MLB Player News
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Cade Horton P | CHC
Cubs' Cade Horton: Bounces back with seven scoreless
Horton didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Guardians, giving up five hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings. He struck out five.
Thursday marked the longest outing of the season for the rookie right-hander, who scattered five singles en route to his second scoreless start of the year. It was also a resounding bounce-back showing after Horton yielded a season-high seven runs his last time out. Horton will bring a 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 38:16 K:BB over 52 innings into his next scheduled start against the struggling Twins, who are batting just .217 across their last 20 games.
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Bryce Elder SP | ATL
Braves' Bryce Elder: Another poor showing in sixth loss
Elder (2-6) was charged with the loss Thursday against the Angels, giving up four runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out five.
Elder's rough stretch dragged on, as he allowed at least four runs and seven hits in his fourth straight outing. His ERA once stood at a palatable 4.08 for the season following a brilliant 12-strikeout performance June 7, but that figure has since ballooned to 5.92. The right-hander has a disastrous 12.64 ERA, 2.81 WHIP and 13:11 K:BB over his last four appearances (15.2 frames), so he doesn't shape up as a particularly appealing fantasy option against the Athletics at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park his next time out.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Knocks in three in win
Freeman went 2-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and one run scored in Thursday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.
Freeman opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning and plated the Dodgers' next two runs with another two-bagger in the third. This was Freeman's third multi-hit effort over his last four games. The first baseman is at a .312/.382/.507 slash line with 10 home runs, 47 RBI, 45 runs scored and no stolen bases over 75 games this season. He's also collected 23 doubles, which has him tied for third in the majors through Thursday's action.
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Michael Conforto RF | CHC
Dodgers' Michael Conforto: Hits two-run homer
Conforto went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.
Conforto's bat has improved lately, as he's gone 8-for-29 (.276) with three homers over his last seven games. He capped a four-run rally for the Dodgers with his third-inning blast Thursday. Overall, Conforto is at a .177/.297/.312 slash line with seven homers, 21 RBI, 32 runs scored and one stolen base over 74 contests in a strong-side platoon role.
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Mookie Betts SS | LAD
Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Knocks 10th homer
Betts went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.
Betts tacked on an insurance run with his seventh-inning blast, which was his 10th homer of the season. He had gone 0-for-12 over his previous three games, and the 32-year-old hadn't hit a homer since June 8 in St. Louis. For the season, Betts has struggled far more than usual with a .246/.321/.383 slash line while adding 43 RBI, 53 runs scored, six stolen bases, 11 doubles and one triple across 80 contests. His plate discipline remains excellent, so it looks like Betts is just working through a slump in the middle of the season.
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Dustin May SP | STL
Dodgers' Dustin May: Dazzles in win over White Sox
May (5-5) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out nine over seven-plus innings to earn the win over the White Sox on Thursday.
May retired the first 16 batters he faced in this dominant outing, which also saw him pitch into the eighth inning for the first time this year. That's when he started to fade, allowing a two-run home run to Brooks Baldwin that ended the outing. May was mediocre in June, posting a 5.67 ERA across 27 innings over his five starts, but July is off to a better start for him after he took advantage of an easy matchup. The right-hander is now at a 4.52 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 84:36 K:BB over 89.2 innings through 16 starts. His next outing is expected to be on the road versus the Brewers.
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Ketel Marte 2B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Lifts late homer in loss
Marte went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Giants.
Marte has homered in back-to-back games for the third time in the last two weeks. In that span dating back to June 20, he has gone 17-for-51 (.333) with seven homers and 16 RBI. This power surge has the second baseman closing in on a third straight 20-homer season -- he's at 19 for the year while adding a .299/.402/.603 slash line, 40 RBI, 50 runs scored and two stolen bases across 61 games. If he can stay healthy in the second half, he could take a run at his career high of 36 homers from last year.
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Eugenio Suarez DH | CIN
Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suarez: Clubs homer Thursday
Suarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Giants.
Suarez broke up Robbie Ray's perfect game bid by leading off the fifth inning with a solo shot. During this four-game series, Suarez went just 2-for-16 (.125), but both of his hits against the Giants left the yard. The third baseman also struck out 10 times in the series and has logged multiple strikeouts in six of his last nine games. On the year, he's batting .250 with an .879 OPS, 27 homers, 70 RBI, 52 runs scored, one stolen base 16 doubles over 85 games.
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Brandon Pfaadt RP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Brandon Pfaadt: Allows four runs in loss
Pfaadt (8-6) allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings to take the loss versus the Giants on Thursday.
Pfaadt had trouble against the top of the Giants' lineup, which was able to generate two runs in each of the first and third innings. This was Pfaadt's longest start since May 19 against the Dodgers, and it also saw him rack up a season high in strikeouts, but he was outmatched by a complete-game performance from San Francisco starter Robbie Ray. Pfaadt is now at a 5.42 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 80:23 K:BB across 91.1 innings over 18 outings. He's lined up to make his next start on the road in San Diego.
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Mike Yastrzemski LF | ATL
Giants' Mike Yastrzemski: Three hits in win
Yastrzemski went 3-for-5 with a run scored in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
Yastrzemski has been atop the lineup for all three games in July, going 5-for-14 in that short span. It's part of a larger five-game hitting streak for the outfielder. Yastrzemski moved around the lineup at times in late June, batting as low as sixth, but he's batted leadoff more than anywhere else. For the season, he's maintained a .250/.341/.393 slash line with eight home runs, 28 RBI, 34 runs scored and six stolen bases over 80 games. While he has an 11.9 percent walk rate and 22.5 percent strikeout rate overall, he's seen an uptick in strikeouts with 16 over his last 13 games.