MLB Player News

Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run, two walks and a stolen base in a 6-0 win against the Rangers on Saturday.

Ramirez opened the scoring with a solo homer in the fourth inning and added a walk, a stolen base and a run one frame later. It was the fourth time this season that the veteran third baseman has gone deep and swiped a bag in the same game, and two of those performances have come over his past four contests. Ramirez's power numbers are a bit down this season -- he has 10 homers through 66 contests -- but he's been as productive a base stealer as ever, as he's tied for first in the majors with 23 thefts. He's on pace to easily surpass his career-best mark of 44 stolen bases, which he established last year.

Leiter (3-5) took the loss against Cleveland on Saturday, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out two batters over 4.2 innings.

Leiter entered Saturday with back-to-back victories, including a 10-strikeout performance over 5.2 scoreless innings his previous time out. The right-hander opened his outing against Cleveland with three more scoreless frames before Jose Ramirez tagged him for a solo homer in the fourth. Things got much worse for Leiter in the fifth, when the Guardians got to him for four runs on a walk and four hits, including another solo homer, before he was lifted with two outs. The five runs Leiter allowed tied a season-worst mark, and this was the third time he's given up multiple homers in an outing. Overall, he has registered an unremarkable 4.69 ERA and 1.37 WHIP along with a 76:31 K:BB over 71 innings spanning 13 starts.

Bibee (1-7) earned the win over Texas on Saturday, tossing eight scoreless innings during which he allowed three hits and issued two walks while striking out three batters.

Bibee had gone winless over 13 starts entering Saturday, though he had recorded six quality starts and had held the opponent to one or zero runs on six different occasions. He took matters into his own hands against the Rangers, tying a season high with eight innings and holding Texas to no runs or extra-base hits. Bibee probably could have completed the game himself -- he was pulled after throwing just 87 pitches -- but regardless, his performance was more than good enough to earn him his first victory of the campaign. The right-hander will look to build upon this performance moving forward, and he's lined up for a favorable matchup at home against Detroit for his next start.

Wade went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two total runs and three total RBI in a 13-2 romp over the Athletics on Saturday.

Wade joined Houston on a one-year contract Thursday and went 0-for-4 in his season debut that evening. The veteran outfielder turned in a much more impactful performance in his second contest with his new club, with his big hits being a solo homer in the second inning and a two-run double in the fifth. Wade seems likely to get occasional starts in left field with the Astros, though he'll probably need to string together an extended productive run to get a chance at seeing regular playing time.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a grand slam, an additional run scored and a walk in a 13-2 rout of the Athletics on Saturday.

Alvarez opened the floodgates for a Houston offensive onslaught with his second-inning grand slam that made the score 6-0. The long ball was his seventh over his past 12 contests, a span during which Alvarez has also knocked in a whopping 17 runs while batting .386 (17-for-44). That power surge has pushed Alvarez up to second place in MLB with 22 homers, and he is also tied for second with 48 RBI.

Morris (0-1) took the loss against Houston on Saturday, allowing nine runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out four batters over four-plus innings.

Morris was called upon to start following injuries to Aaron Civale (shoulder) and Luis Severino (shoulder), but he didn't make a strong case for sticking in the rotation. The right-hander gave up six runs over his first two innings, with the biggest blow being a grand slam off the bat of Yordan Alvarez. That was one of three homers allowed overall by Morris, who needed 90 pitches to retire 12 batters. Neither Civale nor Severino is slated to return soon, but given Morris' performance Saturday, the Athletics -- who currently sit 3.5 games behind Seattle in the AL West -- may opt to turn to a different pitcher to fill the rotation slot.

McClanahan (6-3) took the loss Saturday against Miami, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out six.

McClanahan tossed at least five innings for an eighth consecutive start, but he did tie season worsts in both runs and hits allowed Saturday. The 29-year-old left-hander had given up one or no runs in six of his previous seven outings, so Saturday represented a rare letdown of sorts. McClanahan will bring a strong 2.85 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 59:21 K:BB over 60 innings into his next scheduled appearance on the road against the Angels.

Imai (3-3) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight batters over five innings in a win over the Athletics on Saturday.

Houston scored six runs in the first two innings, allowing Imai to go on cruise control. The right-hander gave up a pair of runs in the third frame but didn't allow the A's to get any closer. Imai racked up an impressive 17 swinging strikes and fell one short of his season-high mark with eight punchouts, though he was pulled after five innings and 92 pitches. That snapped a streak of two straight quality starts, but Imai nonetheless continued to turn things around after a rough beginning to his MLB career. He had an 8.31 ERA through his first five starts spanning 17.1 innings, but he's gone 2-1 with a 2.12 ERA across 17 frames over his subsequent three starts.

Manager Skip Schumaker said Curvelo exited Saturday's game against the Guardians with a left thigh injury, Matt Postins of SI.com reports.

Curvelo was struck on the inner thigh above the knee by a comebacker off the bat of Patrick Bailey in the top of the eighth inning and was immediately removed from the game after he fell to the ground following a bad throw to first base on the play. "He wasn't feeling really good," Schumaker said. It's unclear if Curvelo will need a stint on the injured list.

Ryan didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Royals, allowing one run on six hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander delivered his eighth quality start of the season on 102 pitches (66 strikes), but Ryan left the mound with the score tied 1-1. Five of those quality starts have come in his last six outings, a stretch in which he's delivered a 2.39 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 44:6 K:BB through 37.2 innings. He'll look for his fifth win of the year in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Detroit.