MLB Player News
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Teoscar Hernandez LF | LAD
Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez: Hammers fourth homer
Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Mets.
Hernandez's four homers have all come over his last nine games, helping the outfielder shake off a slightly slow start to the year. He's now batting .310 with a .918 OPS, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored, three doubles and a stolen base across 16 games. The 33-year-old outfielder has already received a couple of rest days this season, and the Dodgers' depth on offense will likely lead to that happening semi-regularly, especially once the team gets closer to full health.
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Kyle Tucker RF | LAD
Dodgers' Kyle Tucker: Swats second homer
Tucker went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Mets.
Tucker has hit safely in seven of his last 10 games but doesn't have a multi-hit effort in that span. He supplied an insurance run with his eighth-inning solo shot Wednesday. For the season, the outfielder is off to a bit of a slow start with a .239/.350/.343 slash line, two homers, 11 RBI, 14 runs scored and three stolen bases over 18 games. He also has a 12:17 BB:K, so he's had little trouble keeping the line moving even with the lack of hitting.
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Shota Imanaga SP | CHC
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Delivers another gem
Imanaga (1-1) earned the win, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out 11 over six innings in Wednesday's victory over the Phillies.
Imanaga gave up a leadoff homer to Trea Turner on just the second pitch of the game, but he was nearly untouchable the rest of the way. The left-hander settled in and went on to record multiple strikeouts in five separate innings, overpowering Philadelphia's lineup. His 11 punchouts tied a career high, and he generated an eye-popping 26 whiffs in one of the most dominant starts of his career. Imanaga has looked absolutely fantastic over his last two outings, striking out 20 while allowing just one run across 12 innings. Chicago's ace is slated to face Philadelphia again in his next start, this time back at Wrigley Field.
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Dalton Rushing C | LAD
Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Grand slam, double in win
Rushing went 2-for-4 with a grand slam, a double and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Mets.
Rushing got a rare chance to play since Shohei Ohtani was in the lineup only as a pitcher, opening up the designated-hitter role. As has been the case early this year, Rushing took advantage of his opportunity with a big performance, driving in half of the Dodgers' runs with his eighth-inning slam to turn the game into a blowout. He's played in just five contests so far, but he's gone 9-for-17 (.529) with four homers, eight RBI, seven runs scored and two doubles. Rushing has already matched his homer total from last season, but he still doesn't have a clear path to playing time aside from the occasional start behind the dish when Will Smith needs to rest his legs.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Strikes out 10 in win
Ohtani (2-0) allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out 10 over six innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Mets.
Ohtani didn't hit Wednesday, as he is still dealing with some residual effects of a hit-by-pitch from Monday's game. Whatever issue is there didn't impact his pitching, as he continues be nearly unhittable this season. The lone run against him came on MJ Melendez's ground-rule double in the fifth inning. Across three starts (18 innings), Ohtani has a 0.50 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 18:6 K:BB. His next pitching start is tentatively projected to be at San Francisco next week, but Ohtani should be able to get back into the lineup as a hitter before then.
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Clay Holmes SP | CHC
Mets' Clay Holmes: Goes five innings in loss
Holmes (2-2) allowed two runs on four hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out four over five innings, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Dodgers.
Hyeseong Kim clubbed a two-run home run off Holmes in the second inning, and the Mets weren't able to even the score while the right-hander was in the game. Holmes threw 63 of 88 pitches for strikes and appeared to have no lingering concerns after leaving his last start due to a tight left hamstring. The 33-year-old has maintained a 1.96 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 16:9 K:BB over 23 innings across four starts this season. He had moderate trouble with walks last year and will need to keep that in check to avoid having his ratios blow up. Holmes is projected to next take the mound at home versus the Twins.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Homers again Wednesday
De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Giants.
De La Cruz continued his recent surge, taking Tyler Mahle deep for a 442-foot solo shot in the fourth inning for his sixth home run of the season. It was also the 24-year-old's third homer in his last five games, a stretch in which he's gone 8-for-19 with five RBI. The dynamic shortstop appears to be settling into a groove at the plate after a somewhat uneven start.
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Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Padres' Xander Bogaerts: Sparks comeback Wednesday
Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Mariners.
Bogaerts got the Padres on the board with his blast off Emerson Hancock in the sixth inning. The shortstop has hit safely in eight of the last nine games, and five of his efforts in that span have included multiple hits. He's also clubbed all three of his homers this season during that hot stretch. Bogaerts is batting .284 with a .790 OPS, 13 RBI, five runs scored, two doubles and two stolen bases over 17 contests.
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Sal Stewart 1B | CIN
Reds' Sal Stewart: Erupts for two homers, six RBI
Stewart went 2-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI in Wednesday's win over the Giants.
Stewart delivered the biggest game of his young career, launching two three-run homers in the first two innings to put Cincinnati firmly in control. His first long ball gave the Reds an immediate lead in the first, and he followed it up an inning later with another three-run shot off Tyler Mahle to break the game open. It was Stewart's first career multi-homer game, and his six RBI set a career high. The 22-year-old continues to be one of baseball's breakout stars early on, batting .323 while ranking near the top of the league in home runs (seven), slugging percentage (.726) and OPS (1.160) through 18 games.
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Randy Vasquez SP | SD
Padres' Randy Vasquez: First adversity of season
Vasquez allowed four runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six over four innings in a no-decision Wednesday versus the Mariners.
Vasquez hadn't allowed more than a single run in any of his first three starts, but the Mariners got to him early Wednesday. Dominic Canzone hit a two-run double in the second inning and Brendan Donovan added a two-run single in the fourth. This was an inefficient showing for Vasquez, who threw just 45 of 85 pitches for strikes. Even with the shaky work in this outing, he's at a 2.49 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB across 21.2 innings through his first four outings this year. He's tentatively lined up to make his next start at Colorado.