MLB Player News

Betts went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

Betts has 15 home runs on the year, including homers in back-to-back games. The shortstop has gone 11-for-26 (.423) over his last seven games, picking up four extra-base hits and three RBI in that span. The strong hitting is encouraging, especially considering his struggles earlier in the year. Overall, Betts is batting .239 with a .714 OPS, 39 RBI, 47 runs scored, 13 doubles and one stolen base across 84 contests.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

Ohtani's third-inning blast was ultimately the difference in this game. The superstar has eight multi-hit efforts over his last 17 games, going 23-for-68 (.338) with five homers and 14 RBI in that span. Ohtani is now batting .292 with a .937 OPS, 27 long balls, 74 RBI, 77 runs scored, 23 doubles, two triples and seven stolen bases over 115 contests this season.

Knack allowed two hits and struck out two without walking a batter over 2.2 scoreless innings to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

Knack threw 22 of 36 pitches for strikes in this outing. He was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier in the day, though the long-relief assignment could lead to him getting optioned out again for a fresh arm as the Dodgers open up a big four-game series against the Brewers on Thursday. With a 5.87 ERA over 7.2 innings across three appearances, Knack is unlikely to see anything more than multi-inning relief assignments when in the majors.

Lauer (7-6) allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out six over 6.1 innings to earn the win over the Royals on Wednesday.

Lauer was pummeled for six runs over four innings against the Cubs in his last start, but he bounced back with his third quality start in five outings since the beginning of July. The left-hander was able to contain the damage to the early frames, giving up one run in both the second and third innings before settling down in this 112-pitch (73 strikes) outing. For the year, Lauer has a 4.67 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 63:31 K:BB over 98.1 innings through 19 games (16 starts) between the Dodgers and the Blue Jays., but he's maintained a 3.48 ERA over his 62 innings with Los Angeles. His next start is projected to be at Colorado.

Freeman was removed from Wednesday's game against the Royals due to an apparent injury, Jack Harris of the California Post reports. He went 1-for-2 with a walk prior to his departure in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Freeman fell into the Royals' dugout while tracking a pop-up in foul territory during the eighth inning. He initially remained in the game but was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the frame. His ability to remain in the game for a while after the incident suggests he avoided a serious injury, though the Dodgers should provide more information on his condition in the near future.

Gonzales went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-2 loss to the Marlins.

Gonzales scored on a throwing error and a sacrifice fly for Pittsburgh's only two runs of the game. The Pirates are now 1-7 since the trade deadline, but Gonzales is third in the National League with a .307 average. The infielder is also up to 64 runs, a .760 OPS and 53 RBI across 478 plate appearances on the season.

Hernandez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in the 8-2 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Hernandez extended the lead to 8-2 in the sixth with a crushing long ball to left-center off of Lake Bachar, his first homer in 10 games and 17th on the season. Hernandez had been mired in a 4-for-37 (.108 batting average) slump coming into Wednesday.

Conine went 2-for-2 with a solo home run, a double, three walks and two additional runs scored in Wednesday's 8-2 victory over the Pirates.

Conine reached safely each time he came to the plate Wednesday, with the highlight of his night a towering home run to center field off former Marlin Lake Bachar. The 29-year-old has homered three times in the last three games and has been swinging a hot bat since the All-Star break, posting a 1.025 OPS with eight homers, 15 RBI, 13 runs and 11 walks across 84 plate appearances in that span.

Junk (6-7) earned the win Wednesday against Pittsburgh, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk while striking out two over six innings.

Wednesday marked Junk's longest start since returning from a shin injury that cost him over a month earlier in the summer. Having worked only three innings due to a rain delay in his prior outing, Junk's arm was lively Wednesday, and he fired 56 of his 81 pitches for strikes. The right-hander now has a 3.83 ERA at home compared to a 5.35 road figure, and he lines up to make his next start against the Phillies next week.

Mlodzinski (6-5) took the loss Wednesday, giving up four runs on five hits and three walks over 2.1 innings in an 8-2 loss to the Marlins. He struck out one.

Mlodzinski has only pitched 5.1 innings and has given up nine runs in his first two starts since May 25. With Mitch Keller (arm) shut down for the rest of the season, Mlodzinski clearly hasn't been able to capitalize on the recent pair of starting opportunities that development has afforded him. Despite the consecutive rocky outings, the right-hander is likely to remain in the rotation and make his next start next week versus the Tigers.