MLB Player News

Taillon (6-3) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over seven innings in a 6-1 victory over the Tigers. He struck out five.

The right-hander needed only 84 pitches (56 strikes) to deliver his fifth straight quality start, and his ninth in 13 trips to the mound this year. Taillon will take a four-start win streak into his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Pirates.

Martinez (3-6) earned the win against Arizona on Saturday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk while striking out six across six innings.

Martinez yielded a solo home run to Eugenio Suarez in the second frame, and he escaped the inning without additional damage despite allowing two additional baserunners. Martinez kept the Reds batters in check the rest of the way, tossing 102 pitches (67 strikes) en route to his seventh quality start of the season. The right-hander has a 3.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 53:16 K:BB across 75.1 innings this season. He's tentatively lined up to start against the Tigers on the road next weekend.

Iglesias did not pitch Saturday despite Atlanta holding a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning against the Giants.

Iglesias has struggled over the last month, allowing 11 earned runs across 10 innings pitched. After blowing a save and taking a loss Thursday, manager Brian Snitker noted that Iglesias was not necessarily Atlanta's primary closer moving forward, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. He was unavailable to pitch Friday but was then passed over in a save chance Saturday. Pierce Johnson got the save opportunity instead, but he blew the chance by allowing a two-run home run to Matt Chapman.

Stephenson went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI single and a run scored in Saturday's 13-1 win over Arizona.

Stephenson contributed to the Reds' eight-run fourth frame with an RBI single that brought Will Benson home. It's the third three-hit game of the season for Stephenson, all of which have come over his last 11 outings. Over that span, he has gone 14-for-42 (.333) with four home runs and 10 RBI.

Encarnacion-Strand went 5-for-10 with two home runs and five RBI between wins over the Diamondbacks on Friday and Saturday.

Friday's game was suspended due to rain, and when it resumed Saturday, Encarnacion-Strand emerged as the hero after smacking the walk-off RBI double in the 10th. He carried over that momentum into Saturday's scheduled game, putting the Reds on the board in the first inning with a three-run shot to left field. Encarnacion-Strand had produced a .482 OPS across 59 plate appearances prior to suffering a back issue and landing on the injured list April 17, but the extended period on the shelf and subsequent rehab assignment may have helped the 25-year-old infielder figure things out at the plate. Expect the Reds to continue to find ways to keep his bat in the lineup now that he's looking healthy and productive.

Lux went 1-for-5 with a grand slam in Saturday's 13-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Lux gave the Reds a commanding 10-1 lead in the fourth inning, when he took Kendall Graveman deep to right field for a 351-foot grand slam. It was Lux's second home run of the season and first since April 21 against the Marlins. He is slashing .283/.374/.401 with one steal and 26 RBI across 187 plate appearances this season.

Suarez (4-1) was tagged with the loss against the Pirates on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five across seven innings.

After yielding an RBI single to Andrew McCutchen in the first, Suarez kept Pittsburgh off the board over the next five innings and faced the minimum number of batters in three of those frames. However, the veteran southpaw lost the lead for the Phillies in the seventh, when he gave up a solo home run to Henry Davis, and Suarez didn't get enough run support to avoid his first loss of the season. Still, Suarez has logged a quality start in each of his last six outings and sports a 2.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 38:11 K:BB across 43.1 innings this season. He is tentatively slated to pitch next weekend at home against the Blue Jays.

Davis went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 2-1 win over Philadelphia.

Davis gave the Pirates the lead for good in the seventh inning, when he took Ranger Suarez deep to left-center field for a solo homer. Davis has gone long in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, and he has been hot at the plate of late with a .300 batting average (12-for-40) with two doubles, three home runs and eight RBI over his last 13 games. He'll continue to see a heavy workload as the Pirates' top catcher with Joey Bart (concussion) and Endy Rodriguez (elbow) both on the injured list.

Bednar earned the save in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Phillies, striking out one batter in a perfect ninth inning.

Bednar was brought out for the ninth to protect the Pirates' one-run lead. He needed just seven pitches (five strikes) to get through the frame, four of which came on a Kyle Schwarber strikeout. Bednar has converted on all eight of his save opportunities this season and has a 3.74 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 31:5 K:BB across 21.2 innings. He appears to have reestablished himself as Pittsburgh's closer, having recorded the club's past four saves.

Weathers was evaluated for a head injury after exiting Saturday's start against the Rays in the third inning, Nate Karzmer of Fish on First reports.

Weathers was seen flexing his arm and experienced diminished velocity before being pulled, so it was assumed he was dealing with an arm injury. However, he was hit in the head on a practice throw by Nick Fortes after warmup pitches in the first inning, which is apparently the primary cause for concern. The Marlins announced Weathers didn't suffer a significant injury, but it will still be worth monitoring his status leading up to his next projected start.