MLB Player News

Gusto (1-4) took the loss Saturday as the Marlins fell 6-5 to the Cubs, surrendering five runs on 10 hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out five.

Chicago had runners in scoring position in every inning against Gusto, finally getting on the board when Michael Conforto led off the top of the third inning with a solo shot. Gusto got the hook after 100 pitches (67 strikes), and while the right-hander has been able to complete five innings in only one of his last six starts, he's managed to put together a 3.29 ERA and 23:9 K:BB in 27.1 innings over that stretch, albeit with a 1.50 WHIP. He'll look to be a little more efficient in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Dodgers.

Hoerner went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Marlins.

The infielder produced his second straight three-hit effort and his third in the last nine games. Hoerner has shifted over to shortstop while Dansby Swanson (oblique) is on the shelf, but the change in defensive responsibilities hasn't caused him to lose focus at the plate. Over 18 games since Swanson landed on the IL, Hoerner boasts a .310/.320/.366 slash line with one homer, two steals, four runs and eight RBI.

Assad didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Marlins, giving up three runs on three hits and five walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out three.

Called up earlier in the day for a spot start, Assad held Miami off the scoreboard for three innings before his control issues caught up to him. The right-hander exited after 88 pitches (51 strikes) with the Cubs ahead 5-2, as he missed a chance to record his seventh win of the season and tie his career high. It's not yet clear if Chicago will keep Assad around as a sixth starter or long reliever, or option him back to Triple-A Iowa in exchange for a fresh arm, but over five appearances and 18.1 big-league innings since the beginning of August he's delivered a 2.95 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 10:8 K:BB.

Thornton (3-5) took the loss Saturday, coughing up six runs on seven hits -- including four home runs -- and a walk over five innings. He struck out six.

In total, five of the hits off the rookie left-hander went for extra bases, with Rafael Devers and Christian Koss each taking him deep twice. Thornton still managed to complete five frames for the sixth straight start, taking a little pressure off the Mets' bullpen, and during that stretch he's produced a 4.22 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 27:5 K:BB over 32 innings while serving up eight homers. He'll try to keep the ball in the yard in his next outing, which is set to come on the road next weekend in a Subway Series against the Yankees.

Molina (3-0) picked up the win Saturday, allowing two unearned runs on one hit and one walk over five innings in a 9-5 victory over the Mets. He struck out six.

A Rafael Devers error extended the second inning and led to a two-run homer for A.J. Ewing, but it was the only hit Molina gave up over 87 pitches (55 strikes). The 24-year-old right-hander has gotten into the win column in his first three outings for the Giants since being acquired at the trade deadline from Atlanta, posting a 1.88 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB over 14.1 innings. He'll look to keep that streak going in his next start, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Padres.

Koss went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Mets.

Both homers came off Zac Thornton, with Koss belting a two-run shot in the third inning and a solo blast in the fifth. The shortstop has flipped the switch at the plate in September -- he entered the month with a .498 OPS in 47 big-league contests, but over the last five games he's gone 6-for-19 (.316) with two homers, a walk, four RBI and eight runs.

Devers went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Mets.

The 29-year-old slugger continued his rampage at the plate, launching a solo shot off Zac Thornton in the first inning and then tagging the rookie southpaw for a two-run blast in the fifth. In the process, Devers became just the third hitter in Giants history to hit six or more homers and draw seven or more walks in a six-game span -- an exclusive club whose other members are Willie Mays and Barry Bonds. Devers' hot streak has pushed him up to 35 homers on the season, three shy of his career high, and he needs nine more RBI to reach 100 for the fifth time.

Machado went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in a loss to the Yankees on Saturday.

San Diego managed just three hits as a team, and the club's only run came on Machado's fourth-inning solo blast. The long ball snapped a 13-game homerless stretch for the veteran slugger, who had also gone deep just once across his previous 34 contests. Machado's current .717 OPS is on pace to be the lowest mark of his long career, though he's still provided some decent counting stats with 25 homers, 70 runs and 76 RBI through 138 contests. He's now reached the 25-homer mark in every season since 2015 with the exception of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

Ray (11-8) took the loss against the Yankees on Saturday, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks while striking out one batter over 2.1 innings.

Ray breezed through the first inning, retiring the side in order on three groundouts while tossing just eight pitches. The rest of the lefty's start went in the complete opposite direction, however, as he gave up four runs on three hits and three walks in the second frame and another run on two hits and a walk in the third before being pulled. Overall, Ray threw just 36 of 68 pitches for strikes and notched only four whiffs. Control has long been an issue for the veteran hurler, and things haven't changed since he's joined the Padres, as Ray has now walked 20 batters over 28.2 innings across six starts with his new club. He had mostly gotten away with the free passes coming into Saturday, yielding two or fewer runs in four straight outings, but there's always going to be a risk of an implosion with a pitcher who puts runners on via walks as frequently as Ray does.

Crews went 2-for-4 with two doubles, one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Dodgers.

Crews has three doubles over two games in this weekend series against the Dodgers. The steal was his first since Aug. 13 versus the Cubs. The outfielder is still getting fairly steady playing time between center field and right field. Crews is batting just .220 with a .654 OPS, 10 home runs, nine steals, 35 RBI, 46 runs scored, 17 doubles and one triple over 91 contests this season.