MLB Player News

Alonso went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of the Blue Jays.

The first baseman took future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer deep in the fifth inning, Alonso's ninth homer in September and his 41st of the season. His first year with Baltimore has gone as well as the team could have hoped -- in addition to an .871 OPS that's tied for the second-best mark of his career, he's reached the 40-homer mark for the fourth time and the 100-RBI plateau for the fifth time. Alonso also needs to cross the plate just four more times to record his second season with 100-plus runs.

Kittredge recorded his 11th save of the season in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, giving up a hit and striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

The right-hander has remained in the late-inning mix even with Felix Bautista back in the fold, and Kittredge (two) and Rico Garcia (four) have split Baltimore's last six saves. Since the beginning of August, Kittredge has collected two wins, three holds and seven saves in 19 appearances with a 3.63 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB over 17.1 innings.

Bassitt (9-5) picked up the win in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.

It was something of a revenge game for veteran right-hander, as with the victory Bassitt helped eliminate his former club from playoff contention while keeping Baltimore's faint wild-card hopes alive. Bassitt has been on a roll to close out the 2026 regular season, winning five of his last six starts while posting a 3.63 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 28:12 K:BB over 34.2 innings.

Van Eyk (0-2) took the loss in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Orioles, giving up four runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The 28-year-old right-hander didn't pitch poorly in his first career start, but he got hit hard when Baltimore batters did make contact as three of the hits off Van Eyk went for extra bases, including a solo shot by Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the fourth inning. Van Eyk's first taste of the majors this season didn't go particularly well, as he sports a 5.40 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and meager 3:2 K:BB through five appearances and 11.2 innings for the Blue Jays.

Scherzer (3-9) took the loss in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Orioles, giving up four runs on four hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

Getting swept in the twin bill officially eliminated the Blue Jays from playoff contention, but Scherzer went down firing as he tossed 60 of 93 pitches for strikes. The 42-year-old right-hander has a 4.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 29:14 K:BB over his last six starts and 32.2 innings, but his personal campaign may not be done -- after Wednesday's performance, Scherzer sits four career strikeouts behind former teammate Justin Verlander (hamstring) for eighth place on MLB's all-time list. Toronto manager suggested before Wednesday's outing that Scherzer could pitch again at home Sunday versus Cincinnati in the regular-season finale, both to give a potential farewell to home fans and to try and catch Verlander.

McGonigle went 3-for-5 with a double in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Nationals.

The Tigers only managed eight hits in total, helping to explain why McGonigle wasn't able to cross the plate despite another strong effort from the leadoff spot. The 22-year-old appears to have the AL Rookie of the Year Award sewn up, but he isn't coasting to the finish line -- through 20 games in September, McGonigle has produced a .305/.396/.512 slash line with nine extra-base hits including three homers, plus 11 runs, 12 RBI and a 13:14 BB:K. He's the first Detroit rookie to collect 50 extra-base hits in a season since Steve Kemp in 1977.

Nunez went 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Tigers.

Getting the start at shortstop and batting ninth, Nunez swiped second and third base after poking a one-out single in the seventh inning, putting himself in position to score the Nationals' final run of the night. In the process, he became the franchise's single-season steals leader with 49, passing the 47 stolen bases CJ Abrams produced in 2023. Nunez is three steals clear of the Rays' Chandler Simpson for the major-league lead, with less than a week remaining on the calendar.

Cruz gave up a run on three hits over 1.1 innings Wednesday, recording his first career save in a 4-2 win over the Tigers. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The right-hander topped out at 100 mph with his sinker as he gets another chance to establish himself as a high-leverage option for the Nationals. Acquired from the Yankees at the trade deadline, Cruz has struggled in his first exposure to big-league hitters this season, and through 9.2 innings for the Nats he's stumbled to a 7.45 ERA, 2.17 WHIP and 8:8 K:BB. He has some of the best pure stuff on the staff, however, and is working on adding a splitter to his repertoire as a weapon against lefties. Cruz could have a very prominent spot in Washington's bullpen plans next year.

Dion (2-2) picked up the win in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over the Tigers, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over two relief innings. He struck out four.

Brad Lord took on the largest workload during a bullpen day for the Nationals, tossing 3.1 scoreless frames ahead of Dion, but the southpaw was the pitcher of record when his team broke open a scoreless tie with a three-run sixth inning. Dion has been a versatile option since being acquired from the Guardians at the trade deadline, and over 14 appearances (one start) and 28 innings for the Nats he's produced a 3.21 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 28:13 K:BB with two wins, a save and a hold.

Flores is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cardinals.

Henry Davis has been Paul Skenes' personal catcher this season, so it will be Davis behind the dish for Skenes' final outing in 2026. Flores went hitless in the first two games of the series.