MLB Player News

Munoz (3-2) blew the save and took the loss against the Guardians on Friday, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits in one-third of an inning. He did not record a walk or a strikeout.

Munoz was tasked with protecting a one-run lead in the ninth inning and gave up a run on back-to-back hits before surrendering a walk-off sacrifice fly to Steven Kwan. It marked Munoz's first blown save in 11 chances since the All-Star break, though he's now allowed at least one run in four of his last five outings. Despite the rough stretch, the 26-year-old still carries a 1.72 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 66:24 K:BB with 31 saves across 52.1 innings.

X-rays on Varsho's right hand came back negative after he was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning of Friday's loss to Milwaukee, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The Blue Jays may hold Varsho out for a game or two so that he can properly recover, but the fact that he escaped the incident without any structural damage bodes well for his chances of avoiding the injured list. Myles Straw would be the likely choice to start in center field if Varsho sits.

Weissert (6-5) blew the save and took the loss against the Pirates on Friday after allowing one run on two hits while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.

Weissert was brought in for the sixth inning with two runners on base, tasked with protecting the Red Sox's two-run lead and to put southpaw Payton Tolle in line for his first major-league win. Weissert wasn't able to get the job done, yielding two doubles in a row that brought three runs home to put him in line for the loss. With Friday's performance, the 30-year-old right-hander has a 3.48 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 10.1 innings in August.

Anthony went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Friday's 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh.

Anthony gave the Red Sox a two-run lead in the fifth inning with a solo shot to left field off Paul Skenes. Anthony is now up to eight home runs on the season, three of which have come over his last five games. He's been raking at the plate since the All-Star break with a .313/.424/.511 slash line with 27 runs, two steals, five homers and 16 RBI in 158 plate appearances.

Tolle did not factor into Friday's decision against the Pirates, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight across 5.1 innings.

Though Tolle was facing a Pirates team that entered Friday with the least amount of runs scored in the majors (484), he was also against ace Paul Skenes, so a win was going to be hard to collect in the former's major-league debut. Even so, Tolle rose to the occasion, generating 14 whiffs on 84 pitches (53 strikes) with six of his eight punchouts coming on four-seam fastballs. The 22-year-old southpaw kept the Pirates off the board through the first five innings, but he was pulled from the game in the sixth after allowing two baserunners, both of whom were brought home on a Tommy Pham double. With Richard Fitts (elbow) on the 15-day IL and Walker Buehler being released, Tolle figures to be a part of the Red Sox's rotation for the rest of the regular season. He's slated to start against the Guardians at home next week, when he'll look to earn the first win of his major-league career.

McCutchen went 3-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI and a walk during Friday's 4-2 win over Boston.

McCutchen gave the Pirates the lead in the sixth inning after his double to center field brought Tommy Pham home. Friday marked the fifth time this season that McCutchen recorded at least three hits and the third time he's reached base safely four times. He's gone 8-for-21 (.381) with four doubles, one home run and nine RBI over his last seven games.

Pham went 1-for-3 with a two-run double and a run scored during the Pirates' 4-2 win over the Red Sox on Friday.

Pham got the Pirates on the board in the sixth inning with a double to center field that plated two, and he was brought home one batter later on an Andrew McCutchen RBI double. Pham has recorded at least one hit in seven of his last eight games, and over that span he has gone 9-for-28 (.321) with one steal, two home runs and nine RBI.

Santana collected the save in Friday's 4-2 win over the Red Sox, allowing one walk while striking out two batters in one scoreless inning.

Santana was brought in for the ninth to protect the Pirates' two-run lead. He yielded a walk to Nick Sogard, but Santana rebounded by striking out Ceddanne Rafaela before getting Connor Wong to pop out to first base. Santana has converted each of his last five save opportunities and has yielded just one earned run over his last nine innings.

Skenes (9-9) earned the win against the Red Sox on Friday, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out six across six innings.

The seven hits allowed tied a season high, but Skenes was able to limit the damage to two runs, with the one earned coming on a Roman Anthony solo shot in fifth inning. Skenes was in danger of taking his 10th loss of the season, but the Pirates scored three runs in the sixth to put the ace in line for the win. Skenes has yielded two earned runs or less in nine of his last 11 starts since July 1, and over that span he's posted a 1.92 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 61 innings. He leads all qualified starters this season with a 2.05 ERA, and his 187 strikeouts and 0.95 WHIP rank fourth and fifth, respectively. Skenes is lined up to face the Dodgers at home next week, when he'll look for his 10th win of the year.

Simon was removed from Friday's game against the Red Sox due to a left shoulder injury.

Simon appeared to dislocate his shoulder while sliding into home plate during the eighth inning of Friday's contest. It remains to be seen whether he will need to spend time on the injured list, but the Pirates should provide more information after they take a closer look at him.