MLB Player News

Tovar went 4-for-6 with four doubles, two runs scored and two RBI during Friday's 17-16 win over the Pirates.

Tovar snapped a couple of long streaks in a big way during Friday's comeback victory. First, he had his first multi-hit game in nine outings. Second, the 24-year-old had his first game with multiple extra-base hits since May 17. He entered the game with just seven doubles in 42 games before bringing his total to 11 by night's end. The Colorado shortstop is now slashing .268/.309/.458 on the year.

Cruz went 2-for-6 with a double and a grand slam during Friday's 17-16 loss to the Rockies.

Cruz delivered the biggest swing in Pittsburgh's lengthy, nine-run first inning in which they sent 14 batters to the plate, smashing a 451-foot grand slam to center. The 26-year-old has showed he's quite dangerous when he can barrel up the ball, but his struggles to hit for average have been apparent as he's slashing just .220/.319/.448 on the season. He has 48 RBI on the season to go along with 18 home runs, but he's gone deep only three times since the start of July.

McCutchen went 3-for-5 with a walk, a three-run home run, three runs scored and five RBI in Friday's 17-16 loss to the Rockies.

It was a game in which McCutchen looked a lot like the player who won the 2013 NL MVP Award, knocking in five and picking up three hits. However, those moments have been rarer than in most seasons; his five RBI on Friday were more than he had in the entirety of July (three) and his OPS, boosted to .714 after his big game, is still on track to be his second-worst as a pro. The 17-year veteran is up to 11 home runs and 39 RBI in 96 games.

DeSclafani (1-2) allowed four runs on five hits and three walks while failing to record a strikeout over 2.1 innings, taking the loss Friday versus the Athletics.

DeSclafani threw 59 pitches (33 strikes) in this outing, one off his season high from July 6 versus the Royals. It was a poor start for the veteran right-hander, as he allowed all four runs in the first inning. DeSclafani is still relatively stretched out after serving as a multi-inning reliever a majority of the time since he signed with Arizona on June 15. He's struggled to a 4.91 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 24:9 K:BB through 25.2 innings across nine appearances (two starts). It's unclear if he'll be the rest-of-season answer in the rotation following the Diamondbacks' deal that sent Merrill Kelly to the Rangers on Thursday. DeSclafani is tentatively scheduled to make his next start at home versus the Padres.

Gorman went 1-for-3 in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Padres.

Gorman missed nearly two weeks due to lower-back pain. He started and played the whole game at third base, which is likely to be his main path to playing time while Nolan Arenado (shoulder) is on the injured list. Gorman has had a rough season, slashing .221/.310/.407 with nine home runs, 29 RBI, 31 runs scored and one stolen base across 229 plate appearances , though his .717 OPS this season is an improvement on last year's .671 mark.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Padres.

Contreras opened the scoring in the fifth inning, but the Padres responded with all four of their runs coming in the bottom of the frame, including one that stemmed directly from Contreras' error. The 33-year-old had gone just 1-for-17 across his previous five games. He's now at 15 homers, 62 RBI, 53 runs scored, four stolen bases, 28 doubles and a .257/.342/.447 slash line through 105 contests this season.

Liberatore (6-9) allowed four runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out one over 4.1 innings to take the loss Friday versus the Padres.

A defensive miscue by Willson Contreras allowed the Padres to build a rally in the fifth inning, which ended Liberatore's outing early. He finished with 85 pitches (55 strikes) but came up short of the five-inning mark for the second start in a row. The southpaw had a start skipped coming out of the All-Star break and is also likely to have his innings monitored down the stretch -- he's already at 109 frames in 2025, though his career high across all levels came in 2022, when he logged 149.2 innings. Liberatore has been decent this year with a 3.96 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 84:26 K:BB across 20 starts, but if he can't be more efficient to be eligible for wins, his fantasy value will tumble. The 25-year-old is tentatively scheduled for a tough road matchup versus the Dodgers next week.

Miller allowed two hits and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn a hold in Friday's 4-1 win over the Cardinals.

The Padres' acquisition of Miller came amid a flurry of moves for the team, but Robert Suarez also remained in San Diego. That could lead to the creation of a closer committee. In Friday's contest, Miller was brought in to face the Cardinals' fifth through eighth hitters, while Suarez worked the ninth inning as the order turned over. Miller has youth on his side, but he was a little wild at times with the Athletics, posting a 3.76 ERA and 59:18 K:BB over 38.1 innings prior to the trade. Keep an eye on this bullpen in the coming weeks to see how the ninth-inning duties get divvied up.

Suarez allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 4-1 win over the Cardinals.

The Padres' bullpen got a massive boost with the addition of Mason Miller at Thursday's trade deadline, but it was still Suarez in the ninth inning -- and against the top of the Cardinals' order -- in Friday's game. Miller worked the eighth inning, allowing two hits in a scoreless frame. Manager Mike Shildt has plenty of high-leverage arms to work with, but it remains to be seen which reliever, if any, will get a clear-cut closer role. Suarez leads the majors with 31 saves and has a 3.35 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 47:12 K:BB across 45.2 innings this season, but he posted a 4.87 ERA over 20.1 innings in June and July combined, so his stability has potentially taken a hit. Nonetheless, it looks like Suarez is at least in the mix for save chances over the last two months of 2025.

Pivetta (11-3) allowed one run on one hit and struck out five without walking a batter over seven innings to earn the win Friday over the Cardinals.

Pivetta retired 12 straight batters to begin the game before Willson Contreras took him deep with a leadoff blast in the fifth inning. That was the only hit Pivetta allowed in one of his most dominant performances of the season. Since and including June 15, he's made nine starts, allowing one run or fewer in six of them while posting a 57:11 K:BB across 56.1 innings. Overall, Pivetta sports a 2.73 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 136:32 K:BB through 128.2 innings across 22 starts. His next start is projected to be at Arizona, facing a team that sold heavily at the trade deadline.