MLB Player News

Sale (5-5) was charged with the loss Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out nine.

Sale continues to rack up the strikeouts, as he's now fanned nine in three consecutive outings since coming off the injured list. The three runs allowed were his most since his April 13 start in Tampa Bay, but the All-Star southpaw has registered at least seven punchouts in 11 of his last 12 appearances dating back to the end of April. On the year, he has a stellar 2.52 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 141:28 K:BB across 107 frames. Sale is next slated to face the division-rival Nationals, who have a paltry .574 OPS against left-handed pitching since the All-Star break.

Taillon didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out two.

Taillon appeared to have a slight limitation on his workload in his return from the injured list, as he threw just 79 pitches Wednesday. The veteran right-hander still managed to put in 4.1 serviceable frames, although the two strikeouts represented his second-lowest total of the season. Taillon will be aiming to handle a full starter's workload in his next appearance, which lines up as a favorable matchup against the last-place Pirates. Through 110.2 innings, he has a 4.15 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 83:23 K:BB.

Burke didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Rays, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out five.

Burke continues to struggle providing length, failing to reach five innings in five of his last six major-league starts. The right-hander has managed to yield fewer than six hits in each of those outings, though he's issued multiple walks in four of them. Burke has a 4.28 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 115:58 K:BB over 122 frames overall, and he'll be looking to work deeper into his outing in his next scheduled turn in the rotation against the last-place Orioles.

Hernandez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a 9-0 win against Colorado on Wednesday.

Hernandez capped the scoring in a dominant Dodgers victory with a 445-foot solo shot to center field in the eighth inning. The long ball was his third in his past two contests following a 14-game homerless stretch. Hernandez batted just .122 with a 30.4 percent strikeout rate during that power drought, but he seems to be getting back in tune just in time for the stretch run.

Betts with 4-for-5 with a grand slam and an RBI double in Wednesday's 9-0 victory versus the Rockies.

Betts contributed to a four-run Los Angeles second inning with a double that drove home Shohei Ohtani. Betts then broke the game open with a grand slam that made the score 8-0 in the eighth inning. The big game marked the fifth straight multi-RBI effort by the talented shortstop. Extending further, Betts has reached base in 16 consecutive contests, batting .381 (24-for-63) with five homers, 17 RBI and nine runs scored over that span.

Freeland (4-15) took the loss against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing four runs (one earned) on nine hits and one walk while striking out five batters over 5.2 innings.

All four of the runs Freeland allowed came in the second frame, though an inning-opening Rockies error meant that only one of those runs was earned. Nonetheless, Freeland was hardly sharp -- he gave up at least one hit in all but one of the frames in which he pitched and was pulled with two outs in the sixth after loading the bases. The southpaw's loss was his 15th of the campaign, tied for most in the majors with teammate Antonio Senzatela and Washington's Mitchell Parker. Freeland will look to avoid another defeat the next time he takes the mound, which is slated to be next week against Miami.

Snell (4-4) earned the win over Colorado on Wednesday, pitching six scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and two walks while striking out 11 batters.

Snell was overpowering in the win, feeding his 11 strikeouts with a whopping 22 whiffs. Both of the hits Colorado managed off the southpaw were harmless singles. Snell snapped a three-start losing streak with the victory to even his season record. The veteran hurler missed four months earlier this season due to a shoulder injury, but he seems fully healthy now, tossing a season-high 104 pitches Wednesday. He's next projected to take the mound at home against Philadelphia.

Rivas went 1-for-1 with a two-run, walk-off homer Wednesday in a 4-2 extra-innings win against the Cardinals.

Rivas began the game on the bench but entered as a pinch runner for Jorge Polanco in the 11th frame. He stuck around in Polanco's DH spot when the contest moved to the 12th, then got a turn to bat in the 13th. Rivas made the most of the opportunity, launching a two-run blast to right field to send Seattle home with a victory. Though Rivas has been up and down between the majors and minors and has found playing time sporadic while with the big club, he's been productive when called upon, posting a .288/.416/.397 slash line with two homers, nine RBI, 17 runs and four steals over 38 games. Perhaps most impressively, he's posted a 16.9 percent walk rate with a tolerable 21.3 percent strikeout rate.

McGreevy allowed one run on five hits and no walks while striking out four batters over six innings in a no-decision against Seattle on Wednesday.

McGreevy's most recent start before Wednesday was a disaster, as he gave up six runs over a season-low four frames. The righty bounced back nicely against the Mariners, holding them without an extra-base hit over his six innings. McGreevy finished with his sixth quality start through 14 outings this season, but the Cardinals' offense produced only one run while he was in the contest, so he wasn't rewarded with a victory. McGreevy has been up and down while in the majors this year, posting a 4.44 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 47:12 K:BB through 79 innings.

Gilbert allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against St. Louis on Wednesday.

Gilbert's line was pretty solid overall, especially his eight punchouts and 18 whiffs. However, the right-hander was pulled with two outs in the fifth inning after hitting his second batter of the game on his 95th pitch. The truncated outing snapped a three-game streak of quality starts by Gilbert, though he still allowed exactly one run for the third time across his past four appearances. Gilbert lowered his season ERA to 3.54 ahead of what's projected to be matchup in Kansas City for his next start.