MLB Player News

Gonzales went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Cubs.

Gonzales collected his fourth multi-hit effort over his last seven games since he returned from a groin injury. In that span, he's gone 11-for-32 (.344) with three doubles, two RBI and five runs scored. The infielder has a decent .268/.299/.393 slash line with five home runs, four steals, 41 RBI and 33 runs over 299 plate appearances this season. He's been the primary second baseman, when healthy, since his call-up in May.

Triolo went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Cubs.

Triolo's homer came in the seventh inning, giving the Pirates some extra breathing room. The infielder has gone 12-for-49 (.245) over his last 16 games, though he has hit three of his seven homers in that span. He's added a .206/.294/.305 slash line with 38 RBI, 33 runs scored and seven stolen bases over 367 plate appearances. With Ke'Bryan Hayes out indefinitely, Triolo has seen a majority of the playing time at third base over the last couple of weeks.

Skenes (9-2) earned the win Tuesday over the Cubs, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out six over five shutout innings.

Skenes' control was a little shaky -- he walked four batters for the second time in his last four starts. His pitch count was back up to 100 (62 strikes), though that's not particularly encouraging considering he completed just five frames. The 22-year-old is now at a 2.13 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 142:30 K:BB through 114 innings over 19 starts this season. Skenes is on a workload limit, but the Pirates have not revealed how many innings he'll finish with this year. He's tentatively expected to make his next start at home versus the Marlins since Domingo German is expected to join the rotation on Wednesday, giving the Pirates six starters.

Helsley (7-4) blew the save but collected the win in Tuesday's extra-innings victory against the Brewers. He allowed one unearned run on one hit and no walks with four strikeouts over two innings.

The St. Louis flamethrower entered the 11th inning but was unable to hold a one-run lead, allowing the automatic runner to score on a Willy Adames double after striking out the first two batters. Helsley was then allowed to return in the 12th after the Cardinals scored three runs in the top of the inning and promptly set down all three batters faced. The All-Star closer has now gone 42-for-46 in save opportunities while pitching to a 2.41 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 68:23 K:BB across 59.2 innings this season.

Civale did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to St. Louis, allowing three runs on six hits and no walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

After going 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 27.1 August innings, the 27-year-old looked to be in trouble out the gate in this appearance, allowing two first-inning runs. However, Civale settled in and tossed two scoreless innings before being tagged by Paul Goldschmidt for a solo homer in the fourth. The right-hander wound up posting his fifth walk-less outing of the season, as he's now pitched to a 3.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB across 32.1 innings since joining Milwaukee on July 3. Civale is expected to make his next start against the Giants in San Francisco next week.

Matz did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-4 win against Milwaukee, allowing three runs on three hits and one walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out seven.

In his first appearance since April 30 due to a back injury, Matz surprisingly flashed the ability to punch out hitters, posting a season-high seven strikeouts generated via a solid 14 whiffs. However, the veteran southpaw struggled to limit damage against the first-place Brewers, as all three hits he yielded went for extra bases (two home runs and one double). Prior to this outing, Matz had pitched to a 6.18 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 24:12 K:BB across 32.1 innings this season, so this performance did represent progress despite his inability to escape the fifth inning. The 33-year-old's future in the rotation is uncertain, as Lance Lynn (back) is on a rehab assignment and could eventually take Matz's spot.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, and three RBI in Tuesday's 7-4 victory at Milwaukee.

The former MVP stretched the St. Louis lead to 2-0 in the second with an RBI double, his 27th two-bagger of the season. Goldschmidt returned in the fourth inning to launch a 430-foot solo shot off Aaron Civale. The free-agent-to-be has caught fire lately, hitting .342 (26-for-76) with four homers, nine doubles, 13 RBI and five runs scored over his last 20 games. Overall, he is now slashing .247/.305/.420 with 21 homers, 58 RBI, 61 runs scored and nine stolen bases across 568 plate appearances.

Merrifield cleared concussion protocol after being hit in the back of the head by a pitch during Tuesday's game against Colorado, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Merrifield will also undergo a CT scan just to be safe, per Bowman, but there is a chance that the 35-year-old second baseman starts Wednesday's contest. Otherwise, the keystone would likely be occupied by Luke Williams.

Roberts tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Tuesday's 5-0 loss to the Pirates. He allowed one hit and struck out three.

Roberts was pulled from an appearance last week due to right ankle soreness, but he's now logged two scoreless outings since then. The righty is pitching in a low-leverage role for the Cubs and has mostly looked sharp with a 2.60 ERA and 17 strikeouts across 17.1 innings. Roberts still has a high 1.62 WHIP, however, due largely to the seven walks he's issued during his brief time in the majors this season. The 27-year-old will likely be a volatile option unless he starts to exhibit better command.

Meyer (3-5) took the loss Tuesday against the Nationals, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

Four of the five runs charged to Meyer came via the home-run ball. The right-hander gave up a three-run blast to Joey Gallo in the fourth inning before Keibert Ruiz added a solo shot in the sixth. The long ball has been an issue for Meyer of late -- he's now given up seven in his last four outings (20.2 innings). Overall, the 25-year-old Meyer sports a 5.68 ERA through 57 innings this year with a 1.42 WHIP and 46:19 K:BB. He's currently slated for a tough home matchup with the Phillies this weekend in his next start.