MLB Player News

Luke Jackson was unavailable after getting save chances the previous two nights, so the Rangers were forced to close with their best reliever tonight. Using Martin as a strict closer would be a bad idea, given that he needs a structured workload at age 38. Still, he should get saves from time to time.

Sale had three 10-strikeout games this season, but he had yet to reach 11, something he fixed tonight. Since going 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA in his first five starts, Sale is 4-2 with a 1.41 ERA and a 75/18 K/BB over 57 1/3 innings in nine starts. He’ll make his next start at home against the Rockies, so we’re already on no-hitter alert.

Iglesias struck out Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich, with William Contreras hitting a routine flyout in between. Iglesias has lost his hold on the closer’s gig in Atlanta after blowing his fourth save on Thursday, but it’s hard to see how any of the other righties in the Braves bullpen are better bets going forward. Southpaw Dylan Lee, who finished up tonight’s game, might be, but he’s also likely more valuable being matched up against tough lefties. Iglesias is worth considering in leagues in which he was dropped.

Civale pitched four scoreless innings before giving up a homer and a double in the fifth. After he was lifted, DL Hall surrendered another homer, scoring the inherited runner. Civale has allowed one or two runs in each of four of his starts since coming the injured list last month, though he’s pitched a total of 19 innings in those games The Brewers’ quick hooks will continue to help his ERA, but they make him a weaker bet from wins. He’s slated to face the Cardinals next.

The second walk should have been a strikeout; it came on an up and in pitch in which Acuña dropped his bat to get out of the way. The problem was that the knob of the bat quite clearly made contact with the baseball, which was then held on to for what should have been a foul tip out. At least it probably didn’t make much difference with the Braves already up 5-1 in the ninth. Acuña’s homer left off Aaron Civale left the bat at 107 mph and was projected at 404 feet. His five homers have come in just 16 games since he returned from a torn ACL.

Hoskins is 4-for-26 with no extra-base hits this month, dropping his OPS from .849 to .789. The Brewers might hit him a little lower in the lineup against right-handers as a response, but they don’t have much choice other than to stick with him until his next hot streak.

This one shouldn’t have been so close, given that the Phillies outhit the Cubs 12-4 in regulation and 16-5 by game’s end. Some baserunning mistakes set them back, though. Marsh was out of the lineup against a lefty, as per usual, but he entered the game in the seventh and wound up with his first career walkoff hit with the bases loaded and no outs in the 11th. He was facing just a two-man outfield at the time, but his shot to center left the bat at 105 mph and traveled 380 feet; even if Pete Crow-Armstrong had been playing straight up, he probably wouldn’t have been able to get to it.

He left with a one-run lead, but it was blown by Matt Strahm in the eighth. Wheeler had a little extra velocity tonight after missing a turn for the birth of his child, averaging 96.6 mph with his fastball. He got 17 missed swings, including nine on his 42 fastballs, and he struck out seven. He’ll probably make his next start Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Romano had given up single runs in three straight appearances, taking losses twice, so he needed a rebound outing, even if he was rather unlucky in the losses. The easy inning tonight should keep him in line for save chances. It also doesn’t hurt his cause that Matt Strahm blew a one-run lead in the seventh tonight.

Boyd has a 25 percent strikeout rate this season, but he actually went without a K tonight. Fortunately, most of the contact against him was pretty weak; just seven of the Phillies’ 22 balls in play were hit hard. We wouldn’t want Boyd giving up this much contact often, but it worked out fine in this one, and he’ll carry a 2.89 ERA into his next start at home versus the Pirates.

Palencia pitched a scoreless bottom of the 10th after the Cubs failed to score in the top of the inning, and the Cubs left him in after they took a one-run lead in the 11th. Things went badly after that. J.T. Realmuto immediately tied the game with a leadoff single, and afterwards, the Phillies put down two sac bunt attempts, both of which turned into infield singles. With the bases loaded and no one out, the Cubs went to a five-man infield, and Brandon Marsh launched one to the wall in left-center that probably would have been a double under normal circumstances. Tonight, it was a walkoff single. Palencia didn’t really do anything to hurt his standing, and he’s still the clear favorite for saves in Chicago. He also threw just 14 pitches tonight, so he might be available on Tuesday.