MLB Player News

Diaz went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Twins.

Diaz opened with a 405-foot solo shot off Taj Bradley in the fifth inning and later added a two-run blast in the seventh for his second career multi-homer game. The long balls were the veteran's seventh and eighth of the season. Despite the breakout, Diaz hasn't given San Diego much reason to grant him more playing time recently, as he's gone just 6-for-28 over his last 10 games, driving in only two runs outside of Saturday's RBI.

Pivetta didn't factor into the decision against the Twins on Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings.

Pivetta was steady through the early frames before serving up a two-run homer to Byron Buxton in the fifth that accounted for most of the damage against him. The long ball has been a recurring issue lately, as Pivetta has now surrendered a home run in five of his last six starts. Still, it was just the second time in the right-hander's last 12 outings that he's allowed more than two runs, a stretch in which he's posted a stellar 2.06 ERA and a 76:18 K:BB across 70 innings. Pivetta is slated to face the Rockies in his next scheduled outing.

Vargas went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Dodgers.

Vargas logged his first multi-hit effort since his Aug. 18 return from a foot injury. He's gone 5-for-23 with two extra-base hits and six RBI over his last eight contests, and his homer Saturday was just his second of the year. The infielder has added a .255/.269/.451 slash line with 10 RBI, six runs scored, two doubles, one triple and no stolen bases across 52 plate appearances. Vargas remains in a part-time role, though he has multiple paths into the lineup due to his defensive versatility.

Carroll went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Dodgers.

Carroll opened the scoring with a solo shot off Tyler Glasnow in the seventh inning. This was Carroll's seventh homer of the month but just his second over the last 18 games. The star outfielder is up to 28 long balls, 68 RBI, 91 runs scored, 21 stolen bases and a .256/.331/.553 slash line through 120 contests this season.

Rodriguez (6-8) allowed four hits and four walks while striking out four over six scoreless innings to earn the win Saturday over the Dodgers.

Rodriguez wasn't exactly stingy in this performance, but he was effective enough to avoid letting the high number of walks burn him. The southpaw had posted a 22:17 K:BB over 32.1 innings across his six starts in August while allowing 17 runs, though he was able to sprinkle in a couple of quality starts in that span. Rodriguez has a 5.40 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 120:51 K:BB through 125 innings over 24 starts this season. He's projected to face one of his former teams, the Red Sox, in a home start for his next outing.

Glasnow (1-3) allowed three runs on four hits and struck out six without walking a batter over seven innings, taking the loss Saturday versus the Diamondbacks.

Glasnow threw 65 of 100 pitches for strikes in this outing, which was his first without issuing a walk all season. He traded zeroes with Eduardo Rodriguez until the seventh inning, when Arizona was able to put up all three of the runs on Glasnow's line. He hadn't completed six frames in any of his last three starts. On the year, Glasnow has a 3.41 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 81:32 K:BB through 68.2 innings over 14 starts. He's lined up to make his next start at Baltimore.

Palencia struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rockies.

Palencia retired the side of 13 pitches (eight strikes) to come away with his 21st save of the year. He's had some ups and downs in August, allowing five runs over 10.1 innings, but he's gone 7-for-8 in save chances. However, he's also posted a 1-2 record for the month. On the year, Palencia has a 2.02 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 56:15 K:BB through 49 innings while serving mostly as the Cubs' primary closer.

Assad (1-1) allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out one over six innings to earn the win over the Rockies on Saturday.

Assad was able to earn his second quality start in a row, putting together an efficient outing in Colorado. He threw just 46 of 80 pitches for strikes, but he was able to hold the Rockies largely at bay until he started to fade in the sixth inning. Assad is now at a 4.05 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB through 20 innings over four starts this season. Jameson Taillon (groin) isn't eligible to return until the second week of September at the earliest, so Assad should be penciled in to make his next start at home versus the Nationals.

Brown (0-2) allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three over four innings to take the loss versus the Cubs on Saturday.

Brown did a little better in his second MLB start, but he still wasn't all that successful in his first turn at Coors Field. He was able to keep the ball down, but he's walked three batters in each of his two outings, and he'll need to improve in that area to find more success. Brown is tentatively scheduled for another home start next week against the Padres.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Reds.

Contreras notched his sixth 20-homer season with a 431-foot blast in the seventh inning. The homer snapped a 1-for-21 skid over six games, coming after the 33-year-old went deep in his previous three contests between Aug. 20 and 22. On the year, he's slashing .253/.338/.449 with 20 long balls, 74 RBI, 66 runs scored and four steals across 526 plate appearances.