MLB Player News

Santana allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one in the ninth inning in Friday's win over the Rays.

The Pirates were up by two runs at the start of the eighth inning but tacked on two runs in the home half of the frame. That meant Santana didn't work in a save situation, though he's now pitched the ninth inning or 10th inning in six consecutive appearances -- five of which were to end the game. Santana looks to be the Pirates' preferred closing option for the time being, though Gregory Soto will likely mix in occasionally.

Langford went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Friday's 5-0 win over the Mariners.

Langford has gone 6-for-17 over four contests since he returned from a right quad strain. The outfielder is starting to turn around his relatively slow start at the plate. He's batting .214 with a .590 OPS while adding one home run, four RBI, seven runs scored, two doubles, two triples and two stolen bases over 17 games. Langford is regularly hitting second or third in the order, which should give him plenty of chances to produce runs.

Jung went 3-for-5 with three doubles and one RBI in Friday's 5-0 win over the Mariners.

Jung was back to seventh in the batting order Friday, but that didn't cool off his bat. He has hit at least one double in five of his last six games, adding five RBI in that span. The third baseman has four multi-hit efforts over his last nine games. Jung is now hitting .290 on the year with a .795 OPS, one home run, six RBI, six runs scored, seven doubles and no stolen bases over 17 contests.

Soto didn't allow a baserunner across one inning to earn a hold Friday against the Rays.

Soto entered the game in the eighth inning with the Pirates up by two runs. He's remained very sharp all season, allowing only one earned run across 10.2 innings while maintaining a 15:5 K:BB. However, Soto has now pitched in the seventh or eighth inning in five consecutive appearances, suggesting Dennis Santana is the primary option for saves at this point.

Nimmo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 5-0 win over the Mariners.

He took the third pitch of the game out to right field, and that was ultimately all the run support Jacob deGrom and company would need. Nimmo's bat has cooled down a little bit this week -- he's 3-for-20 (.150) with two RBI and seven strikeouts over his last five games. The drop in hitting was to be expected after the outfielder's hot start, which has helped him stay at a .313 batting average with a .934 OPS, four homers, 11 RBI, 13 runs scored and one stolen base over 20 contests.

DeGrom allowed four hits and two walks while striking out three over four scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.

While he pitched well, the Mariners were able to run deGrom's pitch count up early, as he exited with 88 pitches (57 strikes) in his four frames. This was his shortest outing of the season and also included a season low for strikeouts, but it was his first scoreless start of the year. The veteran right-hander has maintained a 2.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 25:6 K:BB through 19.2 innings this season. DeGrom is projected to make his next start at home versus the Pirates.

Gilbert (1-3) took the loss Friday versus the Rangers, allowing two runs on seven hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out seven over 5.1 innings.

Gilbert had a decent game, settling in well after allowing a leadoff home run to Brandon Nimmo in the first inning. He fell short of a third straight quality start, but Gilbert tied his season high for strikeouts, which he's achieved in three of five starts so far. He's at a 4.03 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 32:5 K:BB across 29 innings. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Athletics.

Schanuel went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Friday's 8-0 win over the Padres.

Schanuel's three hits were a season high, and it's just his fourth multi-hit effort of the year. The first baseman is regarded for his contact skills, so this has been an unusually quiet start to the campaign for him. He's batting .227 with a .631 OPS, two home runs, 12 RBI, five runs scored, two doubles and no stolen bases over 18 games. His plate discipline (8:12 BB:K) is in line with his norms, so it's just a matter of Schanuel getting the bat to the ball at an acceptable rate.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 8-0 win over the Padres.

Lowe provided the Angels' last runs of the game with his fifth-inning blast off San Diego reliever David Morgan. Lowe has hit safely in three straight games while striking out three times in that span, an improvement from his rough showing early in the season. He's still hitting a paltry .167 with a .598 OPS, three homers, nine RBI, eight runs scored and a stolen base over 18 contests.

Moncada went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-0 win over the Padres.

Moncada has started to turn things around lately. He's gone 7-for-22 (.318) over his last six games, adding two homers and five RBI in that span. The third baseman is still batting just .172 on the year, but he's nudged his OPS up to .686 while adding three homers, eight RBI, eight runs scored and a triple over 17 contests. Moncada's got a lot of work to do to get his numbers into a respectable range, and injuries are always a lingering concern for him -- he's fallen short of 110 games played in four straight seasons. Even at his best, he puts up relatively modest numbers across the board.