MLB Player News

Lewis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Tigers.

Lewis hit the second-longest home run (444 feet) of his career to left-center field in the second inning off of Framber Valdez. The 27-year-old Lewis has gone 4-for-15 with a home run and a double since returning to the big leagues after a brief stay with Triple-A St. Paul. The former top prospect slashed just .163/.261/.279 across his first 31 games of the year to earn the demotion, but he had a 1.303 OPS in 15 contests at Triple-A to secure a spot back on the MLB roster.

Soto secured the save Wednesday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on two hits and no walks in the ninth inning.

Soto served up a two-run home run to Shohei Ohtani, so he needed every bit of the 9-6 lead the Pirates mounted following a late-inning comeback. The 31-year-old left-hander is serving as Pittsburgh's top closer, but he's now given up five runs over his past two outings. Through 29.1 innings, Soto still has a strong 3.38 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 34:12 K:BB while converting nine of his 12 save chances.

Lorenzen allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings in a no-decision versus the Cubs on Wednesday.

This was one of Lorenzen's best outings of the season, but he still left the game with the Rockies trailing. The right-hander had been shelled for eight runs in 3.1 innings during his previous start. He's winless over his last eight games and now has a 7.54 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and 55:24 K:BB through 65.2 innings over 15 appearances (14 starts). He'll look to build off of this outing in his next projected start, which is lined up to be a rematch with the Cubs in Chicago.

Buxton went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and a stolen base in Wednesday's 6-4 win versus the Tigers.

Buxton's moon shot to center in the fifth gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead, which it would not relinquish. It's the 20th homer of the season for the two-time All-Star and the third time he's reached that threshold during his MLB career. The center fielder returned to the lineup Tuesday after he sustained a shoulder bruise from a collision with the outfield wall last week, and he's homered in his first two games back from the injury.

Ohtani took a no-decision Wednesday against the Pirates, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out four in 6.2 innings. He also went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run.

Remarkably enough, Wednesday marked the first time this season that Ohtani gave up more than two runs in a start. Even so, the two-way phenom has now recorded three consecutive quality starts and has attained this feat in all but one of his 11 outings. Ohtani will carry a sparkling 1.06 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 73:21 K:BB over 67.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance at home against the Rays. As a hitter, he's now slashing a robust .299/.413/.527 with 12 homers, 39 RBI, six stolen bases and 46 runs scored over 294 plate appearances.

Gomez picked up the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Tigers, allowing one run on two hits and one walk with one strikeout over one inning.

The saves leader for the Twins secured another one Wednesday despite a shaky ninth inning that saw him give up his first earned run since May 24. Gomez has now converted all five of his save chances with Minnesota this season as he maintains a light grip on the closer role. Since coming over from Tampa Bay in early May, the right-hander has given up only two earned runs with a 19:7 K:BB across 15 innings.

Valdez (3-5) was tagged with the loss Wednesday in the 6-4 defeat to the Twins after he allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two in five innings.

Valdez gave up home runs to Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton, which accounted for all of the damage against him. The lefty took his fourth loss in his past seven starts and has a 5.54 ERA and 1.42 WHIP during that span. The two-time All-Star's strikeout rate this year is down more than five points to 17.9 percent, which would be a career low.

Paredes allowed a run on one hit and two walks with four strikeouts over three innings during Wednesday's win against the Tigers. He did not factor in the decision.

Paredes stepped into a starting role for the Twins after two long-relief outings to begin his big-league career. The 25-year-old set a season-high in strikeouts and now has a 4.35 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 8:6 K:BB across 10.1 major-league innings. Parades has not pitched more than five frames with Triple-A St. Paul or the Twins this season, so his potential upside as a starting pitcher is limited until he can work deeper into games.

Jones took a no-decision Wednesday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out four.

After missing just over a year due to elbow surgery, Jones continues to work with a pitch count during the early stages of his campaign. The 24-year-old right-hander has yet to reach the 80-pitch marker, but he's given up just a pair of runs across his past two outings while also keeping the ball in the park. Jones is set to take a 4.73 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB over 13.1 innings into a tough road assignment against the Athletics his next time out.

Palencia (1-1) didn't record any outs and allowed a run on two hits and a walk to take the loss in Wednesday's 3-2 defeat to the Rockies.

Working in a 2-2 game in the bottom of the ninth inning, Palencia walked the leadoff hitter, then allowed a pair of quick singles to take his first loss of the season. The flamethrowing righty is still searching for his first save since May 14 as the Cubs have struggled lately, but Palencia is pitching well overall with a 2.87 ERA and 16 strikeouts across 15.2 innings this year. He should remain locked in as Chicago's unquestioned closer despite the small hiccup.