MLB Player News

Podkul was released earlier this month by the Phillies and was able to quickly latch on with the White Sox as extra organizational infield depth. The 27-year-old was a seventh-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and has yet to reach the majors. He’s batted .231/.364/.418 with nine homers and one steal in 220 plate appearances this season at the Triple-A level.

Ward put the Angels on the board with a base hit in the first inning to drive in a run. He then took Emmet Sheehan deep for a solo homer in the third. Ward started the bottom of the tenth inning as the runner on second and scored the game-winning run on a base hit by Jo Adell. The 31-year-old outfielder has hit 28 homers while driving in 89 RBI, hitting .234/.314/.489 across 509 plate appearances.

Ohtani drew a walk and scored a run in the first inning and walked again in the second. He later came up in a big spot for the Dodgers. With the game tied in the top of the ninth, the took Kenley Jansen deep for a solo homer to give the Dodgers the lead. The 31-year-old star is up to 43 homers, 114 runs scored, 79 RBI, and 17 steals while slashing .284/.391/.629 across 546 plate appearances.

Rushing took Victor Mederos deep for a two-run homer in the second inning for his second home run of the season. He added a base hit in the sixth before Will Smith pinch hit for him in the eighth. The 24-year-old backstop is playing once every three games, hitting .202/.269/.298 with 15 RBI across 104 plate appearances.

Mederos drew a tough matchup against the Dodgers for his first career start. He issued a walk and hit a batter before Teoscar Hernández singled in a run. Dalton Rushing then took him deep for a two-run homer in the second inning. Mederos would give the Angels two more scoreless innings before ending his day after four frames with three strikeouts. The 24-year-old right-hander lines up for a start against the Reds in Anaheim on Monday.

The Angels got to Sheehan in the first inning, bringing three runs in to score on a walk and three hits. Taylor Ward added a run in the third with a solo homer off Sheehan. A walk and a double would bring home a fifth runs before Sheehan’s day was done after five frames. He struck out six. The 25-year-old right-hander will take a 3.86 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 37/13 K/BB ratio across 35 innings into a start against the Rockies in Colorado next Tuesday.

Merrill doubled in the sixth inning, then took Carson Seymour deep for a solo homer in the eighth to extend the Padres’ lead. It was just the second home run in the second half for the 22-year-old outfielder. He’s up to nine on the season while slashing .263/.322/.419 across 371 plate appearances.

Iglesias took Robbie Ray deep for a two-run homer in the second inning. It was the first home run of the season for the veteran 35-year-old infielder while hitting .234/.305/.285 with 27 RBI across 265 plate appearances in a part-time role.

Schmitt was about all the Giants had working on Tuesday as he collected four hits on the day with one run scored. The 26-year-old infielder is hitting .250/.319/.410 with seven homers and 24 RBI across 208 plate appearances.

A double and two base hits put the Giants on the board with a run in the first inning. Cortes would settle in to keep the Giants from scoring into the fifth. He’d leave the game with two runners on and two outs at 79 pitches. Cortes struck out six. The 30-year-old left-hander will look to build off the strong start when he takes on these same Giants in San Diego on Monday.

Ray had some tough luck to open the game. A misplayed ball in shallow right field put a runner on with two outs. A double would put the runner on third before a run scored on a balk as Ray slipped on the mound. Jose Iglesias then took him deep for a two-run homer in the second inning. The Padres added one more run in the fourth on a double and a base hit. Ray would complete the sixth at 113 pitches with four strikeouts. The 33-year-old left-hander ends the day with a 2.98 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 152/56 K/BB ratio across 148 innings. He’ll take on the Padres once again in San Diego on Monday.