MLB Player News

Griffin went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Griffin's knock extended his hitting streak to eight games, a span in which he's gone 12-for-29 (.414) with five extra-base hits and two steals. The shortstop hasn't shown a ton of power yet, but everything else has looked pretty good so far. He's batting .266 with a .735 OPS, two home runs, 16 RBI, 13 runs scored, eight steals, five doubles and two triples across 31 contests. Griffin is striking out at a 28.1 percent clip, which could make him prone to some slumps during his rookie year, but it's not all that concerning given his overall body of work.

Reynolds went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Reynolds has been dealing in extremes lately with five multi-hit efforts and five hitless games over his last 10 contests. He's batting .294 (10-for-34) in that span, though he's made up for some of the inconsistency with the bat by drawing 10 walks. The outfielder continues to be steady in the heart of the Pirates' lineup, batting .260 with an .822 OPS, four home runs, two steals, 22 RBI, 26 runs scored, five doubles and two triples across 37 contests.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Lowe's first-inning homer was all the scoring for either team in this contest, as it gave Paul Skenes all the help he needed. This was the second homer in Lowe's last five contests. The infielder has gone 5-for-17 (.294) in that span, lifting his average for the season to .252 through 31 games. He's added nine homers, 22 RBI, 20 runs scored, eight doubles and no stolen bases. Lowe has topped the 30-homer mark twice in his career, though staying healthy will be the biggest factor in him taking a run at that mark in 2026.

Soto walked one and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Soto has primarily worked as a setup man this season, but he converted the save chance Wednesday after Paul Skenes spun eight shutout innings. Dennis Santana pitched in Tuesday's contest, while Soto hadn't been utilized since Sunday. The winds may be changing in the Pirates' bullpen, as Santana hasn't gotten a save chance since blowing one April 27 versus the Cardinals. Soto is at a 1.50 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 24:7 K:BB through 18 innings, and he's added two saves and six holds across 18 appearances. Soto hasn't worked as a primary closer since 2022 with the Tigers, when he converted 30 of 33 opportunities, but he's certainly gaining momentum with his work early this year, which has made him the most reliable reliever on the team, regardless of role.

Skenes (5-2) allowed two hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over eight shutout innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

Skenes got all the run support he needed with Brandon Lowe's solo shot in the first inning. From there, it was all Skenes as he delivered his longest outing of the season. This was the sixth time in eight starts he's allowed one or zero runs, and it's the third instance he's limited an opponent to two or fewer baserunners. The 23-year-old has an excellent 2.36 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 46:7 K:BB across 42 innings this season. Skenes' next start is projected to be at home versus the Rockies, which could be the first outing of a two-start week.

Soroka (4-2) allowed one run on seven hits and two walks while striking out six over 6.1 innings to take the loss versus the Pirates on Wednesday.

Soroka gave up a solo home run to Brandon Lowe in the second at-bat of the game, and that was the difference. Even with the unlucky loss, this was a fantastic bounce-back effort for the right-hander after he was tagged for eight runs over three frames in his previous start. Soroka is now at a 4.14 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 42:11 K:BB across 37 innings through seven starts this year. He's projected for a road matchup with the Rangers in his next outing.

Keller picked up the save Wednesday against the Athletics, allowing no runs on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning. He struck out one.

Closer Jhoan Duran was shaky in his return from the injured list Tuesday, allowing one run in the ninth frame, and he was presumably unavailable to work back-to-back days immediately after coming off the IL. Keller let the possible tying run get aboard Wednesday, but he was able to strand the bases loaded for a scoreless outing. The right-hander has converted all three of his save chances while posting a 4.02 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB over 15.2 innings this year, but he'll likely revert back to a setup role once Duran is fully back up to speed.

Wheeler didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Athletics, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk in 6.1 innings. He struck out four.

Despite being taken deep for the first time this year, Wheeler registered his second consecutive quality start Wednesday. The three-time All-Star pitched a season-high 6.1 frames, and it was also encouraging to see his fastball touch 96 mph on six occasions among his season-most 98 pitches. Wheeler has a 3.12 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 18:6 K:BB over his first 17.1 innings, and he'll aim to further build up his velocity his next time out in Boston.

Happ went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, a stolen base and an additional run scored during the Cubs' 7-6 extra-inning win over the Reds on Wednesday.

Happ gave the Cubs an early 2-1 lead after crushing a two-run blast off Brady Singer in the first inning, and the former came home to score in the fourth on a double by Seiya Suzuki. Happ is up to nine home runs on the year and extended his on-base streak to 27 games, which dates back to April 5 against the Guardians. The veteran outfielder is slashing .248/.379/.511 with two steals, 17 RBI and 28 runs across 161 plate appearances this season.

Milner was charged with a blown save during the Cubs' 7-6 extra-inning win over the Reds on Wednesday after giving up a run on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in the ninth inning.

The Cubs initially turned to Corbin Martin to protect the team's 4-2 lead in the ninth, but Milner had to be brought in after the former gave up a solo homer before loading the bases. Milner struck out the first batter he faced but ended up allowing three runs to cross the plate (two inherited), which was enough for him to be tagged with the blown save. He shouldn't see many more save opportunities this season, as Daniel Palencia is the Cubs' preferred closer after recently coming off the 15-day IL.