MLB Player News

Merrill went 3-for-4 with a walk, a triple, a home run, two RBI and two stolen bases in Friday's 6-2 extra-inning win over the Marlins.

The 21-year-old outfielder had a huge game from a fantasy perspective, but it was also clutch for the Padres, as his solo shot off George Soriano tied the game in the ninth inning and set the stage for a big 10th. Merrill has been on fire since the All-Star break, slashing .373/.395/.716 over his last 18 games with four homers, three steals, 16 RBI and 17 runs as he makes a push for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Perez came away with a no-decision in Friday's 6-2 extra-inning win over the Marlins, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out six.

Both runs came on back-to-back solo shots by Jake Burger and Jonah Bride in the fourth inning, but otherwise Perez was sharp in his second outing for San Diego. The veteran southpaw tossed 90 pitches (58 strikes) en route to his third straight quality start and seventh of the year, but he was still on the hook for the loss until Jackson Merrill forced extra innings with a solo homer of his own in the ninth. Perez will look for his first win in a Padres uniform when he takes the mound next week at home against the Pirates -- the team that sent him west at the trade deadline.

Steer went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Brewers.

Steer turned on the first pitch he saw to lead off the seventh inning with his 16th home run of the season. It was the first homer in 19 games for Steer, who's experienced a cold second half. He batted .141/.179/.234 over the first 16 games following the All-Star break before logging a pair of two-hit games Thursday and Friday.

Fairchild entered Friday's game after Jake Fraley (ankle) was removed and went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in an 8-3 loss to Milwaukee.

Fairchild swatted his eighth homer of the season as part of the Reds' three-run seventh inning. It came off a right-hander; Fairchild is batting .152 with a .522 OPS against righties this season. It's unclear why Cincinnati manager David Bell went with Fairchild instead of the lefty-hitting Will Benson, who has slightly better results against right-handers. Bell told MLB.com following the game that Fraley is "fine" and could return to action Saturday.

Fraley (ankle) is expected to play Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Fraley rolled his ankle during an at-bat in the second inning of Friday's 8-3 loss to the Brewers. Following the game, Reds manager David Bell said Fraley was "fine" and "should be back in there" Saturday. Fraley was replaced Friday by Stuart Fairchild.

Martinez (5-2) earned the win over the Phillies on Friday, allowing one run and striking out one over a scoreless ninth inning.

Martinez's ascension to the back end of the Diamondbacks' bullpen continued. He was prepping for a save opportunity, but setup reliever A.J. Puk allowed an inherited runner to score, negating the chance. For Martinez, it was a sixth straight scoreless outing, during which he's struck out 12 batters in six innings.

Bart went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Friday's 9-5 loss to the Dodgers.

Bart remains hot at the plate, with four homers and 10 RBI over his last seven contests. He's also posted a 1:7 BB:K in that span, but that's less of a concern when he's making such authoritative contact. For the year, the catcher is up to a .267/.349/.514 slash line with 10 homers, 32 RBI, 23 runs scored and six doubles over 49 contests. His career high in homers is 11 in 97 games with the Giants in 2022.

Cruz went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional RBI in Friday's 9-5 loss to the Dodgers.

Cruz came up a triple shy of the cycle, logging his second three-hit game in a row since returning from an illness. The shortstop has gone 12-for-24 (.500) with three extra-base hits over six contests in August. Cruz is up to a .262/.315/.473 slash line with a career-high 18 homers, 59 RBI, 54 runs scored, 24 doubles and 11 stolen bases over 103 games this season.

Keller (10-6) allowed seven runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over four innings Friday, taking the loss versus the Dodgers.

Keller gave up home runs to Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani before the Dodgers added four more runs off singles. Keller has worked only four innings in each of his two August starts, but this one wasn't abbreviated by weather. The seven runs he allowed were a season high, inflating his ERA from 3.20 to 3.56. He's added a 1.22 WHIP and 123:38 K:BB over 136.1 innings across 23 starts. Keller will look to bounce back in a projected road outing versus the Padres.

Hernandez went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 9-5 win over the Pirates.

Hernandez's August heater continues -- he's hit safely in seven straight games, going 11-for-28 (.393) with three home runs, four doubles and two steals since the calendar flipped to August. His steal Friday was his sixth of the year, one shy of his total from 160 contests last season. Hernandez has added a .269/.333/.499 slash line with 25 homers, 24 doubles, 75 RBI and 62 runs scored over 114 games.