MLB Player News

Painter (1-4) took the loss against the Athletics on Thursday, allowing eight runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two batters over 3.2 innings.

Painter struggled from the get-go, allowing a pair of two-run homers before he retired a batter in the game. Things didn't get much better for the rookie right-hander from there, and he was pulled already trailing 7-0 and at 88 pitches with two outs in the fourth frame. Painter has been up-and-down this season, but he hadn't previously had problems with the long ball -- in fact, the three homers he gave up Thursday matched the amount he surrendered across his first six starts combined. Still, he's given up at least three runs in all but two of his outings and holds an ugly 6.89 ERA and 1.71 WHIP through 32.2 frames. At some point his spot in Philadelphia's rotation could be in jeopardy, though the team doesn't have an obvious candidate to step into his job.

Carroll went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Pirates on Thursday.

Carroll gave the Diamondbacks their first and only lead with a 406-foot solo blast in the third inning. He added a single to notch his first multi-hit game since April 30. Carroll had been enduring a cold May, going just 1-for-19 through his first five games of the month. He'll look to use Thursday's performance as a starting point for a turnaround.

Lowe went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored against the Diamondbacks in a 4-2 victory Thursday.

Lowe didn't take long to make an impact, drilling a 436-foot homer to right field in the first inning. He went on to add a pair of singles, notching his second straight multi-hit game and extending his on-base streak to 11 contests. Lowe has homered in each of his past two games and now has 10 long balls on the campaign. His first season with the Pirates is off to a great start -- through 32 contests he has a .941 OPS, which is on pace to be a career-best mark.

Bart went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 4-2 win over Arizona on Thursday.

Bart produced the final run of the game with a solo blast to left-center field in the sixth inning. That marked his first long ball and first RBI since he went deep against Washington on April 14. Bart has played behind Henry Davis for most of the campaign, but he may be making inroads toward more playing time. Bart has started behind the plate in three of Pittsburgh's past four contests and has gone 3-for-9 over that span.

Gallen (1-3) took the loss against Pittsburgh on Thursday, pitching six innings during which he gave up four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

Gallen served up a solo homer to the second batter he faced but was able to make it through four frames with just that one run on his ledger. However, the veteran struggled late in this outing, allowing four straight batters to reach with two outs in the fifth frame to yield two runs before giving up another run on a solo homer in the sixth. Gallen was at least better than in his previous start, when he gave up six runs over 3.2 innings against the Cubs, but he's now at a mediocre 4.70 ERA with just one victory through eight starts on the season.

Soto earned a save against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.

Soto entered in the ninth frame with Pittsburgh up 4-2 and kept things that way, retiring the side in order on 14 pitches (11 strikes). It was the second straight day in which Soto notched a save after picking up just one save over his first 17 outings. Meanwhile, Dennis Santana, who recorded two saves in April but has given up six runs over his past four appearances spanning 3.2 frames, pitched a scoreless seventh frame in Thursday's contest. It's probably still a fluid closer situation, but for the moment it seems like Soto has jumped ahead of Santana in the pecking order.

Keller (4-1) earned the win over Arizona on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

Keller trailed 2-1 after three innings, but he finished his outing with a trio of scoreless frames. As usual this season, the right-hander wasn't overpowering -- he managed a modest eight whiffs and four punchouts -- but that didn't prevent him from picking up his fourth victory and sixth quality start through eight outings. Keller's advanced metrics don't pop off the page, but he's getting the job done with a 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 35:14 K:BB across 47 frames on the season. He'll draw a promising matchup in what's scheduled to be a home matchup versus Colorado his next time out.

Burleson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Padres.

Burleson has gone 13-for-39 (.333) with three homers and 13 RBI over his last 10 games. The first baseman got the Cardinals on the board when he took Michael King deep in the fourth inning. Burleson's surge has him up to a .270/.350/.461 slash line with six homers, 30 RBI, 19 runs scored, one stolen base and nine doubles across 36 contests in a near-everyday role this season.

O'Brien struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Padres.

O'Brien got the job done on 10 pitches (eight strikes) to preserve a one-run lead. He's had some shaky moments lately, allowing four runs over his last 4.2 innings, but he's still converted four of his five save chances in that span. This is O'Brien's first full season closing, and he's done well in the role with 11 saves on 13 chances while maintaining a 2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 20:1 K:BB through 18 innings.

Liberatore (2-1) allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out six over six innings to earn the win over the Padres on Thursday.

Liberatore was a little less commanding than Michael King, but the former came away with the win when the Cardinals got a go-ahead RBI triple from Masyn Winn in the top of the seventh inning. This was Liberatore's third quality start of the season, and he's won both of his outings in May while allowing just three runs over 11.2 innings. The southpaw has trimmed his ERA to 4.07 with a 1.43 WHIP and 29:16 K:BB through 42 innings over eight appearances this season. Liberatore's next start is projected to be on the road versus the Athletics.