MLB Player News

Quintana (3-6) took the loss Saturday, coughing up six runs (five earned) on eight hits as the Mets fell 7-5 to the Phillies. He struck out 10 without walking a batter.

The veteran southpaw generated 33 called or swinging strikes among his 103 pitches as he struck out double-digit batters for the first time since August 2019, but Quintana got hit hard when the Phillies did make contact and also served up multiple homers for the first time this season. In 12 starts since making his belated season debut after the All-Star break, Quintana has a 3.39 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 55:24 K:BB through 71.2 innings, numbers right in line with his 2022 resurgence. He'll take the mound one more time in 2023, at home next weekend in a rematch with the Phillies.

De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs and two stolen bases in a loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday.

De La Cruz struck out three times in the contest, but he also thrilled after his only hit, following a second-inning single with a pair of steals before coming home to score on a fielder's choice groundout. The game was a pretty good synopsis of his rookie season thus far, as De La Cruz has posted a troublesome 34.3 percent strikeout rate while also notching 33 steals on 41 attempts. He's added a .231/.298/.394 slash line, 11 homers, 14 doubles, six triples, 36 RBI and 62 runs over 92 games.

Stephenson went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk and three total RBI in Saturday's loss to the Pirates.

Stephenson was part of an early offensive outburst by the Reds, hitting a solo homer in the first inning and adding a two-run double in the second. He had been struggling coming into the contest, going 4-for-34 over his previous 10 contests. Despite the recent struggles, Stephenson has recorded career-best marks with 12 homers and 53 RBI over 137 games this season.

Encarnacion-Strand went 3-for-5 with a home run, two total runs and four total RBI in a loss to the Pirates on Saturday.

Encarnacion-Strand put Cincinnati on the board with a two-run homer in the first inning. He added a run-scoring single in the second to help the team build an early 9-0 advantage. However, Pittsburgh came storming back to build a 13-9 lead before Encarnacion-Strand's eighth-inning single brought home another run to make the score 13-11. The rookie's big day ultimately went to waste, however, as the Pirates pulled off a one-run win. The four RBI were the most Encarnacion-Strand has recorded in a game thus far in his brief career. He's been on a power surge of late, knocking four homers over his past six games to give him 10 long balls on the season.

Rivas went 3-for-5 with a double, a run and five RBI in a 13-12 win over the Reds on Saturday.

After the Pirates fell behind 9-0 through three frames, Rivas put Pittsburgh on the board with an RBI single in the fourth. He then came through with two clutch hits later in the contest, clearing the bases and tying the score with a three-run double in the seventh and adding an RBI single in the eighth. The five RBI were one more than Rivas had collected in his previous 29 games combined coming into Saturday. This was also his first multi-hit game since Aug. 28.

Triolo went 4-for-5 with a double and three runs in Saturday's 13-12 win against the Reds.

Triolo was a key contributor in the Pirates' comeback from a 9-0 deficit, as he notched a hit and scored a run in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth frames. The rookie infielder finished with the first four-hit game of his career and logged his fourth multi-hit performance over his past six contests. Over that span, he's batting .579 (11-for-19) with two homers, three doubles, three RBI and nine runs scored.

Reynolds went 1-for-4 with a three-run-home run, an additional run and a walk in Saturday's 13-12 victory against Cincinnati.

The Pirates trailed 9-0 after three frames but came storming back , with Reynolds' sixth-inning, three-run blast cutting the deficit to three. That was the outfielder's lone hit of the contest, though he also scored the go-ahead run in the eighth after taking a hit-by-pitch to begin the frame. Reynolds is up to a .269/.334/.466 slash line, 23 homers, 82 RBI, 80 runs and a career-high 12 stolen bases over 610 plate appearances on the campaign.

Phillips allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out nine batters over five-plus innings in a no-decision against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Phillips was staked to a 9-0 lead through three innings, and he looked to be in line for a relatively easy win when he left the game with an eight-run lead after giving up consecutive singles to begin the sixth. However, the Reds' bullpen allowed both of those baserunners to score and surrendered three additional runs in the frame, and the Pirates attacked for seven more runs over the seventh and eighth innings to storm back for the win. Despite that outcome, Phillips made a positive overall impression in the outing, racking up 13 whiffs and a career-high nine punchouts. He's posted a solid 26:10 K:BB over 20.2 innings on the campaign and lines up for one more regular-season start, which is tentatively slated to come in St. Louis next weekend.

Mlodzinski picked up a save against the Reds on Saturday, allowing one run on two hits while striking out one batter over one inning.

In a wild contest during which Pittsburgh overcame a 9-0 deficit and put up four eighth-inning runs against All-Star closer Alexis Diaz, Mlodzinski -- not usual closer David Bednar -- was called upon to hold a two-run Pirates lead in the ninth. That was likely due to Bednar pitching each of the previous two days, but regardless it was a prime opportunity for Mlodzinski to shine. Things didn't begin well for the rookie right-hander, as he gave up two straight hits to begin the frame and saw the tying run move to third base with just one out. However, Mlodzinski bounced back with an epic 11-pitch faceoff against Elly De La Cruz that ended with a punchout before also striking out Jonathan India to end the contest. Mlodzinski thus earned the first save of his career and made another positive impression in a strong first season during which he has posted a 2.14 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 32:16 K:BB and nine holds over 33.2 innings.

Falter allowed eight runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out one batter over two innings in a no-decision against Cincinnati on Saturday.

Falter logged just one inning as an opener in his previous outing, but it's unclear if he was slated to return to more of a traditional starting role Saturday. The lefty hurler didn't earn a chance to go very deep as he was pummeled for eight runs in just two frames. The Reds knocked three homers against Falter, including two in the first inning. Perhaps the only positive part of the pitcher's outing was that Pittsburgh was able to overcome a 9-0 deficit to pick up a victory and protect him from taking the loss. Despite the short outing, Falter tossed 57 pitches, so he presumably will have just one more chance to take the mound before the end of the campaign.