MLB Player News

An MRI detected nothing new in Kershaw’s surgically repaired shoulder. If the soreness clears up quickly, he still might rejoin the Dodgers not long after the break. If it continues to linger, the Dodgers might wait and try to aim for a September return.

Nothing has changed in the prognosis for the star 25-year-old hurler, this was merely done as a procedural move to free up a spot on the team’s 40-man roster for the addition of Brent Honeywell on Saturday. Yamamoto has begun his throwing program — playing catch from a distance of 60 feet — as he works his way back from a rotator cuff strain.

Contreras victimized his former team in the opening inning with a 364-foot (103.9 mph EV) solo shot off of Javier Assad. He then started the Cardinals’ go-ahead rally in the eighth inning with a leadoff walk and then raced home on Nolan Arenado’s go-ahead two-run single. He’s having an impressive season at the dish, slashing .273/.405/.517 with 10 homers, 24 RBI and three stolen bases in only 50 games.

Helsley made things interesting as he allowed a one-out single to Seiya Suzuki — who then advanced to second on a wild pitch. He rallied though to get Ian Happ on a ground ball to third base and Christopher Morel on strikes to end it. Helsley has been an unstoppable force out of the Cardinals’ bullpen this season, posting a 2.36 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 48/17 K/BB ratio over 42 innings while securing 32 saves in 34 chances.

The 36-year-old right-hander also allowed two free passes on the night while striking out three. All of the scoring done against him came in the second inning, as Miguel Amaya clubbed a two-run homer, while Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki chipped in run-scoring singles. Gibson generated nine swings and misses on 97 pitches on the night, registering an underwhelming CSW of only 23 percent. He finishes a tumultuous first half with a 7-3 record, 4.16 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a 96/41 K/BB ratio over 101 2/3 innings through his first 18 starts.

The 25-year-old backstop clobbered a game-tying 404-foot (101.6 mph EV) two-run shot off of Kyle Gibson in the second inning. He also worked a pair of walks in the ballgame, finishing the day 1-for-2 officially. On the season, he’s now slashing .201/.266/.288 with three homers and 18 RBI on the season.

Assad also issued a pair of walks on the night and didn’t record a strikeout. Things got bad for Assad right out of the gate as Masyn Winn slugged a leadoff homer and later in the first inning Willson Contreras added a solo shot of his own. The Cardinals added on in the second on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Alec Burleson. Assad got just two whiffs on 44 pitches in the game, posting a CSW of 27 percent. He now holds a 3.27 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 79/35 K/BB ratio over 85 1/3 innings in 17 starts on the season.

The Nationals will have to restructure their late inning mix after dealing Hunter Harvey to the Royals on Saturday and it sounds like Willingham will at least get an opportunity to stick this time around. Expect either Dylan Floro or Derek Law to emerge as the primary setup man for closer Kyle Finnegan.

Santana also drew a pair of walks in the contest, reaching base safely in each of his four plate appearances. His 361-foot (102.2 mph EV) go-ahead solo shot off of Taylor Rogers in the sixth inning that gave the Twins a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The streaky 38-year-old slugger is now hitting .247/.328/.431 to go along with 13 long balls and 41 RBI on the year.

As he often does, Duran made it look easy in this one, getting Michael Conforto on a swinging third strike, LaMonte Wade Jr. on a ground ball to second base and Mike Yastrzemski on a ground ball to shortstop to end it. The 26-year-old hurler now boasts a 2.93 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and a 29/10 K/BB ratio over 30 2/3 innings on the season to go along with five victories and 15 saves.

On the plus side, the right-hander racked up seven strikeouts on the evening while allowing just one base on balls. He kept the Giants off the board completely through the first three frames until Mike Yastrzemski broke through with an RBI single in the fourth. He then gave up an RBI single to Jorge Soler in the fifth inning before turning the ball over to the Twins’ bullpen. Woods-Richardson generated 10 whiffs on 86 pitches on the evening, posting a solid CSW of 30 percent. The 23-year-old hurler finishes his first half with a 3-1 record, 3.51 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and a 71/24 K/BB ratio across 82 innings in his 16 starts.