MLB Player News

Schmitt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Royals.

The infielder took Steven Cruz deep with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Giants couldn't find an equalizer afterward. Schmitt is up to 20 homers on the season, including four in 17 contests in July, but his .229/.280/.429 slash line on the month is less appealing.

Merrill is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Atlanta.

Southpaw ace Chris Sale is on the bump for Atlanta, so the left-handed-hitting Merrill will begin the contest on the bench. Jase Bowen will grab a start in center field in the series finale.

Roupp didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Royals, allowing two runs on four hits over six-plus innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

The right-hander took a shutout into the seventh inning, but manager Tony Vitello left Roupp in a little too long as he surrendered a double to Vinnie Pasquantino and a homer to Salvador Perez before being lifted. Roupp had to settle for his 10th quality start of the season and his third straight in July -- over 21 innings this month he's produced a 1.29 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Brewers.

Canning will be used as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Kyle Hart for Thursday's contest in Atlanta, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The Atlanta lineup features three left-handers in its top four spots (Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Michael Harris), so San Diego will have the left-handed Hart cover the first inning or two before the right-handed Canning takes over. Righties have posted a .628 OPS against Canning this season, while lefties have pummeled him for a .939 OPS.

Hart will serve as the Padres' opening pitcher for Thursday's game in Atlanta.

Hart -- who has an ugly 10.80 ERA in six appearances this month -- will handle the first inning or two for the Padres before turning things over to Griffin Canning. The lefty has had one other opener assignment this season, giving up one run in two frames on June 27 versus the Dodgers.

Stewart went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Seattle.

Stewart's three-run shot in the seventh inning was the winning knock for the Reds. It was his second three-run homer in the last four games and the 21st homer overall for the rookie. He's just 3-for-23 (.130) over six games since the All-Star break, but he's contributed nine RBI during that stretch.

Steer started in right field and went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Mariners.

Steer checked back into the starting lineup after missing a game due to a rib injury he suffered Monday. Although hitless over his last 11 at-bats, Steer has rebounded this month (.259 average) following a month of June during which he hit just .159.

Moreno went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 15-5 win over the Athletics.

Moreno hit the first of three Arizona home runs during a seven-run fifth inning and one of five the team slugged overall. The blast was his first in 28 games and seventh of the season. Moreno's been on a tear this month, going 23-for-63 (.365) with a .920 OPS across 17 contests in July.

Rea (7-7) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five over five innings to take the loss versus the Tigers on Wednesday.

Rea gave up all four runs on a pair of long balls -- a solo shot by Spencer Torkelson in the second inning and a three-run blast by Hao-Yu Lee in the fourth. Rea has allowed 13 runs (12 earned) over 21.1 innings in July, giving up five homers in that span. For the season, the right-hander has a 4.85 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 81:38 K:BB through 105.2 innings over 21 appearances (17 starts). Rea is tentatively projected to make his next start on the road in St. Louis.

Suzuki went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Tigers.

Suzuki provided all of Chicago's offense in the first inning when he delivered his 17th home run of the season. The talented outfielder has hit five of those long balls in 16 games this month, and he's sporting a robust .996 OPS in July. Suzuki seems poised to once again post big numbers as a key cog of Chicago's potent offensive attack.