MLB Player News

Ohtani (1-1) earned the win over Cincinnati on Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over five innings.

Ohtani gave up a solo homer to Noelvi Marte in the third inning, but the Reds otherwise weren't able to do much against him. The two-way star got 14 whiffs on his 87 pitches and fanned a season-high nine batters. Of note, Ohtani threw 23 curveballs Wednesday -- per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, which blew away his previous career-high total of 16. It's equally important that Ohtani was allowed to finish the fifth inning -- it was the first time this season he's gone that deep, which by rule means it's the first time he was able to qualify for a victory. That's a significant development for fantasy managers, as the Japanese superstar should be able to help in that category moving forward while potentially building upon his already impressive 44:7 K:BB through 32.1 frames.

Gray (12-7) took the loss Wednesday against Pittsburgh, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks across seven innings. He struck out seven.

Gray was incredibly efficient, needing just 87 pitches to complete seven innings -- a feat he has accomplished three times in five starts this month. The 35-year-old snapped a streak of seven consecutive starts in which he surrendered a home run. During August, Gray has a 3.48 ERA and a 35:8 K:BB across 31 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Athletics early next week.

Mlodzinski didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Cardinals, allowing one run on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts across three innings.

Mlodzinski drew his 11th start of the season, though he threw just 46 pitches before handing the ball off to Bubba Chandler. Mlodzinski has been excellent in August, owning a 2.04 ERA and a 22:6 K:BB across 17.2 innings spanning seven appearances. Unless the Pirates look to give a starter an additional day of rest or move to a six-man rotation, Mlodzinski should move back to his typical relief role.

Chandler (1-0) picked up the win Wednesday against the Cardinals, allowing one hit and one walk with three strikeouts over four scoreless innings.

Chandler served as a long reliever for a second straight appearance, taking the mound to start the fourth inning and firing four scoreless frames. Chandler has now logged a save and a victory in his first two MLB appearances, and he's allowed no runs on three hits with six strikeouts across eight innings during that stretch. The highly touted prospect has looked as advertised through two appearances.

Santana picked up the save Wednesday against St. Louis, allowing one walk and no hits with one strikeout during a scoreless ninth inning.

Santana shut the door on the Cardinals to close out the Pirates' 2-1 win, walking Thomas Saggese with two outs before getting Pedro Pages to ground out. It was a bounce-back effort for Santana, who surrendered a run and took the loss Monday in St. Louis. That run is the only one he's allowed in his past eight innings of work. Santana has converted on 10 of his 12 save chances this season and has a 2.37 ERA and 0.91 WHIP.

Kochanowicz (3-11) took the loss Wednesday against Texas, allowing 11 runs (10 earned) on nine hits and three walks with one strikeout across 3.1 innings.

Kochanowicz had the worst start of his young career, giving up a career-worst three home runs in just 3.1 innings. The three long balls accounted for eight of the 11 runs Kochanowicz yielded, with Adolis Garcia and Joc Pederson swatting three-run homers and Corey Seager hitting a two-run shot. Kochanowicz hadn't allowed more than eight runs in an appearance at any level since starting his professional career in 2021. There is an opportunity for Kochanowicz to make another trip through the Angels' rotation while Victor Mederos is on the shelf, though the organization could look elsewhere after Wednesday's shelling further inflated his ERA to 6.81. Kochanowicz will likely face the Royals in Kansas City if he remains in the rotation.

Latz didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Los Angeles, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts across 4.1 innings.

The Rangers selected Latz to fill Nathan Eovaldi's (shoulder) spot in the rotation, and Latz fared well in the position. He threw just 66 pitches, up from the 43 pitches he threw in his previous appearance, and managed to pitch into the fifth frame. In four starts this season, Latz has a 3.38 ERA and a 19:8 K:BB across 18.2 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to make his next start against the Diamondbacks early next week and could continue building up his workload.

Seager went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run and two additional runs scored during Wednesday's 20-3 win over the Angels.

Seager saw only three plate appearances before being lifted in favor of Ezequiel Duran to get some rest during the blowout. Still, the shortstop made his presence felt, delivering a two-run homer and posting his second three-run game of the campaign. Seager has five multi-hit performances in his last 11 games, going 16-for-40 (.400) with four home runs, 11 runs scored and a 5:7 BB:K during that stretch.

Higashioka went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, an RBI single and a sacrifice fly during Wednesday's 20-3 win over the Angels.

Higashioka delivered his third five-RBI game of the season Wednesday and belted a home run for a second consecutive game. The catcher's three-run homer off position player Oswald Peraza was part of an eight-run seventh inning. Higashioka now has 10 long balls in 2025, reaching double-digits in the category for a fifth consecutive season.

Garcia went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a home run, five RBI and three runs during Wednesday's 20-3 win over the Angels.

Garcia was the heart of Texas' 20-run outburst Wednesday, tying for the team high in RBI and taking a solo lead in hits. The outfielder notched his third game of the season with multiple doubles and his second contest of the campaign with three extra-base hits. Garcia hasn't needed any time to reacclimate after being reinstated from the injured list Saturday, going 9-for-20 (.450) with four doubles, two homers and three stolen bases since.