MLB Player News

Madrigal went 4-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's 11-4 win over the Rockies.

Madrigal has gone 6-for-15 over six games since he was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake last Wednesday. None of those hits have gone for extra bases, and he was also caught on his lone stolen-base attempt. Madrigal has carved out a part-time role in the infield while Vaughn Grissom is covering first base in the absence of Nolan Schanuel (ankle). Madrigal should be in the lineup against most southpaws, though it doesn't look like he'll be strictly platooned for now, as he's already made two starts versus right-handed pitchers.

Meckler went 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored in Wednesday's 11-4 win over the Rockies.

This was Meckler's fifth multi-hit effort in just 12 games this season. The outfielder has quickly claimed a decent share of the playing time in left field for the Angels, serving as a strong-side platoon option. He's batting .389 with two home runs, 10 RBI, five runs scored, three doubles and two stolen bases over 38 plate appearances.

Grissom went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, an additional RBI and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 11-4 win over the Rockies.

Grissom has hit safely in seven straight games and has an extra-base hit in five of those contests. The second baseman batted .190 and slugged .310 in May, but he's showing more signs of life at the plate early in June. Overall, he's hitting .246 with a .735 OPS, four homers, 27 RBI, 14 runs scored, 10 doubles and no stolen bases over 154 plate appearances this season.

Urena (3-4) allowed three runs on three hits and three walks while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win over the Rockies on Wednesday.

Urena picked up his fifth quality start of the season, though his six-start stretch of allowing two runs or fewer came to a close. The seven strikeouts were one off his season high, as well. Urena is quickly becoming a reliable arm for the Angels with a 2.68 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 48:28 K:BB through 50.1 innings over 11 games (nine starts). Urena still walks a few too many batters (5.0 BB/9), but he's given up only four homers this season to help limit the damage. He's projected for a home start versus the Astros next week.

Horwitz went 3-for-5 in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.

Horwitz's bat remains hot -- he hasn't been held hitless in consecutive games since April 30-May 1. He has gone 13-for-36 (.361) with three extra-base hits over his last nine contests, a span that includes five multi-hit performances. The infielder is now batting .291 with an .852 OPS, seven home runs, 26 RBI, 24 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple and one stolen base. While Horwitz doesn't offer much speed, he gets on base enough (.390 OBP) to be a quality leadoff hitter in the absence of shortstop Konnor Griffin (elbow).

Cruz went 2-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.

Cruz went 1-for-2 on stolen-base attempts in this contest, with his successful swipe being his 20th of the year. He's logged four of those thefts over his last eight games, going 9-for-27 (.333) at the plate with three home runs, 10 RBI and seven walks in that span. The speedster is now batting .263 with an .816 OPS, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 45 runs scored and 10 doubles over 60 contests. Cruz is tracking toward a career year despite also leading the majors with 94 strikeouts.

Gonzales went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.

Gonzales has homered twice over his last three games and has seven RBI during a five-game hitting streak. The infielder is known to have a fairly steady bat, though that typically doesn't come with power -- those two recent long balls are all he's hit this season. Gonzales is batting .314 with a .758 OPS, 29 RBI, 31 runs scored, three stolen bases and 10 doubles through 56 contests.

Davis went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.

Davis gave the Pirates a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning with his slam, which was his third homer over his last seven contests. While he's shown a bit of power recently, he has gone just 4-for-24 (.167) with eight strikeouts during that span. The catcher has lost some time to Endy Rodriguez amid his season-long struggles. Davis is batting a mere .143 with a .533 OPS, five homers, 16 RBI, 13 runs scored, one stolen base and three doubles over 135 plate appearances. Expect Davis and Rodriguez to continue to operate in a timeshare.

Soto (4-1) allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while failing to retire a batter, taking the loss and a blown save versus the Astros on Wednesday.

He was brought in with two outings in the eighth inning and couldn't clean up the mess Mason Montgomery left him. This poor outing brought Soto's six-inning scoreless streak to a crashing halt. The left-hander is 8-for-11 in save chances this season while adding six holds, and he's pitched to a 2.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 34:12 K:BB through 28.1 innings. He's still the favorite for saves in the Pittsburgh bullpen, especially given the recent struggles of Dennis Santana.

Skenes allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven over 4.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Astros on Wednesday.

Skenes emptied the tank with 109 pitches (68 strikes), but he wasn't able to escape the fifth inning. After giving up one run or fewer in seven of his first nine games, he's been on the hook for three or more runs in each of his last four starts. In that span, he's given up 15 runs (13 earned) across 20 innings for a rare rough patch in his young career. Skenes has a 3.09 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 82:13 K:BB through 70 innings over 13 starts this year. The Pirates' ace is projected to make his next start at home in a tough matchup versus the Dodgers.