MLB Player News

Cronenworth went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Cardinals.

Cronenworth opened the scoring when he took Andre Pallante deep in the fourth inning. This was Cronenworth's first home runsince July 5 versus the Rangers. Over the 23 games between long balls, he hit a mere .227 with a .623 OPS. The infielder has a .235/.344/.388 slash line with nine homers, 34 RBI, 38 runs scored and two stolen bases across 87 contests this season. The Padres were busy at the trade deadline but didn't acquire a middle infielder, so Cronenworth is likely to maintain a starting role at second base, though he made cede some at-bats to Jose Iglesias when the Padres face a left-handed pitcher.

Suarez allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Cardinals.

The Padres didn't appear to be in need of their closer for much of this game, but Adrian Morejon created a disaster in the ninth inning, allowing two runs while failing to record an out. Suarez took over with the bases loaded and allowed one inherited runner to score on a sacrifice fly before slamming the door to earn his 32nd save of the year. Suarez has earned both of the Padres' saves since the trade deadline, so it looks like he's still ahead of Mason Miller in the closer hierarchy. On the year, Suarez has maintained a 3.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 48:12 K:BB, and he's been charged with just two runs over 12 innings since the start of July.

Cease (4-10) allowed a hit and a walk while striking out nine over five scoreless innings to earn the win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

Cease threw 59 of 90 pitches for strikes in this outing. While he wasn't particularly efficient, he put together a dominant effort to earn his first win since June 21. He showed no ill effects after taking a comebacker off the head in his previous start. The right-hander posted a 5.67 ERA over 27 innings across his five starts in July, one of which was a scoreless outing. Cease has posted a 4.60 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 162:48 K:BB through 123.1 innings over 23 starts this season. His next start is lined up to be at home versus the Red Sox.

Pallante (6-8) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four over five innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Padres.

Pallante posted seven innings of one-hit ball in his last start, but he wasn't able to replicate it Sunday. It was a decent outing, aside from the two-run home run Jake Cronenworth hit in the fourth inning to open the scoring. Pallante is now at a 4.57 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 80:40 K:BB through 122 innings over 22 starts this season. He's tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Cubs.

Blackburn (shoulder) struck out three and allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings Saturday in his rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse.

Blackburn has now compiled a 2.21 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB in 20.1 innings over four rehab starts between stops with Syracuse and the rookie-level Florida Complex League. He's been on the shelf since July 3 due to a right shoulder impingement but has been fully stretched out for over a week now, as he built up to 87 pitches in his previous rehab start before tossing 93 on Saturday. His delayed activation from the 15-day injured list seems to be a result of the Mets buying some time to decide whether he'll be part of the rotation or bullpen upon his return, and Blackburn's odds of returning as a starter may have increased after Sunday's 12-4 loss to the Giants. Frankie Montas was battered for seven earned runs in four innings in the loss and now holds a 6.68 ERA over seven starts on the season, perhaps putting him at risk of losing his spot in the rotation.

Megill (elbow) threw about 22 pitches in a live batting practice session Sunday at Citi Field, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

Megill has now reached another major milestone in his recovery from a right elbow sprain by facing hitters for the first time since landing on the injured list June 17. The right-hander will likely throw another two-inning simulated live BP on Thursday and perhaps another sim game after that before the Mets map out a minor-league rehab assignment for him. The Mets will presumably let Megill get stretched out for a starting role during his assignment, but it's unclear if the big club will actually have a spot available for him in the rotation by the time he's eligible for activation in the middle of August.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Bohm (rib) fielded ground balls and hit in the batting cage prior to Sunday's game against the Tigers, MLB.com reports.

Thomson noted that Bohm is pain-free as he works his way back from a fractured left rib and is drawing closer to beginning a rehab assignment. Since Bohm was placed on the injured list July 19, the Phillies have been getting by with a combination of Otto Kemp and Edmundo Sosa at third base.

Suzuki went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Orioles.

Suzuki came into the contest 0-for-8 with three strikeouts over his last three games, but he managed to snap out of his mini slump with his first two-hit effort since July 18. Despite the recent downturn in production, the outfielder is still having a strong season with 26 home runs, 82 RBI and an .822 OPS across 107 games. The homers and RBI are both new career bests for Suzuki.

Manager Brian Snitker said after Sunday's 4-2 win over the Reds in the MLB Speedway Classic in Bristol, Tenn. that Riley (abdomen) will be evaluated in the next day or two before Atlanta decides whether he requires a stint on the injured list, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

After striking out in his lone plate appearance in the game that first started Saturday before it was resumed in the bottom of the first inning Sunday, Riley played two innings in the field before he was lifted for pinch hitter Luke Williams the next time his turn in the batting order came up in the top of the third. Atlanta later relayed that Riley was pulled from the game due to lower abdominal pain, an injury he appeared to suffer when he made a diving tag on Elly De La Cruz to prevent a run in the bottom of the first. Given that Riley was previously on the IL from July 12 through July 25 due to a lower abdominal strain, Riley could be dealing with a related setback that will result in another multi-week shutdown. If Atlanta decides to deactivate Riley, Nacho Alvarez would likely be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to take over as the team's everyday third baseman.

Turner appeared as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Orioles.

Turner pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth inning and blasted off against Baltimore reliever Keegan Akin to give the Cubs a walk-off win. It was a nice moment for the veteran infielder, though he has mostly struggled this year with a .217 batting average, .617 OPS and three home runs across 58 games. Turner has been mainly relegated to occasional playing time against lefties, which limits his fantasy upside.