MLB Player News

Kelenic went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run Sunday against the Nationals.

Kelenic's ninth-inning three-run blast cut the deficit to three and provided Atlanta with their final runs of the afternoon. The homer was a good sign for Kelenic, who appears to be fine after having missed a couple of games earlier in the week with a wrist injury. It was the seventh multi-hit game of the season for Kelenic, who is hitting .310 (9-for-29) with three doubles, a triple, a homer and five RBI over his last nine games.

Ruiz went 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBI Sunday against Atlanta.

Ruiz hammered a three-run blast in the fourth to give the Nationals a lead they would never relinquish. He later added a fourth RBI on a sac fly in the fifth that provided the Nationals with their eighth and final run of the contest. It was the fourth homer of the season for Ruiz to go along with 17 RBI and 16 runs as he's struggled to a .202 average through 163 at-bats.

Finnegan earned the save Sunday, striking out one in a perfect inning against Atlanta.

Finnegan entered in the ninth frame after a Jarred Kelenic blast cut the Washington lead to three and needed only 11 pitches to finish off Atlanta and secure his 18th save in 20 opportunities. Finnegan has contributed 23 scoreless outings over 26 appearances spanning 26 innings this season, lowering his ERA to 1.73 and WHIP to 0.88 with Sunday's effort.

Pages went 1-for-2 with a walk, one RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Rockies.

Pages' RBI came on a sacrifice fly in the second inning to open the scoring. The backup catcher has had few chances to make an impact, and he's rarely done so even when in the lineup. He's slashing .091/.241/.136 with no home runs, five RBI, three runs scored and a double over 29 plate appearances this season. Ivan Herrera seems set to hold down a starting job at catcher until Willson Contreras (forearm) returns, at which point Pages is likely ticketed for Triple-A Memphis.

Burleson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Rockies.

Burleson is up to nine homers this year, four of which he's hit over nine contests in June. He's batting .237 (9-for-38) this month, but that slight drop in hitting has yet to cost him the everyday role he earned with a strong May. The outfielder is slashing .273/.305/.448 with 24 RBI, 20 runs scored, two stolen bases and seven doubles over 203 plate appearances on the year, and he's routinely batted second in the order over the last week.

Waldrep (0-1) took the loss Sunday, allowing seven runs on four hits and four walks over 3.2 innings against the Nationals. He struck out one.

Waldrep began his major-league debut well, allowing only a walk over the first three innings. However, the bottom fell out in the fourth when he allowed seven of the nine batters he faced to reach base, and he was pulled with two outs and the bases loaded having already allowed four runs. Reliever Aaron Bummer then came on, allowing a double to the next batter, CJ Abrams, who cleared the bases. Despite the ugly result, the 22-year-old prospect looked the part through three and should receive more chances to stick in the rotation for the time being. Should he make his next turn, he would be tentatively slated to start next weekend when the Rays come to Atlanta for an interleague showdown.

Yastrzemski went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-2 loss to the Rangers.

Yastrzemski has gone 4-for-15 with two homers and four RBI over his last five contests. The outfielder has seen his playing time dip with the emergence of Heliot Ramos, though there's room for both of them in the lineup versus right-handed pitchers. Yastrzemski is at a .214/.286/.393 slash line with seven homers, 25 RBI, 20 runs scored and one stolen base over 186 plate appearances in a strong-side platoon role this season.

Herz did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings against Atlanta. He struck out five.

Herz received a second start after struggling in his debut against the Mets and showed improvement in holding Atlanta to two runs. After allowing those two runs and four baserunners in the second, Herz settled down and retired six of seven batters over the next two frames. A seven-run fourth by the Nationals put Herz in line for the win, but Herz allowed two batters to reach base in the fifth and was pulled two outs shy of being eligible for his first big-league win. With both Josiah Gray and Trevor Williams remaining on the shelf, Herz looks to be in line for another start, likely to take place next weekend when the Nationals welcome the Marlins to town for a weekend set.

Blach (2-4) yielded four runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings Sunday, striking out three and taking a loss against the Cardinals.

Blach never quite found a groove Sunday, allowing at least one run in the second, third and fourth frames. He's given up eight runs in 10 innings so far this month after ending May with two straight quality starts. The 33-year-old southpaw's ERA has climbed to 4.84 with a 22:8 K:BB through 44.2 innings this season. Blach's next start is projected to be at home against the PIrates.

Pallante (2-2) allowed three hits and a walk over five scoreless frames Sunday, striking out six and earning a win over the Rockies.

Pallante never found himself in too much trouble as he cruised to a win Sunday. He fired 45 of 68 pitches for strikes, including 13 whiffs. That matched his total swinging strikes generated over his previous 14 MLB innings entering Sunday's start. Since rejoining the MLB roster, Pallante has gone 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA, though all his earned runs came in one appearance. He's currently slated to make his next start on the road against the Cubs.