MLB Player News

Junk didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Cubs after allowing two hits and a walk while striking out six over five scoreless innings. He also tossed a wild pitch.

Junk kept Chicago off the board while Miami built a 1-0 lead, allowing just two hits before departing after five innings. Junk's six strikeouts tied his season high, and the scoreless performance lowered his ERA to 4.31. He's given up one earned run or zero in six of his last seven outings, posting a 4.10 ERA in that stretch.

Wheeler did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Brewers, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out 11 across 5.2 innings.

Wheeler set the tone early by striking out the side in the first inning, with his third punchout being the 2,000th of his career. The hard-throwing right-hander wasn't done there, as he proceeded to strike out each of the next four batters he faced, setting a franchise record of seven straight punchouts to start a game. Wheeler is lined up to throw this weekend at home against the Rays, though he could be pushed back for the NL Wild Card Series next week, depending how the playoff picture unfolds. He has a 13-5 record over 27 starts with a 3.06 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 188:47 K:BB over 156 innings this season.

The Rockies outrighted Machin to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.

Machin was removed from the 40-man roster last week and has since passed through waivers. Because he's been outrighted previously, Machin has the ability to decline the Rockies' outright assignment and become a free agent. However, it's unclear what the infielder's plans are.

Moniak went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

Moniak led off the third inning with his 23rd home run of the season, a small positive in what has otherwise been a slow September. He has hit only .170 across 53 at-bats for the month while striking out 38.2 percent of the time, and a slow second half has dropped his overall batting average to .242 on the season. Nevertheless, Moniak is one long ball away from matching his career high.

Moreno went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-2 win over Colorado.

Moreno delivered one run on a single during the team's three-run first inning. He later had a sacrifice fly to knock in another. The two RBI put him at a career-high 77 over 126 games in what has been a breakout season for the 26-year-old catcher. Most of the breakout has happened during the second half, as Moreno sports a .312/.383/.529 slash line with nine home runs, 19 doubles and 45 RBI across 57 contests since the All-Star break.

Arenado went 3-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Rockies.

Arenado finished the Diamondbacks' scoring with a solo homer in the seventh inning. It was the second home run in as many games and 28th of the season for the third basemen, who also extended a hit streak to eight contests. He's helped carry Arizona during its playoff chase in September, going 21-for-51 (.412) with three doubles, seven home runs, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored over his last 14 contests.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with three RBI in Tuesday's 7-0 win over the Padres.

The veteran first baseman produced a second straight multi-hit performance with three singles, but he remains without an extra-base hit in his past 15 games. Freeman dealt with a knee issue earlier this month that caused him to miss a couple games, but he's started the past seven contests and seems mostly healthy despite the lack of pop in his bat.

King (12-10) took the loss Tuesday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks over four innings against the Dodgers. He struck out five.

The right-hander delivered a scoreless first inning but was tagged for four runs in the second and another in the fourth to end his evening. King's poor showing snapped a four-start win streak and is the first time since July 28 he surrendered more than three earned runs in an outing. During that nine-start stretch, he posted a 2.26 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 45:18 K:BB across 55.2 innings. King tentatively lines up to pitch the final game of the regular season Sunday versus the Diamondbacks, but the Padres are likely to prioritize his availability for next week's wild-card series.

Molina (3-2) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings to take the loss versus the Twins on Tuesday.

With this performance, Molina picked up his first quality start in the majors. The right-hander threw 57 of 85 pitches for strikes and matched his season high for strikeouts. He's now at a 3.97 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 31:7 K:BB across 34 innings through nine appearances (five starts). The Giants' rotation is being held together by tape at this point in the season, so it's possible Molina gets one more turn at home versus the Dodgers over the weekend.

Manager Tony Vitello said that Basabe was removed from Tuesday's game against the Twins due to hamstring tightness, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Basabe's hamstring has reportedly been bothering him for a few days now, and the Giants decided to err on the side of caution and pull him out of Tuesday's contest early. He doesn't seem to be bound for the injured list, though the Giants may give him a day or two off to ensure his hamstring doesn't become a larger issue.