MLB Player News

Bleday went 2-for-2 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 17-4 win over the Angels.

Bleday was one of two Athletics to deliver a homer off the bench Saturday, as he went yard in the ninth inning following Carlos Cortes' blast in the eighth. Bleday has hit the ground running in September, going 7-for-14 with four homers and nine RBI over his four games this month. He's seeing a majority of the playing time in right field versus right-handed pitchers but is unlikely to attain anything more than that platoon role. For the season, Bleday has a .221/.308/.428 slash line with 14 homers, 38 RBI, 47 runs scored, 15 doubles and a stolen base over 312 plate appearances.

Cortes went 2-for-2 with a three-run home run, a double and a second run scored in Saturday's 17-4 win over the Angels.

Cortes entered the game when it was already a blowout and delivered his first big-league homer in the eighth inning. He's been in a bench role since early August, with his performance as a pinch hitter Saturday accounting for just his fourth multi-hit effort. Over 66 plate appearances, he's batting .317 with a homer, five doubles, one triple, eight RBI, seven runs scored and no stolen bases. Cortes doesn't have a ton of power, but he's hit at least 15 homers in each of his three seasons at Triple-A, including 17 long balls in 71 games in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this year prior to his call-up.

Kurtz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and three total runs scored in Saturday's 17-4 win over the Angels.

Since returning from a minor oblique issue, Kurtz has gone 3-for-14 with two homers, a double and three RBI over four contests. The first baseman contributed to a four-homer, 21-hit attack for the Athletics when he launched his solo shot in the fourth inning Saturday. The rookie is up to 29 homers, 73 RBI, 75 runs scored, two stolen bases, 24 doubles and a .305/.402/.635 slash line across just 98 games, and he's done all of that despite a 30.4 percent strikeout rate.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Saturday in a 4-2 win against Miami.

Harper helped the Phillies get off to a fast start with his two-run shot to center field in the first inning. The long ball was his second through five games in September after he finished August with just one homer across his final 12 contests. Harper is at 24 home runs through 113 games on the campaign, so he'll need to go on a moderate power surge in order to reach 30 homers for the second straight regular season.

Thomas went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, a walk and four total runs scored in Saturday's 17-4 win over the Angels.

Thomas' homer stretched the Athletics' lead to 7-0 in just the second inning. The reserve outfielder has struggled to see steady playing time, though he hasn't helped his cause much by going just 3-for-22 over his previous nine games before Saturday's big performance. On the year, he has a .235/.287/.459 slash line with five homers, 17 RBI, 15 runs scored and two stolen bases over 95 plate appearances. Thomas will likely continue to see most of his playing time versus left-handed pitchers.

Alcantara (8-12) took the loss against Philadelphia on Saturday, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four batters over six innings.

Alcantara gave up a two-run homer to Bryce Harper in the first inning and yielded two more runs in the fourth. That was more than enough to send him to his 12th loss of the campaign. Alcantara did, however, manage to finish six frames for the fifth consecutive outing, his longest such stretch of the season. While his 5.67 ERA is on pace to easily be the worst of his career, the veteran right-hander has at least shown positive signs late in the campaign -- during the aforementioned five-game span, he's posted a 2.45 ERA with a 33:6 K:BB over 33 innings.

Ginn (3-6) allowed one run on five hits and struck out five without walking a batter over five innings to earn the win over the Angels on Saturday.

Over six outings in August, Ginn went 0-4 with a 7.24 ERA and 34:13 K:BB across 27.1 innings. His first start of September was much better, and the Athletics gave him more than enough support in a 17-4 win. Ginn has had an uneven year with a 4.95 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 86:23 K:BB across 76.1 innings through 20 appearances (13 starts). The right-hander is projected to make his next start at home versus the Reds.

Bernabel went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 10-8 loss to the Padres.

Bernabel had gone just 1-for-32 over his previous 10 games before breaking out of the slump with a big performance Saturday. The young infielder still needs to work on his consistency at the plate, but he's getting plenty of opportunities to do so as the primary first baseman for the Rockies down the stretch. Overall, he's posted a .254/.288/.429 slash line with four home runs, 14 RBI, 15 runs scored, eight doubles and one steal over 35 games.

Tovar went 3-for-3 with a walk in Saturday's 10-8 loss to the Padres.

Tovar's got a hot bat -- he's logged four multi-hit efforts while going 12-for-33 (.364) over his last nine games. While he's posted just two extra-base hits and two RBI in that span, the consistency at the plate is encouraging, though most of the hot streak has come at home. He's up to a .272/.314/.434 slash line with eight homers, 24 RBI, 39 runs scored and four stolen bases over 75 contests. Like many Rockies hitters, he's had some extreme home-road splits this year with a .947 OPS at Coors Field and a .532 OPS away from home.

Duran earned a save against the Marlins on Saturday, striking out one batter in a perfect ninth inning.

Duran needed just 10 pitches (seven strikes) to set Miami down in order and secure the save. The righty closer continues to thrive since joining the Phillies at the trade deadline -- he's converted 11 of 12 save opportunities with his new team while posting a magnificent 15:0 K:BB and allowing just two earned runs over 12.2 innings. Duran's save Saturday was his 27th of the campaign, tying the career-high mark he set with Minnesota in 2023.