MLB Player News

Irvin’s tremendous first half fell apart in his last two starts. His ERA rose from 2.80 to 3.49 since Monday and his curveball that has looked so dominant suddenly became mortal. The Brewers jumped on Irvin quickly in this one with back-to-back doubles by Christian Yelich and Willy Adames to plate their first run and Irvin didn’t have a single clean inning. It will be critical for him to make some sort of adjustment when he comes back after the break.

Birdsong gave up four hits, walked two and struck out three. The win was his fourth of the year. Birdsong hadn’t won a start since July 27th. He went six starts without completing five innings, but has now completed five innings in each of his last two starts. Birdsong has a 4.74 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings on the year. The 23-year-old right-hander is set to face the Diamondbacks on the road next week.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more impressive start to a career than what Acuña has done over the last few days. He’s now homered in back-to-back games while playing lights out defense at shortstop just as Francisco Lindor has gone on the shelf with a back injury while the Mets are fighting tooth and nail for a playoff berth. Many questioned whether he’d be able to hit at the major league level after struggling at triple-A and he responded by going 7-for-15 so far with nine hard-hit balls on just 13 balls in play. There’s no telling what the rest of his career will hold, but this is a remarkable start.

The Nationals had a nightmare series in New York as they were outscored 22-2 in three games. Abrams accounted for two of their three total hits in this one as they fell behind by nine runs early and dragged their feet for the rest of the game. It’s worth noting that Abrams has only stolen one base since tweaking his shoulder. Perhaps nursing that injury has dampened his aggressiveness on the bases.

Things eroded quickly for Herz. He got through the first three innings in 48 pitches with four strikeouts and without a whole lot of stressful moments. Then, the fourth inning came and he allowed seven of the first eight Mets that came to bat to reach base and his Nationals were losing 9-0 in the blink of an eye. His ERA rose from 3.70 to 4.32 after this shellacking and he’ll look to right the ship in his next start against the Royals.

Talk about turning a season around. Quintana has allowed just one single earned run since August 25th and dropped his ERA from 4.57 to 3.74 in the process. This start pushed his scoreless innings streak up to 23 2/3 consecutive frames as he’s been in complete control for nearly a month straight. His infield defense was superb in this one as he induced 14 ground balls on 18 balls in play and he cruised through the middle innings after the Mets’ lineup built up a huge lead. He’s scheduled to face the Braves in Atlanta next time out.

India hit .380 in the month of June, but his average in every other month is .235 or below. His .245 average, 80 runs, 14 home runs 56 RBI and 13 stolen bases are remarkably close to the .244 average, 78 runs, 17 home runs and 61 RBI, 14 stolen bases he had last year. India turns 28 this offseason. It’s safe to say he is what he is at this point.

The home run was Harris II’s 13th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Justin Wilson in the eighth inning. It’s undeniable that Harris II has struggled this season. The 23-year-old outfielder has shown that he still has a good power lately, though. Harris II has six home runs and 13 RBI in his last 21 games. He’s hitting .247 with a .674 OPS and 41 RBI on the year.

Knack had a clear plan to challenge the Marlins and they could not make him pay. He threw a career percentage of fastballs – 60% – and the bulk of them wound up in the heart of the plate. Yet, Miami either swung through them or just let them whiz by for a called strike. Knack did get that pitch up to 96 MPH which is a few ticks above his season average and apparently that was enough for it to dominate. He’s scheduled to face the Padres at home next time out.

Talk about a power surge. This blast was Edman’s sixth in eight games as he seems to have unlocked a new gear since arriving in Los Angeles. For context, his career-high is 13 home runs and that came in 137 games last season. He’s playing every day at either short stop or center field for a Dodgers team that desperately needed his defense and this unexpected thump is a huge added bonus.

Edwards has been nothing short of a revelation since being called-up. The two steals pushed his total to 30 in just 62 games with a .319 batting average and 31 runs scored. That puts him on pace for over 70 steals in a full season. It’s going to be fascinating to see how high he’s pushed up in drafts this winter and spring.