MLB Player News

Smyly tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn a hold in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals.

Smyly picked things up after Chicago starter Jameson Taillon covered 5.2 innings, and the former was effective across his 16 pitches, earning his third hold of the season in the process. Smyly had a solid first half of the season, posting a 3.09 ERA across 35 innings of relief. While the veteran lefty has plenty of starting experience in his career, he's worked exclusively out of the bullpen so far in 2024, and he'll likely stick in that role after the All-Star break.

Irvin (7-8) allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and three walks while striking out three over four innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Brewers.

After a nine-start stretch in which he allowed more than two runs just once, Irvin has been tagged for 13 runs (12 earned) across his last two outings. The right-hander's ERA ticked up to 3.49 with a 1.11 WHIP and 99:29 K:BB through 116 innings over 20 starts this season. He's shown significant improvement in his second big-league campaign, but it'll be important to keep an eye on how he holds up during the second half.

Lopez tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two.

Despite getting released by the Mets in unceremonious fashion earlier this season, Lopez had a solid first half, as he finished with a 3.18 ERA across 34 innings. He's been even better since joining the Cubs at the end of June, posting a 1.17 ERA across 7.2 innings. Lopez may be able to seize a higher-leverage role after the All-Star break if he continues to pitch well out of the Chicago bullpen.

Turang went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Nationals.

Turang has struggled at the plate in July, going 9-for-48 (.188) over his first 13 games this month. That's also put a damper on his best attribute, his speed, as he's been able to log just two steals on three attempts in that span. Turang has 30 thefts on 35 attempts this year -- good for second in the majors behind only the Reds' Elly De La Cruz -- while adding six home runs, 38 RBI, 45 runs scored and a .277/.341/.390 slash line through 93 contests.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Nationals.

Contreras went 0-for-10 over his previous three games. He was able to snap the slump in his second at-bat Sunday with his solo shot, which put the Brewers ahead 2-1 in the third inning. The All-Star catcher has had few quiet stretches this year. He's now at a .286/.352/.440 slash line with 11 homers, 55 RBI, 65 runs scored, 23 doubles and five stolen bases over 93 games.

Mitchell went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Nationals.

Mitchell entered Sunday without a homer or a steal before getting one of each in this contest. The outfielder is hitting just .192 with three RBI and two runs scored over his first 10 games of the season after missing the first three months of the year with a fractured finger. He has been limited to a strong-side platoon role so far, sharing center field with switch hitter Blake Perkins.

Adames went 4-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk, two additional RBI and two total runs scored in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Nationals.

Adames has gone 9-for-21 (.429) with nine RBI over his last five games. The shortstop had his fingerprints all over this game, which saw him open the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning. He also wrapped up the offense with his eighth-inning homer. For the season, Adames is slashing .246/.330/.430 with 15 homers, 67 RBI, 52 runs scored, 12 stolen bases and 23 doubles across 97 games.

Rea (9-3) allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out seven over 5.2 innings to earn the win Sunday over the Nationals.

Rea was lit up for seven runs over five innings in his last start, so the Brewers opted to have him work behind an opener Sunday. The plan was a success, as he turned in a strong performance, with the seven strikeouts being one shy of his season high. The 34-year-old has put up decent numbers this year with a 3.77 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 76:31 K:BB over 105 innings across 19 appearances (16 starts). Rea should remain in the Brewers' rotation following the All-Star break, though it's unclear if he'll resume working as a traditional starter or end up pitching behind an opener more often in the second half.

Donovan went 3-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 8-3 loss to the Cubs.

Donovan has six multi-hit efforts over 13 games in July, going 18-for-52 (.346) in that span. The steal was his first since June 26 and his third of the campaign. The 27-year-old is up to a .276/.345/.411 slash line with eight home runs, 45 RBI, 43 runs scored, 22 doubles and one triple over 91 contests this season. Donovan has primarily played in left field, though he occasionally spells Nolan Gorman at second base or Nolan Arenado at third.

Burleson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Sunday's 8-3 loss to the Cubs.

Burleson heads into the All-Star break on a tear with four homers and 11 RBI across his last seven games. The outfielder is up to a .288/.320/.494 slash line, 17 long balls, 53 RBI, 41 runs scored, 14 doubles and seven stolen bases across 89 contests. Burleson still doesn't have one set position, but he's able to maintain a near-everyday role between the corner outfield spots, first base and designated hitter.