MLB Player News
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Nick Gonzales 3B | PIT
Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Double, RBI in win Tuesday
Gonzales went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Rockies.
Gonzales drove home Oneil Cruz with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning and later hit a ground-rule double in the eighth. He continues to swing a hot bat for the Pirates and has seven hits in 16 at-bats over the last three games. Gonzales now has four multi-hit games in nine contests this month and is slashing .321/.383/.371 with seven doubles, zero homers, 19 RBI, 17 runs scored, three stolen bases and an 11:27 BB:K across 154 plate appearances this season.
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Oneil Cruz CF | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Three-hit night in win Tuesday
Cruz went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Rockies.
Cruz doubled and scored in both the first and fifth innings, accounting for most of the offense for Pittsburgh in this low-scoring affair. It marked Cruz's second three-hit game in the last three contests, and he's now on a four-game hitting streak, having gone 8-for-18 during that span. On the year, the center fielder is slashing .266/.330/.491 with 10 home runs, 29 RBI, 33 runs scored, 15 stolen bases and a 14:62 BB:K across 185 plate appearances. Cruz has one of the most prolific batted-ball profiles in the sport, as he's in the 95th percentile or better in average exit velocity, barrel rate, hard-hit rate and bat speed.
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Gregory Soto RP | PIT
Pirates' Gregory Soto: Picks up fourth save
Soto earned the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Rockies, allowing one run on two hits in the ninth inning.
After Paul Skenes breezed through eight shutout innings, allowing just two hits with 10 strikeouts, Soto came on and recorded two quick outs. He then surrendered back-to-back doubles before getting TJ Rumfield to ground out to preserve Skenes' win and earn Soto his fourth save. It was Soto's third save in his last four outings, as it appears he's again passed Dennis Santana in the pecking order for saves in Pittsburgh. Soto owns a 1.69 ERA and 26:7 K:BB across 21.1 innings this season.
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Alex Bregman 3B | CHC
Cubs' Alex Bregman: Blasts fourth homer Tuesday
Bregman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-2 loss against Atlanta.
Bregman accounted for Chicago's only hit of the game, launching a solo homer off Grant Holmes in the fourth inning to get the Cubs on the board. The veteran has struggled badly at the plate in May, going just 6-for-39 (.154) with a 5:10 BB:K across 10 games. Bregman's now slashing .233/.326/.350 with four homers, five doubles, 14 RBI and 17 runs scored in 187 plate appearances.
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Paul Skenes SP | PIT
Pirates' Paul Skenes: Strikes out 10 in win over Rockies
Skenes (6-2) earned the win Tuesday against the Rockies, allowing just two hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts across eight shutout innings.
Skenes struck out the first six batters he faced and retired the first 14 Rockies before hitting Troy Johnston with a pitch in the fifth. Skenes lost his no-hitter with one out in the seventh, and he's taken a no-hitter deep into games multiple times in recent starts. The right-hander generated 19 whiffs on 98 pitches against Colorado but wasn't allowed to go out for the ninth inning in a 3-0 game. He's thrown 100 pitches in a game just once in nine starts but has now posted back-to-back eight-inning, two-hit shutouts in wins over the Diamondbacks and Rockies. Since allowing five runs over 0.2 innings on Opening Day against the Mets, Skenes has yielded just six runs over 49.1 frames. On the season, the Pirates' ace has a microscopic 1.98 ERA and 56:7 K:BB across 50 innings. He's lined up to face the Phillies at home Sunday.
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Mike Yastrzemski LF | ATL
Braves' Mike Yastrzemski: Launches first homer
Yastrzemski went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Cubs.
Yastrzemski opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning before delivering the biggest swing of the night in the fifth, launching a two-run homer off Colin Rea to give Atlanta the lead. The long ball was his first of the season and also snapped a 12-game stretch without an extra-base hit, during which he was batting just .185. Yastrzemski is now slashing .214/.276/.291 with four doubles, nine RBI and 16 runs scored across 127 plate appearances.
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Raisel Iglesias RP | ATL
Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Grabs seventh save Tuesday
Iglesias earned the save Tuesday against the Cubs, striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.
Iglesias entered the ninth inning with a three-run lead and made quick work of Chicago's lineup, striking out Ian Happ before retiring the next two hitters to lock down his seventh save in as many opportunities. The veteran right-hander has been dominant to begin the season, holding opponents scoreless across 11.2 innings while piling up 15 strikeouts against just one walk.
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Grant Holmes SP | ATL
Braves' Grant Holmes: Limits Cubs in no-decision
Holmes did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Cubs, allowing two runs on one hit and four walks while striking out five over four innings.
Holmes looked strong through three innings, allowing only one baserunner, before faltering in the fourth. The only hit he allowed all day came in the inning, a solo homer by Alex Bregman, and he immediately unraveled afterward by issuing three straight walks to load the bases before allowing an RBI groundout. The right-hander has had trouble working deep into games lately, failing to complete six innings in four of his last five starts while also surrendering five home runs during that stretch. Holmes now owns a 4.35 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 34:21 K:BB across 41.1 innings and is scheduled to face Boston next.
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Colin Rea SP | CHC
Cubs' Colin Rea: Unravels in rough fifth inning
Rea (4-2) took the loss Tuesday against Atlanta, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out one over 4.1 innings.
Rea cruised through the first four innings, limiting Atlanta to just three hits before everything fell apart in the fifth. Austin Riley opened the inning with a home run on the first pitch, and Mike Yastrzemski later added a two-run shot as Atlanta quickly flipped the game. Rea was pulled with two runners aboard, one of whom later came around to score. Prior to Tuesday, the veteran right-hander had allowed two or fewer runs in six of his eight starts, making this outing less alarming. Rea now owns a 4.68 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 36:13 K:BB across 42.1 innings and is scheduled to face the White Sox next.
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Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Exits early Tuesday
Alvarez was removed from Tuesday's game against the Tigers with a right knee injury.
Alvarez went 1-for-2 with an RBI double and a run Tuesday but limped off the field after taking an aggressive swing at a pitch in the sixth inning. The severity of his injury will become known after he undergoes imaging Wednesday, and if he has to miss any amount of time, Luis Torrens would be in line for extra starts at catcher.