MLB Player News
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Casey Schmitt DH | SF
Giants' Casey Schmitt: Early homer in loss
Schmitt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 10-5 loss to the Padres.
Schmitt homered for the second game in a row when he took Walker Buehler deep in the first inning. Over his last 11 contests, Schmitt is batting .350 (14-for-40) with four homers and 10 RBI. The infielder is hitting .306 with a .914 OPS, six homers, 18 RBI, 14 runs scored and two stolen bases over 30 contests this season. With the addition of prospect Bryce Eldridge to the big-league roster, Schmitt may have to settle for a utility role, but he's hitting well enough to make that a tough daily decision as manager Tony Vitello fills out his lineup card. Schmitt could also push struggling veterans Rafael Devers and Willy Adames for playing time at first base and shortstop, respectively.
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Taj Bradley SP | MIN
Twins' Taj Bradley: Grabs fourth win Tuesday
Bradley (4-1) earned the win Tuesday against the Nationals, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings.
Bradley had to battle early, needing 51 pitches just to get through the first two innings, but he settled in nicely afterward and dominated for long stretches. He retired 11 straight batters before Daylen Lile broke the run with a two-out double in the fifth inning. Bradley continues to provide reliable production, now allowing two or fewer runs in seven of his eight starts this season. The right-hander owns a 2.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 52:17 K:BB across 47 innings and is slated to face Cleveland in his next outing.
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Sung-Mun Song 3B | SD
Padres' Sung-Mun Song: Plates two, swipes bag in win
Song went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Giants.
Song logged his first career plate appearances in this contest, and he delivered a good performance. The 29-year-old infielder looks to be part of the mix to cover second base in the absence of Jake Cronenworth (concussion), whose placement on the 7-day injured list opened up the roster spot for Song to get promoted. Fernando Tatis is also a candidate to see time at the keystone in Cronenworth's absence, but Song could make a strong case for himself if he strings together a few good games at the plate.
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Gavin Sheets 1B | SD
Padres' Gavin Sheets: Logs second steal
Sheets went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Giants.
Sheets had gone 0-for-9 with a walk and three strikeouts over his previous five games. The 30-year-old ended the slump with his first multi-hit effort since April 15 against the Mariners. He's hitting .224 with a .708 OPS, four home runs, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored, nine doubles and two steals across 104 plate appearances. Sheets has seen the bulk of his playing time at first base this year, but Ty France's recent strong hitting could force more of a timeshare at that position. Sheets also competes with Miguel Andujar for playing time at designated hitter and in the corner outfield, so the former will need to get his bat right to avoid losing playing time.
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Miguel Andujar DH | SD
Padres' Miguel Andujar: Finishes homer shy of cycle
Andujar went 3-for-5 with a triple, a double, one RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Giants.
Andujar saw an eight-game hitting streak end Monday, but he bounced back with his second three-hit effort of the season. While he wasn't able to complete a cycle, Andujar has shown some power with a pair of homers over his last six games. He's been pretty good overall this season, batting .322 with an .869 OPS, two homers, 10 RBI, nine runs scored, seven doubles, two triples and a stolen base over 25 contests. There should be room for Andujar in the lineup as long as his bat stays hot.
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Jackson Merrill CF | SD
Padres' Jackson Merrill: Big performance from top of lineup
Merrill went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Giants.
He's gone 8-for-17 (.471) over four contests in May, adding a home run, three RBI and two steals. Merrill was atop the lineup for just the second time all season, as Ramon Laureano was given the day off Tuesday. Merrill's recent hitting should help him turn his season around. Even with the hot stretch, he's at a .235 average and .673 OPS for the year. The outfielder has added four homers, seven steals, 18 RBI, 22 runs scored and seven doubles over 34 contests.
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Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Padres' Xander Bogaerts: Homers in Tuesday's win
Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a second RBI and a walk in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Giants.
Bogaerts has a pair of multi-hit efforts in May, but he's gone hitless in his other three games this month. The shortstop got the Padres on the board with his second-inning solo shot, which was his first extra-base hit since he homered April 28 versus the Cubs. He's batting a steady .270 with a .781 OPS, six long balls, 20 RBI, 16 runs scored and four stolen bases across 34 contests this season.
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Walker Buehler SP | SD
Padres' Walker Buehler: Escapes with win
Buehler (2-2) allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out five without walking a batter over 5.1 innings to earn the win over the Giants on Tuesday.
Buehler worked into the sixth inning for just the second time this season. He's allowed exactly four runs in all three of his road starts, but the Padres gave him enough help Tuesday to get the win. This was also just the second time he's issued zero walks in a start this year. The 31-year-old is at a 5.64 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 29:12 K:BB through 30.1 innings over seven starts. Buehler is lined up for a home start versus the Cardinals over the weekend.
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Kazuma Okamoto 3B | TOR
Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Homers again Tuesday
Okamoto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Rays.
Okamoto wasted no time getting Toronto on the board, crushing a Drew Rasmussen four-seam fastball in the first inning for a 409-foot solo shot. Opposing pitchers continue to challenge the rookie with heaters, and he continues to make them pay, as he now owns a .654 slugging percentage against fastballs. The homer was his 10th of the season and his fifth in as many games, with the slugger going 8-for-21 with eight RBI during that stretch. Okamoto is now slashing .244/.327/.489 across 147 plate appearances.
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Cole Sulser RP | TB
Rays' Cole Sulser: Locks down second save
Sulser earned the save Tuesday against the Blue Jays, retiring the side in order in the ninth inning.
Sulser entered with a one-run lead and efficiently handled Toronto's lineup, needing just 12 pitches to secure his second save of the season. After a rough start in which the right-hander allowed six earned runs over his first six appearances, he has completely turned things around, tossing 9.2 consecutive scoreless innings since. Sulser now owns a 2.75 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and a 15:8 K:BB across 19.2 innings. Bryan Baker leads the Rays with nine saves on the campaign and remains the team's primary closer, but he was presumably unavailable Tuesday after pitching each of the previous two days.