-
Quinn Priester SP | MIL
Pirates' Quinn Priester: Dealt another loss
Priester (0-4) took the loss Tuesday against Milwaukee, allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks during six innings. He struck out five.
Priester endured a nightmare second inning in which he allowed a two-run homer to Sal Frelick as part of a four-run, six-hit frame. The Pirates were never able to recover from the early deficit, falling 4-3 to give Priester his fourth loss in five starts. Despite the lack of wins, Priester has shown signs of improvement in his second year in the bigs, with his ERA dropping from 7.74 to 4.33 this season in 27 innings. With Paul Skenes impressing in his MLB debut and very likely to stick around, Priester could be the odd man out in the Pirates' rotation.
-
Joe Ross RP | TEX
Brewers' Joe Ross: Gets on track with win
Ross (2-4) picked up the win Tuesday against Pittsburgh, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk across five innings. He struck out six.
Ross got a tally in the win column for the first time since April 9, putting together a spotless day outside of a two-run homer by Nick Gonzales in the fourth. Although the 31-year-old hasn't been outstanding in 2024, he's been a reliable arm for a Brewers rotation that has been plagued by injuries. He's lasted at least five innings in six of his eight starts and has surrendered three or fewer runs six times as well. Ross is set up to make his next start during a three-game road series against the Marlins early next week.
-
Masyn Winn SS | STL
Cardinals' Masyn Winn: Picks up steal Tuesday
Winn went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Angels.
The Cardinals tried a new look Tuesday, with Winn hitting atop the order. It didn't go particularly well for him on an individual level, but the team did win and he logged a theft. Winn is 9-for-27 (.333) over his last eight games, adding two steals and two doubles in that span. The shortstop is slashing .280/.341/.364 with no home runs, seven steals, eight RBI and 11 runs scored over 38 contests on the year. It's unclear if Winn will continue to get looks at leadoff, but his speed and contact abilities likely make him a better option there than Matt Carpenter or Brendan Donovan, at least against southpaws.
-
Mike Siani CF | BAL
Cardinals' Mike Siani: Posts fourth steal
Siani went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Angels.
Siani continues to hit well in May -- he's 11-for-27 (.407) over 11 contests this month. The center fielder has added two of his four steals, but he hasn't done much in the way of power with just one extra-base hit during the month. Overall, Siani is slashing .242/.306/.288 with two RBI, 12 runs scored and no home runs through 77 plate appearances.
-
Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt: Logs steal Tuesday
Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Angels.
Goldschmidt has gone 6-for-19 (.316) over the last four games, adding three RBI and three runs scored in that span, though he's also struck out 10 times. Any progress is a positive for the first baseman -- he went 0-for-27 over seven games to begin May. On the year, he's at a .205/.287/.282 slash line with three home runs, 14 RBI, 19 runs scored and two steals through 40 contests.
-
Alec Burleson 1B | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Stellar in Tuesday's win
Burleson went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double, a stolen base and two total runs scored in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Angels.
Burleson has gone 9-for-24 (.375) over his last seven games, with five of his hits in that span going for extra bases. He also picked up his first steal of the campaign in Tuesday's win. The 25-year-old is up to a .272/.306/.437 slash line with four homers, 15 RBI, seven runs scored and five doubles over 108 plate appearances. He's operated in a strong-side platoon role for much of the season, but it's encouraging to note that two of his three hits Tuesday, including his homer, came against left-handed pitchers. With both Dylan Carlson and Lars Nootbaar under the Mendoza line, there could be an opportunity for Burleson to see more consistent playing time, especially since he's been in the lineup against the last three southpaws the Cardinals have faced.
-
Ryan Helsley RP | BAL
Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Earns save No. 13
Helsley allowed a hit and struck out two without walking a batter in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Angels.
Helsley has a win and six saves during his nine-inning scoreless streak, a span that's seen him allowed six hits and one walk while striking out 11. The right-hander is 13-for-14 in save chances this season with a 1.35 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 23:2 K:BB over 20 innings. Helsley seems to be benefiting from being the standalone closer as opposed to part of a committee. His career high in saves is 19 in 2022, a mark he should be able to shatter as long as he doesn't add to his lengthy injury history.
-
Sonny Gray SP | BOS
Cardinals' Sonny Gray: Allows five runs in win
Gray (5-2) earned the win Tuesday over the Angels, giving up five runs on eight hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out nine.
Gray was shaky for a second straight start in allowing 11 earned runs over his last 11 innings, but he at least got ample run support this time around. The Cardinals took a 5-0 lead in the third inning, which Gray gave back by the end of the fifth. He ended up with the win after Alec Burleson's two-run home run put St. Louis ahead for good in the top of the seventh. Gray is now at a 3.05 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 53:8 K:BB over 41.1 innings across seven starts this season. The veteran right-hander is projected to face the Orioles in a tough home start in his next outing.
-
Keaton Winn RP | SF
Giants' Keaton Winn: Exits with forearm injury
Winn was removed from his start during the fifth inning of Tuesday's game against the Dodgers due to right forearm tightness, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Winn will receive an MRI on Wednesday, at which point more will be known regarding the severity of his injury, as well as a potential return timeline. The 26-year-old righty allowed five earned runs through four-plus innings before getting pulled and is tentatively lined up to make his next start Sunday against the Rockies.
-
A.J. Puk RP | ARI
Marlins' A.J. Puk: Earns first save
Puk earned the save Tuesday against the Tigers, delivering a scoreless 10th inning in a 1-0 victory.
After the Marlins finally opened the scoring in the top of the 10th inning, Puk induced three straight flyouts in the bottom half to strand the free runner at second and earn his first save in his second appearance out of the bullpen this season. Puk spent three weeks on the IL with shoulder fatigue after struggling mightily to a 9.22 ERA in four chances as a starter. The 29-year-old left-hander certainly had more success out of the bullpen last season, when he pitched to a 3.97 ERA with 15 saves in 56.2 innings. Puk was immediately inserted back into a high-leverage role, though he'll likely work primarily as a setup option ahead of Tanner Scott.