MLB Player News

Rocker (2-8) took the loss against Houston on Saturday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six batters over 5.2 innings.

Rocker gave up the seven runs on a trio of homers, including a grand slam off the bat of LaMonte Wade. That was out of character for the right-hander this season, as he entered Saturday with a 1.0 HR/9 and having yielded no more than two long balls in any outing. The seven earned runs and eight hits allowed were also season-worst marks for Rocker, who has had a very up-and-down campaign. He heads into the All-Star break with a 4.40 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 80:34 K:BB over 90 innings spanning 18 appearances (16 starts).

Lambert (8-5) allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six innings to earn the win over Texas on Saturday.

The only run Lambert allowed came on an Ezequiel Duran home run in the fourth inning. Beyond that, the Rangers collected just two other hits (both singles) against him and struck out seven times. Lambert finished with his sixth quality start of the season and collected his eighth victory -- as many as he recorded over his first four MLB campaigns combined. The right-hander seems to have benefitted from his year in Japan last season, as he's become a vital part of Houston's injury-plagued rotation. Through 15 starts, he holds a strong 3.14 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 81:33 K:BB over 86 innings.

Alonso went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, an additional run and a double in a 6-1 win against the Royals on Saturday.

Alonso hit one of four Baltimore homers in the contest, though his fourth-inning, two-run blast was the only one that wasn't a solo shot. The slugger also smacked a double to tally multiple extra-base hits in the same game for the first time since June 13. Alonso has enjoyed a strong first half in his first campaign with the Orioles, slashing .253/.348/.478 with 21 home runs -- tied for 12th-most in the majors -- 59 runs, 64 RBI and two stolen bases through 96 contests.

Cameron (5-7) took the loss against Baltimore on Sunday, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over seven innings.

Cameron allowed a modest seven baserunners in his seven frames, but three of those rounded the bases on home runs. It was the second time this year that the left-hander has served up three homers in a game, but on a more positive note, he also struck out a season-high nine batters. Cameron has improved his strikeout rate over his rookie campaign, but he's otherwise had a shaky first half, posting a 4.89 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 95.2 innings spanning 18 starts.

Chandler didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out six.

It was a slightly better effort for Chandler after he failed to strike out a batter and coughed up four runs over four innings during his prior start, but the 23-year-old right-hander is still struggling to find some consistency. He heads into the All-Star break with a 4.77 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 85:55 K:BB through 94.1 innings.

Valdez went 4-for-8 with three home runs and eight RBI Saturday as the Pirates swept a doubleheader against the Brewers.

The rookie outfielder went yard twice in the matinee and produced the game-winning runs in the seventh inning with a grand slam off Aaron Ashby, then got the Bucs on the board in the fourth inning of the nightcap with a two-run shot off Shane Drohan. Valdez has now homered in three straight contests and is up to 10 long balls in his first 26 big-league games with 26 RBI and a dazzling .311/.370/.722 slash line.

The Diamondbacks announced that Troy was removed from Saturday's game against the Dodgers due to a right shoulder contusion.

Troy was lifted in the fifth inning after crashing into the center-field wall while completing a catch. The Diamondbacks haven't provided word on the severity of Troy's injury, so he can be viewed as day-to-day heading into Sunday's series finale. Troy went 0-for-1 with a walk before exiting the contest.

Soto recorded his 12th save of the season in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers, giving up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He failed to strike out a batter.

The veteran lefty collected his first save since June 16 as he attempts to remain in the late-inning picture for Pittsburgh. Despite Soto's clean effort Saturday, he's been tagged for runs in six of 13 appearances since the beginning of June, stumbling to an 8.76 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB over 12.1 innings during that span.

Diaz (elbow) allowed one hit in a scoreless inning for Single-A Ontario on Saturday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Diaz logged his first game action since undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow in late April. The veteran closer struck out the first two batters he faced before giving up a single, but that hitter was subsequently thrown out trying to steal a base. Diaz threw 11 pitches in the outing, and his fastball sat around 96-98 mph. He's expected to make his return to the Dodgers shortly after the All-Star break.

Ashcraft didn't factor into the decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers, coughing up five runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out six.

All five hits off Ashcraft went for extra bases, including homers by Jake Bauers in the second inning and Sal Frelick in the fifth. The right-hander has served up six long balls in his last three starts as he shows signs of fatigue -- Ashcraft's tossed 113.1 innings already this season, nearly matching the 118 innings he tossed all of last season between Triple-A and the majors. Despite the swoon before the All-Star break, he still sports a 3.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 128:27 K:BB on the year.