MLB Player News

Suarez went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 1-0 win over Atlanta.

Suarez provided the game's only offense with a solo shot in the fifth inning. It was the second consecutive game with a home run for Suarez, who's hit three over the last five games and is 15-for-49 (.306) with eight extra-base hits and 13 RBI over the last 15 contests. It might be a good time to buy low on the third baseman; Suarez's first three months (.591 OPS) have been well below his career norm (.756).

De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in Thursday's loss to the Astros.

De La Cruz jumped on a hanging slider from Jake Bloss in the first inning and launched it into the stands in left field to give Miami an early lead. It marked the outfielder's 16th home run and his fourth three-hit performance of the season. He's batting .294 (10-for-34) in July with four RBI and a run scored. However, Thursday's homer was also De La Cruz's first extra-base hit this month.

Munoz (1-4) was charged with the loss against the Astros on Thursday, allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks over 6.2 innings while striking out two.

The Astros were able to get to Munoz early, tagging him for runs in four of his first five innings of work, although some shaky defense buffered the right-hander's ERA. The 24-year-old then went on to retire six consecutive batters to close out his night, before being relieved by Andrew Nardi with two outs in the seventh. Munoz has now surrendered multiple runs and two or more walks in five consecutive outings, including a relief appearance his last time out, and he hasn't picked up a win since May 1 against the Rockies.

Ramos went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

Ramos went deep in the first inning, though his blast only cut the deficit to 3-2. The outfielder has hit safely in seven straight games and has homered four times over nine contests in July, batting .333 (12-for-36) for the month. Overall, Ramos is at a .300/.371/.538 slash line with 14 long balls, 45 RBI, 28 runs scored and two stolen bases over 57 contests, production that has earned him a reserve spot on the National League's All-Star roster.

Steele (2-3) earned the win over Baltimore on Thursday, pitching seven scoreless innings during which he gave up three hits and issued no walks while striking out four batters.

Steele shut down a potent Orioles lineup, retiring the first 11 batters he faced and allowing just three baserunners (all on doubles) overall. The left-hander couldn't get into the win column over his first 12 starts but has now notched consecutive victories, allowing just one run over 16 innings while posting an 11:2 K:BB during that stretch. Steele's excellence extends further than that -- he's posted seven straight quality starts, registering a 1.65 ERA and 45:7 K:BB across 49 frames over that span.

Mercado could make a spot start Sunday against the Athletics, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Mercado was moved to the bullpen after being roughed up by Atlanta in his latest start, though the Phillies have since scratched Zack Wheeler (back) from Sunday's upcoming scheduled start. That could set Mercado up for a spot start heading into the All-Star break. It's also possible that Philadelphia opts for a bullpen game instead.

Martinez went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and two runs Thursday against the Nationals.

Martinez entered Thursday's contest mired in a 4-for-32 (.125) slump over the previous 10 games, but he reached base four times Friday while collecting just his third three-hit performance of the season. It was also just the second time in 12 games he'd driven in any runs. Despite the recent slump, the 36-year-old Martinez continues to provide quality production in his 14th season, posting a .274 average with 10 homers, 15 doubles, 38 RBI and 27 runs over 234 at-bats.

Gore (6-8) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks over 4.2 innings against the Mets. He struck out four.

Gore was embattled in a scoreless pitchers' duel with Mets starter David Peterson through four but fell apart in the fifth, loading the bases to set up a Brandon Nimmo's bases-clearing double that ended Gore's day. Nimmo later scored, saddling Gore with a fourth earned run on his line. Following a start to the season that saw Gore allow three or fewer earned runs in 14 of his first 15 starts, the lefty has now allowed four or more runs in three of his last four outings. While his WHIP has risen just 0.05 points from 1.38 to 1.43 over that four-start stretch, his ERA has risen from 3.26 to 4.01.

Peterson (4-0) earned the win Thursday, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing four hits and three walks against the Nationals. He struck out five.

Peterson, who has now given up two earned runs or fewer in all but one of his eight starts, kept the Nationals off the board to mark his first scoreless outing of the season. Peterson lowered his ERA from 3.58 to 3.09 with the outing, though a less impressive 1.42 WHIP belies that ERA and portends more trouble in the future. Peterson will now receive extended time off as his next start is not scheduled to take place until following the All-Star break.

Swanson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's 8-0 win over the Orioles.

The home run was Swanson's ninth of the season and first since June 19. Since then, the shortstop has batted just .191 across 19 games. For the season, Swanson is hitting .209, which is a decent step back from his career average of .250. While it's been a disappointing first half, the 30-year-old is talented enough to pick things up in a hurry, so fantasy managers should try to remain patient.