MLB Player News

Walker got the save over the Padres again Sunday, completing five outs while not allowing any baserunners.

Walker entered in the eighth with one out after Camilo Doval coughed up a two-run homer to make it a 7-6 game and then walked a batter to bring the leading run up to the plate for the Padres. Walker was able to get out of the inning and then pitched a perfect ninth to lock up the win for the Giants. Walker's now converted seven consecutive save chances and owns a sparkling 1.82 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 95:16 K:BB in 74.1 innings this season.

Matos went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Padres.

Matos was the latter part of back-to-back home runs against Joe Musgrove in the fifth and picked up his first hit in 10 plate appearances since being called back up Sept. 3. He's struck out multiple times in all three appearances he's made since his return to the majors and won't have a shot at a bigger role unless injuries in front of him arise. For the year, Matos is slashing .211/.235/.340 with five homers, 25 RBI, 13 runs and a 5:24 BB:K in 153 plate appearances.

Encarnacion went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Sunday's win over the Padres.

Encarnacion followed up Matt Chapman's two-run homer in the fifth with a three-run blast to put the Giants up 5-0. It was his first extra-base hit since he last homered Aug. 18 and he's now notched at least one base hit in each of his last five games. Still, he's made just four starts since Aug. 31 and doesn't appear to have a path to a larger role unless injuries happen in front of him. For the year, Encarnacion is slashing .257/.293/.429 with three homers, 13 RBI, eight runs, a steal and a 4:23 BB:K in 75 plate appearances.

Chapman went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Padres.

Chapman took Joe Musgrove deep in the fourth to get the Giants on the board for his 23rd of the season. He now has at least a hit in 11 of his last 12 starts and is slashing .357/.386/.643 with a 1.029 OPS over that span. Chapman also swiped his 15th base of the year and is 15-for-17 on stolen base attempts this season after coming into the year just 11-for-23 in that category for his career. A 20-20 campaign is not out of reach for the 31-year-old, who is now slashing .251/.334/.451 with 58 extra-base hits, 71 RBI, 92 runs and a 61:145 BB:K in 595 plate appearances.

Casali went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Padres.

Casali provided what ended up being a crucial home run after going yard against Alek Jacob in the sixth to put the Giants up 7-1 in a game that finished 7-6. It was the first home run of the season for the 35-year-old backstop and his first hit since Aug. 20. He's made just two starts since Patrick Bailey returned from the injured list at the end of August and is now slashing .178/.282/.233 with six RBI, 11 runs and an 11:19 BB:K in 105 plate appearances this year.

Bivens did not factor into the decision in Sunday's win over the Padres, allowing one run on four hits and a walk while striking out three over 4.1 innings.

Bivens blanked the Padres through four innings before Jackson Merrill finally broke through with a leadoff home run in the fifth. Bivens threw 63 pitches with 42 going for strikes and the home run being the only extra-base hit allowed. It was the second-longest outing of the season for him after he went five innings in his only other start back on June 30. Bivens could be given a look in the rotation down the stretch with Kyle Harrison (shoulder) potentially done for the year and Mason Black struggling during his time in the majors so far this year. For the year, Bivens owns a 2.77 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 27:9 K:BB in 39 innings. If he were to make another start, it would project to come against the Padres again over the weekend.

Merrill went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's loss to the Giants.

Merrill took Spencer Bivens deep in the fifth to finally get the Padres on the board and later scored again in the seventh on a wild pitch. The home run was his third in six starts this month and he's now second on the team in home runs and RBI, trailing Manny Machado in both categories. For the year, Merrill is slashing .290/.322/.499 with 23 homers, 83 RBI, 72 runs, 16 steals and a 25:93 BB:K in 531 plate appearances.

Bogaerts went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's loss to the Giants.

Bogaerts' only hit of the afternoon was a two-run shot to left in the eighth to bring the Padres within a run after they were down 6-0. That's his third home run over the last nine games after having just six in his other 86 games this season. He's showcased his lowest slugging percentage and OPS this year since his first full MLB season in 2014 and is now slashing .266/.210/.379 with 23 extra-base hits, 36 RBI, 46 runs, 10 steals and a 25:67 BB:K in 400 plate appearances.

Musgrove (5-5) took the loss Sunday against the Giants, allowing six runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out seven over 4.1 innings.

Musgrove blanked the Giants through three innings but completely unraveled in the fourth, allowing three home runs in the inning. It was an uncharacteristically bad start for Musgrove, who hadn't allowed a home run in any of his five starts since coming off the injured list Aug. 12. The six runs allowed also matched the amount of runs he'd given up combined over his last seven starts. Musgrove's strikeout numbers have been up, as he's sporting a 27:4 K:BB over his last 23.1 innings. For the year, he owns a 4.54 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 78:22 K:BB in 81.1 innings. Musgrove lines up to face the Giants on the road over the weekend his next time out.

Smith went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Guardians.

Smith posted his second three-hit effort since the All-Star break. His double Sunday was just his second extra-base hit since Aug. 21. He does have three multi-hit games over his last five starts but is slashing just .185/.282/.266 with two homers, 14 RBI, 16 runs and a 13:35 BB:K in 142 plate appearances since the All-Star break.