MLB Player News

Wood went 3-for-5 with a home run, three total runs and four total RBI in a 10-6 win against the Padres on Monday.

Wood was a second-round draft pick by the Padres in 2021 before being moved to Washington in the Juan Soto trade in 2022. That made Monday a revenge game of sorts for the blossoming young outfielder, and he came through with a run-scoring single in the first inning and a three-run blast in the eighth. Wood is enjoying an All-Star caliber campaign, slashing .284/.379/.569 with 22 home runs, 61 RBI and nine stolen bases on the season. He's one of six major-leaguers with at least 20 homers and 60 RBI on the campaign so far.

Kolek (3-3) took the loss against Washington on Monday, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out five batters over 4.1 innings.

Kolek managed to get through three scoreless frames before things fell apart for him in the fourth. In that inning, he gave up four runs on four hits, and he hurt himself with a throwing error at the start of the frame. Kolek came out for the fifth, but he exited with one out after giving up a single to CJ Abrams, who eventually came around to score. The 4.1 innings tied a season low for Kolek, and both instances have come over his past three starts. Over that stretch, he's given up 11 earned runs across 15 frames.

Parker (5-8) earned the win over San Diego on Monday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one batter over six innings.

Parker entered Monday having lost each of his past five starts, but he was able to get back in the win column while also tossing his second straight quality start. The southpaw didn't miss many bats -- he notched just one punchout and five whiffs -- but managed to limit the damage against him despite giving up two homers. Parker's lack of strikeout stuff and 4.59 season ERA make him an unappealing option in most fantasy leagues, but he's been able to stay healthy and remain in the rotation for the Nationals throughout the campaign, as he's tied for the team lead with 16 starts.

Gorman went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Monday in an 8-2 win over the Cubs.

St. Louis exploded for four two-run homers across the fourth and sixth innings, and Gorman's blast was the final of that onslaught. It was just the fifth long ball of the campaign for Gorman, who hit at least 14 homers in each of his first three big-league seasons. Though Gorman doesn't have an everyday role at any position, he's been in the lineup consistently of late, starting five of the Cardinals' past six games at either second base, third base or DH.

Nootbaar went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run against the Cubs in Monday's 8-2 victory.

Nootbaar got the scoring started in the contest with a two-run blast in the fourth inning, and his homer became contagious, as St. Louis slugged three more two-run shots over the following two frames. It was the 10th home run of the season for Nootbaar, marking the fourth straight campaign he has reached double-digit long balls. The fifth-year outfielder has an excellent chance of surpassing his career-best mark of 14 homers, which he reached in both 2022 and 2023.

Donovan went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 8-2 win over the Cubs.

The Cardinals slugged four two-run homers off Chicago starter Ben Brown, with Donovan's coming in the fifth frame. It was a rare show of power by the utility man, as he had gone 17 games without hitting a long ball and has just five homers on the campaign. Nonetheless, Donovan has been a key part of the Cardinals' offense this season, slashing .307/.375/.437 with 29 RBI, 42 runs scored and three stolen bases through 71 games.

Brown (4-6) took the loss against St. Louis on Monday, allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out three batters over five innings.

Brown began his outing with three scoreless frames before serving up a two-run homer to Lars Nootbaar in the fourth. The right-handed hurler gave up two more long balls -- both of which were also two-run shots -- in the fifth, then served up another two-run blast before being pulled without retiring a batter in the sixth. Brown has struggled with consistency this season, giving up two or fewer runs in eight of his 16 outings but yielding five or more runs six times. Prior to Monday, long balls hadn't been a big problem for him, as he'd given up zero or one homer in 14 of his 15 appearances and had posted a respectable 1.1 HR/9, so his fantasy managers have reason to hope that the barrage of home runs against him Monday was an aberration. However, with Shota Imanaga (hamstring) rejoining the rotation Thursday, Brown or Colin Rea could be moved to a long-relief role or Brown could be optioned to Triple-A.

Ruiz (head) was taken to a local hospital for a CT scan after leaving Monday's game against the Padres, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz was struck by a foul ball while in the dugout and sent for further evaluation after a lump formed on the left side of his head, per Zuckerman. Riley Adams would be in line for more chances behind the plate if Ruiz is forced to miss time.

Liberatore (5-6) earned the win over the Cubs on Monday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five batters over seven innings.

Liberatore needed a tidy 85 pitches to complete seven frames, throwing 52 of those offerings for strikes. The southpaw recorded his second straight quality start following a rough three-outing stretch in late May and early June during which he went 0-3 with a 10.29 ERA. Liberatore has a 3.96 overall ERA on the campaign, but without that poor three-start span it would be at 2.74 across 72.1 frames. He's tentatively scheduled to make his next start in Cleveland.

Gonzales went 5-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI in Monday's 5-4 win versus Milwaukee.

The Pittsburgh second baseman completed the first Pirates five-hit game performance since Oneil Cruz accomplished the feat Aug. 2, 2024. In the process, Gonzales roped his second and third two-baggers of the season as he raised his average from .271 to .320 across 19 total games. The 26-year-old has been locked into a starting role at second base since returning from an ankle injury June 3.