MLB Player News

Acuna went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI and two additional runs in Tuesday's 10-1 win over the Nationals.

Though Jose Iglesias assumed leadoff duties for the second game in a row while the Mets' usual table setter, Francisco Lindor (back), was on the bench, Acuna stepped in at Lindor's usual spot at shortstop. The rookie made the most of his second career start, providing a spark at the bottom of the order and matching Iglesias' output with three hits. After an MRI revealed no structural damage to his back, Lindor said that he anticipates returning to the lineup later this week, so Acuna may not have many more chances to build on Tuesday's excellent performance.

Montas (7-11) took the loss Tuesday as the Brewers were downed 5-1 by the Phillies, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out 10.

All the runs came on homers, as Nick Castellanos launched a solo shot in the second inning before Bryce Harper helped chase Montas from the game with a two-run shot in the sixth. It was the first time since the right-hander joined Milwaukee at the trade deadline that he'd served up multiple long balls, but on the bright side he's struck out double-digit batters twice in his last three outings. Over nine starts for the Brewers, Montas sports a 3.55 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 60:20 K:BB in 50.2 innings. He's scheduled to make his next start at home this weekend against the Diamondbacks, but with the Brewers on the verge of clinching the NL Central title, the team could shuffle its rotation over the final days of the regular season to set up its postseason rotation and give pitchers like Montas some extra rest.

Harper went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Brewers.

He took Frankie Montas deep in the sixth inning to break open a 1-1 tie, putting Harper one long ball short of his fifth career 30-homer campaign. The veteran slugger has been heating up with the playoffs looming, and over the last 11 games Harper is slashing .386/.426/.727 with six doubles, three homers, seven runs and eight RBI.

Wheeler (16-6) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings in a 5-1 victory over the Brewers. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The right-hander bolstered his Cy Young case with his fourth straight win and ninth straight quality start, helping the Phillies close in on an NL East title. Wheeler has a dazzling 1.71 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 66:9 K:BB through 58 innings since the beginning of August, and he leads the NL in WHIP on the season (0.95) while sitting second to Atlanta's Chris Sale in ERA (2.56, versus Sale's 2.35). Wheeler will look to keep dealing in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road this weekend against the Mets.

King did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's loss to the Astros, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out seven in seven innings.

The Astros got to King with four hits and a pair of runs in the fourth but were otherwise held in check. King reached seven innings for the first time since July 21 and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last seven starts. For the year, King owns a 3.04 ERA, which ranks eighth among qualifiers and fourth in the National League. He'll look to continue rolling in a crucial matchup against the Dodgers next week.

Tatis went 2-for-5 with a double, a steal and two runs scored in Tuesday's loss to the Astros.

Tatis scored the team's first run of the game on a two-run homer from Manny Machado in the sixth. Tatis has now hit safely in seven straight games with four homers, eight RBI and eight runs scored over that span. His sixth-inning steal brought him up to double digits for the fifth straight season since he broke in to Major League Baseball. For the year, he's slashing .283/.348/.485 with 18 homers, 45 RBI, 61 runs and a 30:83 BB:K in 399 plate appearances.

Machado went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's loss to the Astros.

After getting shut out by Hunter Brown for five innings, Machado finally got the Padres on the board with a two-run homer to level the game in the sixth. He now has four homers, seven multi-hit performances and 16 RBI over his last 10 games. Machado started off slow this year with six homers and 33 RBI in the first 70 games, and over his last 73 games he's turned things around with 21 homers and 69 RBI while hitting for a .305 average.

The Diamondbacks outrighted Knizner to Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.

Knizner cleared waivers after being removed from the 40-man roster over the weekend, but he will remain in the organization for the time being. The veteran catcher is a career .210/.279/.317 hitter over parts of six major-league seasons.

Ohtani went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 11-9 loss to the Marlins.

Ohtani got Los Angeles on the board in the third inning with a two-run blast off Darren McCaughan, cutting the Marlins' lead to 4-2. Ohtani is up to 48 long balls on the season, leaving him two home runs and two stolen bases shy of becoming the first player in major-league history to post a 50-50 season. Ohtani is now slashing .287/.372/.611 on the campaign with 110 RBI and 119 runs scored across 675 plate appearances.

Marte went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-5 win over Atlanta.

Marte contributed to the Reds' comeback from a 5-1 deficit with his sixth-inning double that plated two (one came home on a throwing error). He then stole his ninth bag of the season. It's been a down year for Marte, who never developed any sustained success at the plate after serving an 80-game suspension, but he's in the midst of an encouraging stretch, having gone 7-for-25 (.280) with four RBI and three steals over the last seven contests.