MLB Player News

Lodolo (9-5) took the loss against Kansas City on Saturday, allowing eight runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out two batters over 2.1 innings.

Lodolo gave up one run in the first frame and two in the second to fall behind early. Things got much worse for him in the third inning, when he allowed the first four batters to reach base and was lifted with one out and the bases loaded having already given up two more runs. All three of the runners he left aboard subsequently came around to score on a Dairon Blanco grand slam. This was the second time in his past four starts that Lodolo has been charged with eight runs in an outing, and his ERA has jumped from 3.33 at the All-Star break to its current mark of 4.55.

Kiner-Falefa went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Mariners.

Kiner-Falefa put the Pirates on top early with a leadoff homer and later added two singles for his first three-hit effort with his new club. The 29-year-old has tallied multiple hits in five of his past 10 games with a home run and three steals. On the season, he is batting .293 with eight long balls, 38 RBI, 37 runs scored and six stolen bases across 361 plate appearances.

Tellez went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Mariners.

Tellez gave the Pirates the lead on a two-run homer in the fourth inning and later added an RBI double in the seventh. While the long ball was his first since July 24, the first baseman has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games. He will continue to sit against left-handed pitchers but is batting .250 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI across 333 plate appearances in 2024.

Happ went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays

Happ launched a 413-foot leadoff home run to give the Cubs the early lead. After going just 1-for-18 to open August, the 30-year-old has gone deep five times while registering a hit in eight consecutive contests. On the season, he is hitting .233 with 22 homers, 69 RBI, 70 runs scored and nine steals across 490 plate appearances.

Lopez earned the save in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays, allowing a solo home run and striking out three in the ninth inning.

Primary closer Hector Neris threw 33 pitches in a blown save Friday, so Lopez was summoned to protect a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning Saturday. He allowed a leadoff home run to Addison Barger but responded by striking out the next three batters he faced. On the season, the 31-year-old owns a 2.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 42:18 K:B across 48 innings.

Bednar earned the save in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Mariners, striking out two in a perfect inning.

Bednar was called upon with the bases loaded in the ninth frame and retired all three batters he faced on just nine pitches. It was the first time in six August outings the closer didn't yield at least one run, and it was also his first perfect outing since July 12. On the season, the 29-year-old has converted 22 of 27 save chances with a 5.70 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 46:15 K:BB across 42.2 innings.

Birdsong (3-3) allowed a run on three hits and three walks while striking out five over 4.2 innings to take the loss versus the Athletics on Saturday.

Compared to his previous two outings, this was a fairly good performance. Birdsong avoided giving up a home run, but the Giants didn't give him any run support, leaving the rookie with a third straight loss. He's now at a 5.01 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 49:22 K:BB through 41.1 innings over nine starts this season. Birdsong looks to be the Giants' top option for a fifth starter, and he's tentatively projected to make his next start at Seattle.

Steele did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays, walking one and striking out three across two scoreless innings.

Steele was pulled with a 1-0 lead after the game was delayed twice due to rain. He entered Saturday having logged two consecutive quality starts and looked strong in his only two innings of work, throwing 23 of 36 pitches for strikes and generating five whiffs. On the season, the southpaw owns a 3.10 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 115:32 K:BB across 116 innings and lines up for a favorable matchup with the Marlins next week.

Falter (6-7) earned the win against the Mariners on Saturday, allowing two runs on eight hits and no walks with eight strikeouts across 5.2 innings.

Falter was fantastic Saturday, generating 16 swinging strikes and eclipsing 90 pitches for the second consecutive outing. The southpaw has gone 2-0 while yielding seven earned runs over 17 innings since returning from the injured list July 30. On the year, he owns a 4.02 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 75:31 K:BB across 107.1 innings and lines up to face the Reds at home next week.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.

Contreras kept his power up with his fourth homer over the last six games and his sixth long ball through 15 contests in August. The catcher is batting .304 (17-for-56) this month, a slight bit better than his impressive .284 mark for the year. He's up to 17 homers, 71 RBI, 80 runs scored, 32 doubles, five stolen bases and an .825 OPS through 119 games this season.