MLB Player News

Wheeler (9-1) earned the win Tuesday against the Reds, allowing one run on four hits while striking out 14 over seven innings.

Wheeler did not issue a walk and generated a dominant 20 swinging strikes while matching his career high with 14 punchouts. He recorded multiple strikeouts in five of his first six innings before Eugenio Suarez spoiled the shutout with a solo homer on the first pitch of the seventh. Wheeler has now won five straight decisions since suffering his lone loss of the season May 29 against the Dodgers. The right-hander has piled up 24 strikeouts over his last 11.2 innings and is scheduled to make one final start before the All-Star break against the Tigers. He owns a 2.28 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 98:20 K:BB across 87 innings this season.

Bowlan recorded one out to pick up a hold Tuesday against the Reds.

Bowlan tends to be deployed in middle relief, but he was called upon to get the Phillies out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning and struck out Eugenio Suarez for his lone out. Through 27.2 innings, the 27-year-old right-hander has a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 36:6 K:BB with three holds and no saves in three chances.

Alvarez (2-2) took the loss against the Astros on Tuesday, allowing five runs on four hits and five walks while striking out three across 5.2 innings.

Alvarez returned to a starting role after serving in a bulk-relief role against the Red Sox last Wednesday. He ended up pitching five-plus innings for the first time this season, but he also gave up a season-high five runs in the process. The Nationals have an off day Thursday, so Tuesday's outing figures to be Alvarez's last turn in the rotation before the All-Star break. He has a 3.64 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 51:21 K:BB over 47 innings this season.

Tena went 1-for-1 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to Houston.

Tena was brought out for the ninth inning to pinch hit for Jacob Young, and the former answered the call by taking Alimber Santa deep to right-center field for a solo homer. It was the fifth long ball of the season for Tena, two of which have come over his last four games. He is slashing .239/.303/.411 with 19 RBI, three steals and 16 extra-base hits across 178 plate appearances this season.

Wood went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during the Nationals' 6-3 loss to the Astros on Tuesday.

Wood wasted no time in getting the Nationals on the board, taking the second pitch he saw from Tatsuya Imai deep to right-center field for a solo home run in the first inning. Wood continues to rake at the plate, and over his last eight games he has gone 12-for-29 (.414) with five home runs, 12 RBI, one steal and 11 runs scored. His .949 OPS and 25 home runs rank fourth and sixth, respectively, in the majors this season.

Thornton fired a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Orioles.

Thornton was the fifth Chicago pitcher used in the game, and he retired Baltimore in order to record his second save of the season. The righty has tallied both of those saves in the past week with Daniel Palencia (elbow) still on the injured list and not set to return until after the All-Star break. Jacob Webb has been the Cubs' top option for saves with Palencia on the shelf, but he was called on in the seventh inning Tuesday to help his team get out of a bases-loaded jam. Thornton has been solid overall with a 2.63 ERA out of the bullpen, though he has only 13 strikeouts across 27.1 innings of work, which doesn't make him an ideal closer candidate.

Meyer did not factor into Tuesday's decision against the Mariners, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four across five innings.

Meyer opened his start nicely by striking out three of the first four batters he faced. He faced the minimum number of batters through four innings before giving up two runs in the fifth, but his stat line could have looked far worse after he loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Luckily for Meyer, his night ended at two earned runs after Michael Petersen came in and got the Marlins out of the bases-loaded jam. Meyer has given up two earned runs or fewer in seven consecutive starts, going 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 34:13 K:BB in 41.1 innings over that span. He's slated to start this weekend at home against the Guardians in his final turn in the rotation before the All-Star break.

Bregman went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Orioles.

While it's mostly been a down season for Bregman, he has two multi-hit efforts across his last four games, and he's collected seven RBI in his last eight games. The veteran third baseman has played in all but two of Chicago's contests so far, and he's sporting a .690 OPS with seven home runs and 34 RBI overall. Bregman has traditionally been a better second-half performer during his career, and his consistent playing time gives fantasy managers some hope that he'll build momentum as the year moves along.

Caissie went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk during Miami's 6-5 extra-inning win over Seattle on Tuesday.

Caissie opened Tuesday's scoring with a 418-foot solo home run to right-center field off Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo. It was the 12th home run of the season for Caissie, who has gone deep in three of his last six games. He has a .239 batting average over 246 plate appearances this season, but Caissie has been better at the plate of late, going 12-for-38 (.316) with one steal, four homers and 11 RBI over his last 15 games.

Amaya went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and three runs scored in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Orioles.

Amaya scored three times for the second time in his last three appearances, and he's batting .286 over his last 10 contests with three RBI and nine runs scored. The Cubs have alternated between Amaya and Carson Kelly in seven straight games, giving both players some fantasy appeal but also capping their respective ceilings. Kelly has been a bit better overall with a .763 OPS compared to Amaya's .725 mark, though Amaya is talented enough to make an offensive impact when given the opportunity.