MLB Player News

Alexander exited Monday's game against the Angels early due to a muscle contusion, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.

Alexander's Monday night was cut short after fouling a ball off his knee which resulted in a knee contusion in the top of the second. When the 27-year-old was on the bench before going out for defense in the bottom of the third, he felt his knee lock up. Leody Taveras replaced Alexander at third base until he was moved to center field in the bottom of the eighth.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in a 2-1 win against Minnesota on Monday.

Ohtani gave Los Angeles an early jolt, belting a 414-foot homer to right field to lead off the game. That was his only hit, but the Twins helped emphasize how much the slugger is feared when they walked him intentionally with two outs and a runner on first base in the ninth inning. Ohtani had a slow start to the season in the power department, going deep an uncharacteristic eight times over his first 50 games, but he's picked up the pace since. Over his past 21 contests, the two-way superstar has nine homers along with 15 RBI. His offensive numbers are still below his usual lofty standards, but Ohtani nonetheless ranks fourth among qualified hitters with a .976 OPS.

Matthews (3-5) allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five batters over six innings in a loss to the Dodgers on Monday.

Matthews gave up solo homers to Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman but otherwise held Los Angeles scoreless. However, Minnesota's offense managed just one run of support, saddling the right-hander with his fifth loss of the season. Despite the defeat, there were positives to take away from the performance for Matthews, as he notched his second straight quality start (and third over his past four outings) while finishing with his highest strikeout total through four starts in June. Matthews next lines up to take the mound at home against the Rockies.

Scott recorded a save against the Twins on Monday with a scoreless inning of work.

Scott was summoned in the bottom of the ninth inning with Los Angeles clinging to a one-run lead. The lefty didn't record a strikeout for the first time over his past eight appearances, but he got the job done, retiring the side in order on just 11 pitches. Scott has picked up a save in each of his past four appearances and is 10-for-11 on save opportunities this season. Edwin Diaz (elbow) recently resumed throwing bullpen sessions and could return shortly after the All-Star break, but until then Scott is the Dodgers' clear-cut primary closer.

Lauer (3-5) earned the win over Minnesota on Monday, allowing zero hits and issuing three walks while striking out two batters over six scoreless bulk-relief innings.

Lauer had previously made two bulk-relief appearances this season, though both of those took place while he was with Toronto. After the southpaw started in each of his first four appearances since joining Los Angeles, the team elected to deploy him behind opener Will Klein against the Twins. That plan worked to perfection, as Lauer gave Los Angeles six sterling innings, allowing no hits and stranding all three batters he walked. It was far from an overpowering performance by the veteran hurler -- he notched just three whiffs and two punchouts -- but this was nonetheless his best performance of the campaign. Lauer posted a 6.69 ERA across 36.1 frames with the Blue Jays, but he's been much better since joining the Dodgers. Through five outings, he's registered a 2.54 ERA with a 16:8 K:BB over 28.1 innings while notching a 2-0 record.

Singer allowed two hits and issued two walks while striking out seven batters over seven scoreless innings in a no-decision against Milwaukee on Monday.

Singer went toe to toe with Milwaukee hurler Brandon Woodruff, as the pair combined for 13 scoreless innings with 17 strikeouts. Singer had his swing-and-miss stuff working with 13 whiffs and a season-high seven punchouts while recording his first scoreless outing of the campaign. The right-hander held a 6.18 ERA through the end of May, but he's lowered that to 4.81 in June, posting a 1.64 ERA alongside a 23:9 K:BB over 22 innings.

Kuhnel earned a save against the Reds on Monday, allowing an unearned run on one hit over a scoreless inning of work.

Kuhnel had been struggling a bit since being dealt to the Brewers on June 6, as he gave up three runs on three solo homers over his first 4.1 innings of work. Nonetheless, manager Pat Murphy turned to the right-hander in the bottom of the 10th inning Monday after Milwaukee scored two runs in the top of the frame. Kuhnel came through, allowing the automatic runner on second base to score but managing to slam the door for the save. Primary closer Trevor Megill tossed a scoreless ninth inning and earned the win, and he should get the bulk of the team's save chances moving forward, so there's no need for fantasy managers to rush to the waiver wire for Kuhnel.

Mead went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Monday's 4-1 win over the Phillies.

Mead launched a two-run homer off Seth Johnson in the seventh inning that extended Washington's lead. The blast was his 12th home run of the season and came at an opportune time, as he entered Monday deep in a 3-for-24 slump over his previous eight games. Mead is now slashing .227/.333/.464 with 10 doubles, 12 homers, 36 RBI, 34 runs scored and three stolen bases across 225 plate appearances this season.

Beeter earned the save Monday against the Phillies, allowing one hit while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

Beeter was called upon to protect a three-run lead in the ninth and made quick work of the assignment. After allowing a leadoff single to Bryce Harper, the right-hander immediately erased the threat by inducing a double-play groundball before striking out the final batter of the game to secure his sixth save of the season. Beeter has now recorded saves in consecutive appearances and appears to have solidified his standing as Washington's primary closer. He owns a 3.47 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 26:16 K:BB across 23.1 innings on the year.

Rangel did not factor into the decision Monday against the Nationals, allowing one run on five hits while striking out four over five innings.

After opener Tim Mayza allowed a run in the first, Rangel kept Washington's offense in check and provided valuable length for a Philadelphia pitching staff that has been searching for rotation stability. It was just the seventh major-league appearance of Rangel's career after being recalled earlier Monday. He also impressed in his only previous outing for the Phillies this season, striking out five batters across three innings of one-run relief. Given Philadelphia's need for starting depth, Rangel could earn another opportunity as a member of the rotation. He has posted a respectable 3.99 ERA and 73:27 K:BB across 70 innings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season.