MLB Player News

Lowe went 1-for-3 with two walks and a grand slam in Wednesday's 8-7 win over the Royals.

He got the fireworks started by hooking a Seth Lugo curveball over the fence in the right-field corner in the first inning. It was Lowe's first homer since July 19, ending a 20-game power drought, and his 16th of the season. The veteran first baseman still has some work to do to put his slump behind him, however -- in 23 contests since the All-Star break, he's batting only .160 (12-for-75) with three doubles, two long balls and seven RBI.

Irvin didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 8-7 win over the Royals, surrendering six runs on seven hits and four walks over four innings. He struck out three.

The Nationals staked Irvin to a 5-0 lead before he even took the mound for the bottom of the first inning, but the right-hander did his best to squander it, eventually getting the hook after 83 pitches (46 strikes). It's the third time in five starts since the All-Star break that Irvin has been tagged for at least five runs, a stretch in which he's stumbled to a 7.88 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 11:9 K:BB over 24 innings. The rebuilding Nationals don't have any obvious candidates to replace him in the rotation, however. Irvin is scheduled to make his next trip to the mound at home early next week against the Mets.

Muncy was scratched from the lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Angels.

Muncy will be pushed out of the lineup in order to make room for Mookie Betts, who was originally in line for a day off Wednesday. Alex Freeland will start at third base in Muncy's place with Miguel Rojas at second and Betts at shortstop.

Vodnik didn't record a strikeout in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to earn the save in a 6-5 win over St. Louis.

Vodnik earned the save for a second straight day -- he set the Cardinals down on ten pitches Wednesday after recording five outs on 27 pitches in Tuesday's victory. With Seth Halvorsen (elbow) sidelined, the 25-year-old Vodnik looks to be the preferred ninth-inning option for Colorado, despite coming into the day with a 9.00 ERA in his previous eight innings. Overall, Vodnik sports a 3.72 ERA with a 1.54 WHIP and 38 strikeouts through 36.1 innings this season.

Betts will start at shortstop and bat second Wednesday against the Angels.

Betts was left off the initial lineup card the Dodgers handed in Wednesday, but he'll end up back in the starting nine and aim to extend his hitting streak to eight games. Max Muncy will step out of the lineup to make room for Betts, shifting Alex Freeland to third base and Miguel Rojas to second.

Smith came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Tigers, allowing two hits and three walks over five scoreless innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander put together one of his stingiest performances of the season, although it wasn't exactly efficient as he needed 92 pitches (56 strikes) to record 15 outs. Smith wasn't rewarded for his efforts, however, as the White Sox offense managed only two hits on the afternoon. Smith has looked good since returning from an ankle injury at the beginning of August, giving up four runs in 14.1 innings (2.51 ERA) with a 17:8 K:BB over three starts, but all three resulted in no-decision. He'll look for his first win since June 10 in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Atlanta.

Gomber did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Cardinals, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out two.

It was another tough outing for Gomber, who's given up two home runs in each of his last three starts -- Lars Nootbaar led off the fourth inning with a long ball Wednesday before Alec Burleson added a two-run shot in the fifth. Gomber remains without a win in 11 starts this season -- he's 0-6 with a 6.75 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 32:15 K:BB across 54.2 innings. The lefty will look to turn things around in his next outing, which is tentatively scheduled for next week at home against the Dodgers.

Vest struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his 18th save of the season in a 1-0 win over the White Sox.

Kyle Finnegan worked the eighth inning against the bottom part of Chicago's order and got his first hold since coming over to Detroit, while Vest got the call in the ninth against the 9-1-2 hitters and got the job done on 11 pitches (six strikes). Vest has the Tigers' last two saves, but Finnegan got the three before that, and the duo could continue to split chances the rest of the way, with Vest perhaps being viewed by manager A.J. Hinch as the slightly higher-leverage option. On the season, Vest sports a 2.61 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 58:15 K:BB through 51.2 innings.

McGreevy did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Rockies, giving up three runs on seven hits and no walks over six innings. He struck out two.

McGreevy blanked Colorado through his first three frames before giving up a run in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Despite the shaky finish, the 25-year-old McGreevy has now made it through six innings in each of his last three outings and has two straight quality starts. His ERA sits at 4.41 through 51 innings with a 1.22 WHIP and 28:7 K:BB. McGreevy's currently scheduled to face the Marlins on the road in his next start.

Melton (3-1) picked up the win in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the White Sox, allowing just one hit over five scoreless innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

Making his first big-league start since July 28, the rookie right-hander retired the first 12 batters he faced before Luis Robert doubled to lead off the fifth inning, but Melton made sure he would advance no further. Despite being on a limited pitch count, Melton lasted long enough to qualify for the win, firing an efficient 56 pitches (43 strikes). The Tigers don't have a vacancy in their rotation, so this was likely just a spot start to buy the team's regular starters some extra rest. Melton will head back to a long-relief role with a 2.82 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB over his first 22.1 MLB innings.