 pitches on the night, registering a CSW of 32 percent. Now 11-13 on the season, Webb sports a stellar 3.25 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a 194/31 K/BB ratio across 216 innings in his 33 starts. He’ll attempt to finish the season on a high note when he does battle against the Dodgers on the season’s final day.

Machado delivered a one-out RBI single off of Logan Webb in the top half of the first inning, giving the Padres an early 1-0 advantage. That lead would stand until the eighth inning, where Michael Conforto delivered a two-out, two-run single to change the tides. With his two-hit effort, the 31-year-old slugger is now hitting .255/.318/.463 with 30 homers, 89 RBI and three stolen bases on the season.

Snell allowed just four hits on the evening while issuing two walks. He left the game after six innings with the Padres leading 1-0 and in line for his 15th victory of the season, but the Padres’ bullpen was unable to hang on for him. The 30-year-old left-hander generated 21 swings and misses on 100 pitches on the evening — eight of those on his fastball — while registering an elite CSW of 39 percent. Snell is going to garner consideration for the National League Cy Young Award this season, compiling a 2.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 234/99 K/BB ratio across 180 innings. He’ll look to finish the season strong when he takes on the White Sox in Chicago on the final day of the regular season.

Alvarez victimized Mariners’ ace Luis Castillo for a mammoth 439-foot solo shot in the third inning that extended the Astros’ lead to 4-0. He also doubled in the ballgame. With his two-hit attack, the 26-year-old slugger is now slashing a robust .297/.411/.593 with 30 homers and 96 RBI in 473 plate appearances on the season.

The 26-year-old superstar tagged Luis Castillo for a 419-foot solo blast in the sixth inning, extending the Astros’ advantage to 5-0. That would be his only hit in three at-bats during the game, though he also drew a walk. Tucker has enjoyed another outstanding all-around season at the dish — slashing .281/.367/.514 with 29 homers, 110 RBI and 29 stolen bases. He’ll be a surefire first-round selection in fantasy drafts once again next spring.

The 37-year-old backstop smacked a two-out RBI double off of Luis Castillo in the second inning that extended the Astros’ lead to 2-0. He then dashed around to score on a run-scoring knock off the bat of Jose Altuve. With his two-hit attack, Maldonado is now hitting .193/.261/.349 with 14 homers and 35 RBI in what has been a putrid season offensively.

The 36-year-old started a rally with his leadoff triple off of Luis Castillo in the second inning and came around to score the game’s first run on a two-out RBI single by Mauricio Dubon. That would be his lone hit in four at-bats on the evening. It has been a disappointing season overall for Abreu, as he’s hitting just .235/.295/.377 with 17 homers and 84 RBI.

The 40-year-old hurler racked up eight strikeouts on the night while allowing only one base on balls. The Mariners mounted one serious scoring threat against him in the game — loading the bases for Julio Rodriguez with one out in the third inning — but Verlander got him to bounce into an inning-ending double play. He returned for the ninth inning in an attempt to record his first shutout since 2019, but was lifted after allowing a leadoff double. That run ultimately came around to score against Bryan Abreu. Verlander generated 11 swings and misses on 96 pitches in the game, posting a CSW of 30 percent. He’ll head into his regular season finale against the Diamondbacks in Arizona on Sunday with a 3.26 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 139/42 K/BB ratio across 157 1/3 innings in his 26 starts.