MLB Player News

The Red Sox are making some changes in an effort to improve their overall bullpen performance, the the 34-year-old right-hander one of the hurlers to get the boot. It’s a bit surprising, as Sawamura had actually pitched pretty well in 48 appearances, registering a 3.26 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 39/25 K/BB ratio across 49 2/3 innings.

Oof. The 22-year-old phenom had exploded out of the gate in his first taste of the big leagues, slashing a ridiculous .368/.538/.526 with a pair of RBI and five stolen bases in his first seven games. No word yet on just how much time he’s going to miss but it’s going to be an extended absence.

That’s certainly not something that fantasy managers ever want to hear. Gilbert had fired three perfect innings with three strikeouts before being lifted after only 29 pitches (20 strikes). It’s possible that the M’s were just being especially cautious with their prized right-hander, but it looks like a terrible development. Expect Gilbert to undergo additional testing and imaging to see exactly what’s going on there. The M’s should have an update on his status after the game concludes.

Donovan drew a walk off of Chad Patrick to open the fourth inning, advanced to third on a single and scored the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Nolan Gorman. He then delivered a two-out RBI single in the fifth inning that would prove to be the difference in the ballgame. With his two-hit evening, the versatile 28-year-old is now slashing a robust .366/.406/.538 with three homers, 13 RBI and three stolen bases through his first 102 plate appearances on the season.

Nootbaar smacked a run-scoring single off of Tyler Alexander in the fifth inning that extended the Cardinals’ lead to 2-0 then came around to score on an RBI knock off the bat of Brendan Donovan. He also drew a walk to start the game on Friday, but was picked off of first base. He has done a nice job as a table-setter for the Cardinals this season, slashing .253/.393/.411 with four homers, 15 RBI and three stolen bases.

Save chances have been few and far between for the Cardinals’ stopper and he didn’t make it easy on himself in this one by allowing a leadoff single to Isaac Collins. He battled right back though to get Vinny Capra to bounce into a double play before retiring Caleb Durbin on a line drive to center to end it. He has now converted four of his first five save opportunities on the season while posting a 2.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and a 10/8 K/BB ratio over his first nine innings.

Liberatore punched out four opposing hitters in the ballgame and didn’t allow a base on balls. The Brewers got to him for a run in the sixth inning on a two-out RBI single by Christian Yelich, then they scratched out an unearned run while chasing him in the seventh. The 25-year-old hurler got 10 whiffs on 89 pitches on the evening, posting a CSW of 29 percent. He’ll see if he can keep the good times rolling as he carries a stellar 3.19 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and a 28/2 K/BB ratio (31 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Reds in Cincinnati.

The 33-year-old outfielder plated Jackson Chourio with a single into center field in the sixth inning, cutting the Brewers’ deficit to two runs at 3-1. Yelich also singled with two outs in the opening inning but was left stranded there. He has picked up the pace offensively over the past few weeks and is now hitting .228/.339/.424 to go along with five homers, 21 RBI and five stolen bases on the year.

The 26-year-old right-hander walked two and struck out two in the ballgame. He worked through the first three innings unscathed, but the Cardinals scratched out single runs against him in the fourth and fifth innings before he exited. Patrick got just four swings and misses on 70 pitches on the night, posting an underwhelming CSW of 21 percent. He’ll look to bounce back as he totes a 2.45 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 22/11 K/BB ratio (25 2/3 innings) into a premium matchup against the White Sox in Chicago on Thursday.

Kirk’s double off Devin Williams gave the Jays a 3-2 lead in the ninth, and the pinch-runner employed in his place came around as an insurance run. The double was just Kirk’s fourth extra-base hit of the year, and it was responsible for his seventh and eighth runs batted in. He’s struggled to a .227/.263/.307 line in 80 plate appearances.

The Jays took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth to put Berríos in line for the win when he departed, but it disappeared in the seventh. The team did end up winning anyway to improve to 4-2 in Berríos’s outings this season. José himself, though, is just 1-1 with a 4.24 ERA. His next start will come against the Red Sox, which is also the team his lone win is against.