MLB Player News

Matthews went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Matthews appears to be liking Arizona's pitching, hitting the first three homers of his big-league career over the last two games. The infielder's blast off reliever Jake Woodford on Tuesday was a clutch one, giving the Astros a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning after they were stymied for 6.1 innings by Eduardo Rodriguez. Matthews is now 4-for-20 with three homers, seven RBI, five runs scored and a 2:9 BB:K through six major-league contests. As long as he continues to show growth at the plate, he should be able to hold down a starting role at second base.

King allowed three hits and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Josh Hader was evidently unavailable after throwing 53 pitches across his last two appearances dating back to Saturday. Manager Joe Espada elected to have Bryan Abreu work the eighth inning against the heart of the Arizona order, while King got the ninth. King loaded the bases with three singles before striking out Blaze Alexander and inducing a double-play grounder from Jose Herrera. King has emerged as a steady setup option for the Astros in his first full big-league season, pitching to a 2.55 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 45:8 K:BB through 42.1 innings while adding 21 holds and two blown saves. He's been scored upon in just seven of his 43 appearances, including a five-run fiasco versus the Rays on May 29 that skewed his ratios, though he has an 8.1-inning scoreless streak in July.

Hill (0-1) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks over five innings against the Cubs. He struck out one.

Hill made MLB history Tuesday by pitching for his 14th team, tying Edwin Jackson's all-time record. The 45-year-old delivered a solid outing, allowing one earned run and three total over five innings, with defensive miscues by the Royals contributing to the damage. While the veteran lefty no longer has swing-and-miss stuff or any velocity, which will likely limit his effectiveness at this level, just being on a major league mound for a 21st consecutive season is a remarkable accomplishment. His current big-league stint may end once Michael Lorenzen (oblique) returns, but Hill's longevity is undeniably impressive.

Valdez (11-4) allowed one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out four over seven innings to earn the win Tuesday over the Diamondbacks.

Valdez allowed the lone run on a groundout in the fifth inning. He looked in line for a hard-luck loss until Brice Matthews' two-run home run in the eighth, which put the Astros ahead for good. This was the sixth straight start of at least six innings for Valdez, who has given up just six runs (five earned) over 38 frames in that span. He's also won 10 of his last 13 outings after beginning the year 1-4 over seven starts. For the season, the southpaw has a 2.67 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 129:42 K:BB across 128 innings. He's lined up for a favorable home start versus the Athletics this weekend.

Raleigh went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Brewers.

Raleigh went just 3-for-17 over his first four games following the All-Star break, though he had just two strikeouts in that span. Offense was at a premium Tuesday, and his sixth-inning solo shot off Nick Mears was the lone run of the game. Raleigh is up to 39 homers on the year while adding 84 RBI, 68 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 16 doubles and a .256/.370/.619 slash line across 99 contests. It wouldn't be surprising to see his batting average regress a bit in the second half, but he should still be capable of producing big numbers in his counting stats.

Munoz walked two and struck out two in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Brewers.

Munoz walked two of the first three batters he faced and also uncorked a wild pitch before settling down to secure the save. He's given up two runs over seven innings in July while converting four of his five save chances this month. After going over two months without allowing an earned run to begin the year, Munoz has been more human since May 30, allowing eight runs (six earned) over 14.1 innings with a 21:9 K:BB in that span. He's 22-for-28 in save chances with a 1.42 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 50:17 K:BB through 38 innings on the year.

Misiewicz was removed from Tuesday's game against the Dodgers with an apparent injury, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. He walked the lone batter he faced prior to exiting the contest.

Misiewicz's injury occurred during a replay review in the eighth inning of Tuesday's contest, but it's unclear what kind of injury he's dealing with or how it happened. The Twins will bring him in for a closer look and should provide some clarity on his status in the near future.

Gilbert (3-3) allowed two hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter over 6.1 shutout innings to earn the win Tuesday over the Brewers.

Gilbert opened with four perfect innings and then retired another seven in a row after Jackson Chourio's fifth-inning single. This was arguably Gilbert's best start of the season and his first quality start since Opening Day versus the Athletics. He's still served as a quality fantasy asset, albeit in shorter outings than usual, pitching to a 3.07 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 98:15 K:BB through 67.1 innings across 13 starts this season. His next start is projected to be on the road versus the Angels this weekend.

Mayo went 1-for-1 with three walks and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to Cleveland.

Mayo drew a career-high three walks and logged his second career game with multiple free passes. The resurgence of outfielder Ramon Laureano this season has enabled the Orioles to deploy All-Star Ryan O'Hearn as their primary first baseman in Ryan Mountcastle's (hamstring) stead, which has left Mayo without a clear path to playing time. Mayo is slashing just .205/.283/.301 with one home run, five doubles and nine RBI over 92 plate appearances, and he'll be a candidate to head back to the minor leagues once Mountcastle is healthy.

Urias went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to Cleveland.

Urias tallied his 16th multi-hit game of the season. With Baltimore's infield trio of Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg all healthy, Urias has been the odd man out lately when it comes to playing time. Urias has made just nine appearances in July, during which he's batting only .148 with two extra-base hits and zero RBI.