MLB Player News

Cameron (4-4) earned the win over St. Louis on Thursday, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks while striking out six batters over five innings.

Cameron had a rough first inning, when the Cardinals put up a pair of runs on a hit, two walks, a wild pitch and an error. However, the Royals offense had the lefty hurler's back, posting seven runs over the ensuing two frames to hand him a big lead. It wasn't exactly smooth sailing for Cameron from there, as he gave up two more runs and needed 108 pitches to labor through five innings, but KC's offensive explosion provided the support needed for him to emerge with the win. Cameron bounced back with six punchouts and 14 whiffs after notching just one strikeout in his previous start, and he kept the ball in the park after allowing two long balls in that prior outing. He'll carry a 4.20 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 70:19 K:BB through 75 frames into his next start, which lines up to be a road game in Tampa Bay.

Benintendi went 1-for-1 with a grand slam in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Yankees.

Benintendi delivered the game's defining moment in the eighth inning. Entering as a pinch hitter for Randal Grichuk in a tie game with the bases loaded, the veteran outfielder launched a 393-foot grand slam off Camilo Doval to break the game open and give Chicago all the offense it would need. The homer continued a recent power surge for Benintendi, who has now gone deep three times in his last 17 plate appearances. After a slow start to the season, he has raised his production to a .242 batting average and .741 OPS across 66 games.

Montgomery went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Yankees.

Montgomery opened the scoring in the second inning, taking Ryan Weathers deep for a solo shot. The blast was his 20th home run of the season, moving him into a tie for fifth in the majors. The shortstop has been on an impressive power surge lately, collecting four homers and seven RBI over his last four games. Montgomery is slashing .230/.325/.516 with 13 doubles, 45 RBI, 36 runs scored and one stolen base across 70 games.

Weathers did not factor into the decision Thursday against the White Sox, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out eight over 6.1 innings.

Weathers came out firing, striking out the side in the first inning before running into his lone mistake of the night when Colson Montgomery launched the first pitch of the second inning for a solo homer. The left-hander was excellent from that point forward, limiting Chicago to just two additional hits while recording his fifth outing of at least eight strikeouts. The performance was a much-needed rebound effort after a rough stretch in which he had allowed five or more runs in four of his previous five starts. Weathers now has a 4.13 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 89:22 K:BB across 80.2 innings.

Burke (4-4) earned the win Thursday against the Yankees, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out eight over 7.1 innings.

After opener Bryan Hudson tossed 1.2 scoreless innings, Burke carried the bulk of the workload and finished the game, with the lone blemish on his line coming via a Ryan McMahon solo homer in the third inning. The right-hander was dominant Thursday, generating a whopping 20 whiffs and an elite 39.2 percent whiff rate. His eight strikeouts matched a season high and were especially encouraging given his recent inconsistency, as he entered Thursday with a 5.82 ERA over his previous seven appearances. Burke now owns a 3.89 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 81:29 K:BB across 81 innings this season and is scheduled to face Cleveland at home in his next outing.

Emerson went 1-for-2 with a walk, two RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's 3-0 win over Baltimore.

In his first plate appearance, Emerson lined a two-run single as part of a three-run frame that ultimately accounted for the game's only scoring. He also swiped his first base of the season in the first inning. The young infielder is batting 5-for-22 (.227) since returning to the lineup last week after missing a few games due to back spasms. On the season, Emerson is slashing .235/.309/.529 with six home runs, five doubles, a triple, 16 RBI and 13 runs across 26 contests.

Munoz earned the save Thursday against the Orioles, allowing two walks while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

Munoz was handed a three-run lead in the ninth and made things a bit interesting. The right-hander issued walks to Gunnar Henderson and Samuel Basallo to bring the tying run to the plate, but the right-hander ultimately closed out the victory to secure his 12th save in 17 opportunities. He's recorded consecutive scoreless appearances for the first time since May 22. Munoz now owns a 5.47 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 39:13 K:BB across 26.1 innings.

Soriano (chest) will start Friday's contest against the Athletics in Sacramento, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Soriano initially appeared on track to start Thursday's series opener, but the Angels opted to push the right-hander back an extra day to give him more time to heal up from the chest tightness and sore legs he experienced after being struck by a comebacker in his previous appearance last Saturday. Soriano has come back down to earth after a remarkable start to the season, posting a 4.74 ERA and 1.54 WHIP with 49 strikeouts over 49.1 innings in his last nine starts, though he tossed five scoreless frames his last time out against the Rays before leaving the game early.

Witt exited Thursday's contest against the Cardinals in the fourth inning due to an apparent right knee injury, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Witt torqued his right knee/leg while attempting to make a sliding stop at shortstop in the top of the fourth inning, and he ultimately exited the game before his next at-bat in the bottom of the frame. Witt will finish his night having gone 2-for-2 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored. Tyler Tolbert has replaced him in the lineup.

Baz (4-7) took the loss Thursday against the Mariners, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out nine over seven innings.

Baz's outing got off to a rocky start as Seattle pushed across three runs in the first inning, but the right-hander was excellent from that point forward. After allowing five hits during his first trip through the Mariners' lineup, Baz didn't surrender another hit the rest of the way and retired 15 of the final 16 batters he faced before exiting. The three earned runs matched the most he has allowed in a start since May 15, as he entered Thursday with a 2.05 ERA over his previous five outings. Baz now owns a 4.04 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 76:34 K:BB across 89 innings this year and is scheduled to face the Angels on the road in his next start.