MLB Player News

Smith went 2-for-5 with a grand slam, a double, two additional RBI and an additional run scored during Tuesday's 14-1 win over St. Louis.

After opening the season in Triple-A, Smith failed to log a hit in his first three games with the D-Backs. He made up for the slow start Tuesday, tagging reliever Zack Thompson for a two-run double in the fifth and a grand slam in the sixth. Smith's six runs batted in marked a career high, topping his previous best of four RBI.

Allen picked up the save Tuesday against St. Louis, allowing one hit and one walk with two strikeouts over three scoreless innings.

The Diamondbacks needed only two arms during Tuesday's 14-1 rout, with Allen taking over for starter Tommy Henry in the seventh and closing out the game. The save was Allen's first of his five-year MLB career (34 appearances), and the outing marked his second appearance with the D-Backs this season.

Henry (1-1) earned the win Tuesday against St. Louis, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out six.

Henry was optioned to Triple-A Reno on April 17 after logging a 6.87 ERA in four starts with the Diamondbacks. However, with Kyle Nelson (shoulder) and Merrill Kelly (shoulder) being placed on the IL, Henry rejoined the big-league club for Tuesday's start. He tied his season high in strikeouts and didn't allow multiple runs for the first time all year en route to a quality start. His impressive outing likely bought him another go-around in Arizona's rotation, with a tentative matchup against the Dodgers set for Monday.

Turang went 1-for-2 with a walk and two stolen bases in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Pirates.

Turang is now 12-for-12 in stolen base attempts this year, tying Elly De La Cruz for the league lead. After a disappointing rookie campaign, the 24-year-old Turang has gotten off to an excellent start this season, batting .319 with an .847 OPS, two homers, 12 runs scored and nine RBI through 21 games.

Matz (1-2) took the loss Tuesday against Arizona, allowing seven runs on six hits and three walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out four.

All of the runs against Matz came in the third and fifth innings. In the third, he walked a pair of batters and allowed an RBI base hit to Lourdes Gurriel before Christian Walker launched a three-run homer. in the fifth, Matz allowed hits to three straight batters, two which scored after he was pulled. After giving up three earned runs in his first 15 innings, Matz has surrendered 12 earned runs in his last two starts (9.1 innings) with eight K's and six walks. He's lined up to face the Tigers in Detroit on Monday.

De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, a stolen base and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Phillies.

De La Cruz has been on a tear, going 7-for-18 with three homers and six steals in his last seven games. The 22-year-old shortstop has looked like a budding star over the first month of the season, slashing .295/.402/.641 with seven homers, 22 runs scored, 17 RBI and a league-leading 12 stolen bases through 23 games.

Tauchman went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and a solo home run during Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Astros.

Tauchman entered Tuesday's game homerless on the year, a surprising fact considering his monstrous performance. He tagged J.P. France for a three-run shot in the first frame and followed up the long ball with a solo shot in the eighth inning. Tauchman has collected multiple hits in three of his last six games, batting .450 with six RBI and five runs scored during that stretch.

Bednar earned the save in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over the Brewers, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

After a shaky start to the year, Bednar's now delivered three straight scoreless appearances, allowing just one hit in that span. Overall, he's 4-for-7 in save chances with a 9.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB through 12 innings this season.

Wicks (1-2) earned the win Tuesday against the Astros, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks over six innings. He struck out four.

Wicks got through five innings for the first time all season Tuesday, picking up his first win in the process. However, he set a season low in strikeouts, bringing his K/9 from 12.7 to 11.0, and he surrendered his second long ball of the campaign in the fifth inning to Jake Meyers. Wicks is lined up to close out a two-start week Sunday at Boston.

Almonte picked up the save Tuesday against Houston, recording a strikeout over 1.1 perfect innings.

After manager Craig Counsell announced Sunday that Adbert Alzolay was no longer the Cubs' closer, Almonte filled that role Tuesday. While Almonte's the first Cub with a save since the announcement, Hector Neris, who got a save in Game 2 of Saturday's double-header, and Mark Leiter, who Almonte replaced in the eighth, could be part of what seems to be a short-term closing committee.