MLB Player News

Kikuchi allowed three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings in Sunday's win over the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.

Kikuchi cruised through four innings but allowed a leadoff single and then a walk in the fifth before Ramon Urias tied the game up with a three-run homer. Kikuchi went on to strike out the next three batters he faced but was pulled after a two-out walk in the sixth. Walks have been an issue for the lefty, as he's issued multiple walks in six of his last eight starts and hasn't reached six innings in any of them. Still, he's been a quality deadline addition for the Astros and now owns a 4.39 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 165:40 K:BB in 143.2 innings. Kikuchi lines up to face the Royals in his next start over the weekend.

Seager went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Guardians.

Seager brought the Rangers within one run with an eighth-inning solo shot. It was the 29th of the season for Seager, who is on the precipice of a third consecutive season with at least 30 home runs.

Hader walked a batter over a scoreless inning to pick up the save in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Orioles.

Hader only threw five strikes out of the 12 pitches he needed to get through the frame. He began with a leadoff walk to Gunnar Henderson before getting a lineout and erasing the walk with a game-ending double play. Hader is now working on 11 straight scoreless appearances dating back to July 31. He's allowed just two hits and has posted a 12:4 K:BB while picking up eight saves over that span. He's sitting tied for fifth in baseball with 28 saves to compliment a 3.30 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 84:19 K:BB in 57.1 innings this season.

Diaz went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Orioles.

Diaz was on the latter half of back-to-back home runs with Alex Bregman in the seventh to put the Astros ahead 5-3. The long ball extended Diaz's hitting streak to nine games. Over the last 30 games, he's hitting .350/.369/.602 with eight homers, 20 RBI and 17 runs scored. He's been one of the best catchers in baseball during just his second full season, slashing .301/.327/.462 with 16 homers, 72 RBI, 57 runs, a steal and a 19:76 BB:K in 493 plate appearances.

Bregman went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Orioles.

Bregman pushed the Astros back in front with a solo home in the seventh and they would never look back. It's a continuation of what's already been a strong month for Bregman. He now has eight multi-hit efforts and at least a hit in 14 of his last 16 games while only striking out nine times in 77 at-bats. For the year, he's slashing .260/.316/.448 with 21 homers, 61 RBI, 67 runs, three steals and a 37:69 BB:K in 532 plate appearances.

O'Neill went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-5 loss to Arizona.

O'Neill returned to duty after missing the last two games with inflammation in a finger. He struck out in his first three plate appearances before leading off the ninth with an opposite field shot that curled just inside the Pesky Pole in right field. The homer, which traveled all of 319 feet, was O'Neill's 23rd and first since coming off the injured list Aug. 17.

Kremer allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings in Sunday's loss to the Astros. He did not factor into the decision.

Kremer held the Astros scoreless through three innings before they rallied for three runs against him in the fourth with five hits in the inning. Otherwise, Kremer posted a strong outing and put together his third straight quality start. The 28-year-old allowed nine runs in 9.1 innings in his first two starts this month but has rebounded with just five runs allowed over his last 18 innings. For the year, Kremer owns a 4.31 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 96:43 K:BB in 102.1 innings. He lines up to face the Rockies on the road over the weekend his next time out.

Hendriks (elbow) allowed one unearned run on one hit and struck out two over two-thirds of an inning for Double-A Portland on Sunday.

Hendriks made the third appearance of his rehab assignment, throwing 19 pitches (13 for strikes). The pitcher is expected to make another three to five appearances in the minors before he's evaluated for activation.

Urias went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in Sunday's loss to the Astros.

The Orioles mustered up just two hits, but Urias got a hold of one against Yusei Kikuchi in the fifth to even up the game at 3-3. Urias has swung the bat well lately, slashing .302/.354/.651 with four homers, 13 RBI and seven runs scored since Aug. 10. For the year, he's hitting .247/.316/.416 with nine homers, 31 RBI, 29 runs, a steal and a 21:47 BB:K in 256 plate appearances.

Slaten threw a bullpen session prior to Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Slaten began a rehab assignment Friday for Double-A Portland, in which he exhibited shaky command, and Sunday's session was to address those issues. Boston manager Alex Cora told MLB.com that Slaten will most likely be with the Red Sox "in the upcoming days." That could mean at least one more rehab appearance for the right-hander.