MLB Player News

Strider (3-7) took the loss Friday as Atlanta was downed 3-2 by the Orioles, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out six.

The right-hander delivered his fifth quality start in his last six trips to the mound, but homers by Jordan Westburg in the third inning and Cedric Mullins in the fifth -- as well as a lack of run support -- stuck Strider with the loss. Over that six-outing stretch, he's posted a 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 44:13 K:BB in 36 innings as he inches closer to his pre-injury form. Strider will try to keep the ball in the yard in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road next week against the A's.

Lopez went 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run and three RBI in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Brewers.

An RBI groundout in the first inning preceded a two-run homer off Quinn Priester in the fifth, which tied the game at 5-5. Lopez has been a run-producing machine of late, hitting safely in 12 of his last 14 games and slashing .339/.413/.536 with three of his nine homers on the season, plus a whopping 19 of his 44 RBI.

Alcantara didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Brewers, coughing up five runs on five hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.

Milwaukee took full advantage of its opportunities against the right-hander, and a balk and a hit batter by Alcantara contributed to that offensive efficiency. It was still the third straight start, and fifth time in six outings, that the right-hander has given the Marlins six innings as he rehabilitates his trade value, but a 4.89 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 27:6 K:BB through 35 innings over that stretch are a long way from his NL Cy Young form of 2022. Alcantara will look for a better result in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Cincinnati.

Durbin went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored, an RBI and two stolen bases in Friday's 6-5 win over the Marlins.

The rookie drove Miami pitchers to distraction, and Durbin's presence on second base caused Sandy Alcantara to balk him over to third in the third inning, leading directly to Milwaukee's first run of the night. Durbin continued a hot streak that has seen him slash .387/.451/.500 over his last 19 games with two homers, three steals, nine RBI and an impressive 17 runs despite the fact that he hasn't hit any higher than seventh in the order against right-handed pitching.

Megill gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 19th save of the season in a 6-5 win over the Marlins. He struck out one.

Miami's hitters made him work, fouling off 10 of his 32 pitches (20 total strikes), but Megill finally got the job done. The right-hander bounced back nicely from his third blown save of the season, and he's two saves shy of matching the career-high 21 he racked up last year. Since the beginning of June, Megill has a 2.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB through 12.1 innings.

Priester came away with a no-decision in Friday's 6-5 win over the Marlins, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.

Homers by Connor Norby in the fourth inning and Otto Lopez in the fifth accounted for most of the damage off Priester, who got the hook after 83 pitches (52 strikes). The right-hander has failed to last five innings in two of his last three outings, serving up multiple long balls in each, but he hasn't been saddled with a loss since May 13 -- a stretch of nine starts in which he's posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 42:9 K:BB in 49.1 innings while going 5-0. Priester will look for his sixth straight winning decision in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Nationals.

Kelly went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 11-3 win over the Cardinals.

Kelly hit one of eight Chicago home runs on the afternoon, which included three from Michael Busch and two from Pete Crow-Armstrong. The veteran catcher now has 10 long balls this season, and he's been hot recently, recording a .407 batting average and 1.152 OPS over his last 10 games. Kelly should remain the Cubs' top backstop moving forward, though he'll receive competition for playing time when Miguel Amaya (oblique) returns from the injured list, which is expected sometime around the All-Star break,

Suzuki went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 11-3 win over the Cardinals.

Suzuki was overshadowed a bit by Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had two home runs in the game, as well as Michael Busch, who went deep three times. However, the former still managed to provide some fireworks of his own, and he's now up to 24 long balls, which leads the team and is good for sixth in the majors. Suzuki has gone deep six times over his last 12 games, during which time he also has a robust 1.115 OPS.

Wisely went hit a solo home run in his lone at-bat in Friday's 11-2 loss to the Athletics.

Wisely's first homer of the year got the Giants on the board in the seventh inning. He's gone 6-for-21 (.286) across nine games during this stint in the majors, and three of his hits in that span have gone for extra bases. Even with modest success at the plate, Wisely's chance to carve out playing time at third base is likely to end Saturday when Matt Chapman (hand) comes off the injured list. Wisely can still push Tyler Fitzgerald for time at second base, but the former's versatility on defense makes him arguably more valuable as a bench bat.

Verlander (0-6) allowed six runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out five over three innings to take the loss Friday versus the Athletics.

Verlander threw 45 of 60 pitches for strikes, but they were a little too hittable. The Athletics put together a four-run rally in the second inning and ultimately handed Verlander his ugliest start of the season. The 42-year-old's ERA is up to 4.84 with a 1.44 WHIP and 60:26 K:BB over 70.2 innings over 14 starts as he continues to search for his first win of the year. He's projected to make his next start at home in a tough matchup versus the Phillies.