MLB Player News

Bregman went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBI in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Twins.

Bregman took Joe Ryan deep to left center to kick things off in the second and later drove in a second run on a base hit in the third. He has four multi-hit efforts over his last eight games and is slashing .353/.371/.500 with seven RBI, six runs and a 1:5 BB:K over that span. Even after a sluggish start to the year, Bregman has still displayed incredible discipline at the plate. He sits at a 1.12 BB/K, which is currently fourth-best in the majors out of all qualified hitters. For the year, the 29-year-old is slashing .240/.335/.385 with seven homers, 29 RBI, 33 runs and a 28:25 BB:K over 239 plate appearances.

McCormick went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Twins.

McCormick sent one out to left center off of Joe Ryan in the second inning to increase the Astros' lead to 3-0. He now sits at four on the year and has doubled his home run total this season with two in his last two games. The 28-year-old hasn't produced a whole lot at the plate outside of those two homers since returning from a back injury May 14. Since then, he's slashing just .184/.244/.421 with five extra-base hits, five RBI, two runs and a 3:12 BB:K over 40 plate appearances as he continues to fight for his playing time in center field with Jake Meyers.

Bielak (2-2) allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out six over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Twins on Tuesday.

Tuesday was the third time over his last four starts that Bielak has held an opponent to one run or less. The 27-year-old blanked the Twins over his first four innings before a leadoff double and a single in the fifth finally got them on the board. He hasn't faced any majorly daunting offenses through six starts thus far, though he's shown struggles with his command and had allowed six home runs in five outings coming into Tuesday. His 5.15 FIP suggests he's had some luck on his side, but he'll figure to stick around in the rotation as long as he's getting results. Bielak will take a 3.19 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 28:12 K:BB into his next projected outing against the Angels over the weekend.

Bello (3-3) took the loss Tuesday as the Red Sox fell 9-8 to the Reds, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out four.

Despite the final score both starting pitchers were stingy, but Bello exited early after running his workload up to 97 pitches (61 pitches) and got stuck with the loss when Boston's rally came too late to tie things up. The 24-year-old right-hander has given up two earned runs or less in six straight starts, posting a 2.53 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 33:11 K:BB in 32 innings over that stretch. He could have a tough time keeping that streak going in his next outing, however, which is likely to be a home tilt against the Rays this weekend.

Garver (knee) served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a walk for Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.

This was the first time Garver played a full game, albeit as a DH. Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Garver would play another two or three games while on rehab this week, per Matthew Postins of SI.com, citing a report in the Dallas Morning News. The club would like to see him play a nine-inning game, presumably in the field, before activating him. Garver's activation is lining up for when the Rangers return from a road trip to open a weekend series against Seattle on Friday.

Barrero went 2-for-2 with a walk and a grand slam in Tuesday's 9-8 win over the Red Sox.

The 25-year-old began the game on the bench, but when TJ Friedl (hamstring) checked out early, Barrero took over in center field and gave the Reds what proved to be crucial insurance runs when he drove a Joely Rodriguez sinker off a light standard above the Green Monster in the seventh inning. It's his first career grand slam and only his second homer in 39 games this season, and while Cincy is trying to find ways to keep him in the lineup now that Matt McLain has taken over the starting shortstop role, Barrero and his mediocre .235/.313/.353 slash line could get bumped back to Triple-A when the team finally decided to promote Elly De La Cruz.

Cortes (5-2) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six and earning the win over the Mariners on Tuesday.

Cortes blanked the Mariners over the first four innings, but then a leadoff walk and a pair of doubles plated two runs in the fifth and would be replaced after getting through the frame with 101 pitches. The 28-year-old showed some life on his fastball, as it was averaging 92.1 MPH. He registered 14 whiffs on the evening and recorded six strikeouts for the second time over this last three outings. Despite an ERA north of five, Cortes is tied for fifth in the majors with a multitude of other pitches at five wins this season. He'll take a 5.16 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 59:19 K:BB into his next start, which is projected to come against the White Sox next week.

Boston manager Alex Cora acknowledged Verdugo was not feeling well Tuesday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. "Dugie is not feeling great," Cora said when asked about using Verdugo as a pinch hitter Tuesday.

Cora wanted to give the Verdugo the entire day off due to the illness, which is why the manager stayed away from him during the Red Sox's late rally in a 9-8 loss to the Reds. There were ideal spots to use him, as the struggling Jarren Duran and Triston Casas made the final outs with a runner at third base in the team's five-run ninth inning. Cora expects Verdugo back Wednesday.

Diaz picked up his 13th save of the season Tuesday, giving up a hit and striking out one while recording the final two outs in a 9-8 win over the Red Sox.

The Reds led 8-0 in the top of the seventh inning, but the team's bullpen made a mess of things and forced Diaz to come in and put out the fire in the ninth. The 26-year-old younger brother of Edwin Diaz (knee) has struck out at least one batter in 17 of his last 19 appearances while being scored upon only once as he established himself as an elite closing option in his own right. On the season, Alexis sports a 1.69 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 41:10 K:BB through 21.1 innings and has yet to blow a save chance.

Lively (3-2) picked up the win in Tuesday's 9-8 victory over the Red Sox, allowing four hits and two walks over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out six.

He got the hook one out short of his second straight quality start, and the Reds bullpen nearly cost him his second straight win, but Lively was outstanding when he was on the mound and generated 26 called or swinging strikes among his 87 pitches. Over his last three outings, the 31-year-old has a 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 22:5 K:BB through 17.1 innings. Lively will look to keep rolling in his next start, likely to come at home this weekend against the Brewers.