Jordan Montgomery stayed in after a rain delay and allowed four runs -- one earned -- over 5 2/3 innings Saturday against the Pirates.
The Cardinals probably stuck with Montgomery a little too long today, considering that he had to deal with the one-hour delay, but he might have gotten through six allowing just one run if not for Nolan Arenado's error to open his final inning. He wound up taking his seventh loss, though he really didn't deserve it. He'll face the Reds next.
Luis Ortiz allowed one run over two innings before his start Saturday against the Cardinals ended due to a rain delay.
The Cardinals left Jordan Montgomery in after the one-hour delay, but the Pirates weren't going to take a chance with their young righty. Ortiz isn't due to pitch again until Friday against the Mets, but perhaps the Pirates could rework the rotation to have him face the A's on Wednesday.
Ke'Bryan Hayes homered in a second straight game Saturday in the Pirates' 4-3 defeat of the Cardinals.
Hayes hit a 405-foot homer off Jordan Montgomery in the fifth. He had a three-run homer last night, so he doubled his season homer total in less than 24 hours. He's raised his OPS from .606 to .671 over the last three days.
Cardinals designated C Tres Barrera for assignment.
No word yet on what the corresponding move will be, but it's expected that Barrera will be replaced on the Cardinals' roster by a position player. The 28-year-old saw just two at-bats during his time with the big league club this season and is a career .228/.313/.310 hitter in 164 plate appearances at the highest level. He could attract some interest on waivers from teams that are starving for catching depth.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. delivered a go-ahead double in the top of the ninth as the Blue Jays edged the Mets 2-1 on Saturday.
The Mets had a base open and didn't have to pitch to Guerrero in the ninth, but they opted to go after him. The first pitch of the at-bat was actually a horrible called strike from umpire Charlie Ramos that caused John Schneider to get himself tossed from the game. Guerrero went on to knock in the go-ahead run with two strikes. He also had a walk in the contest.
Cubs recalled C Miguel Amaya from Triple-A Iowa.
Amaya joins the big league roster with Justin Steele heading to the injured list on Saturday. The 24-year-old has gone 3-for-13 (.231) with two RBI in his limited time with the big league club so far this season.
Alejandro Kirk went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk versus the Mets on Saturday.
There's still not much in the way of power, but Kirk is hitting .347 over 49 at-bats in his last 14 games (11 starts). It's raised his average from .217 to .262.
David Robertson took his first loss after giving up a run in the ninth against the Blue Jays on Saturday.
With two outs and the tying run on second, the Mets had the option of facing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or walking him to bring up Cavan Biggio, who had previously pinch-run for Brandon Belt. They surprisingly chose the former, and Guerrero made them pay by taking a low pitch down the left field line for a groundball double.
Tylor Megill pitched 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball versus the Blue Jays on Saturday.
Megill allowed five hits, walked five and struck out five. It seems like that should have led to more than one run, but the Blue Jays went 0-for-6 with RISP while Megill was in the game. And, actually, that one run didn't even score until after he was pulled in the sixth. Megill wasn't involved in the decision, so he's still 5-3 with a 4.40 ERA.
Erik Swanson got his first save by pitching a scoreless ninth versus the Mets on Saturday.
Jordan Romano was unavailable today after earning saves the previous two days, but that didn't cause any problems. Swanson has a 2.93 ERA while usually pitching in the seventh and eighth in front of Romano.
José Berríos limited the Mets to one run in six innings and struck out six on Saturday.
Even though he's had some unusual issues with walks (three more today), Berríos has allowed a total of two runs in his last three starts. Unlike the previous two outings, he didn't get a victory today, as it was a 1-1 game when he exited. Still, he lowered his ERA for the sixth straight start; he's down to 3.66 now.
Bobby Witt Jr. went 3-for-5 with a steal and a run scored against the Rockies on Saturday.
The Royals outhit the Rockies 11-8, collected the game's only homer and had more free baserunners (seven walks+HBP to six for Colorado), yet they lost 6-4 because the Rockies scored five runs right out of the gate in the first. Witt's nice day follows a five-game stretch in which he went 2-for-20 with a 9/0 K/BB. 10 homers and 18 steals have given him plenty of fantasy value, but with a .272 OPS, he just hasn't been all that good for the Royals.
Daniel Lynch yielded five runs -- three earned -- in five innings Saturday against the Rockies.
All of the runs came in the first inning. Lynch bounced back nicely and ended up striking out seven, but the Royals couldn't overcome the early deficit and Lynch took the loss. He's due to face the Orioles next.
Justin Lawrence got his second save in two days after allowing one run in 1 1/3 innings Saturday against the Royals.
Pierce Johnson went unused for the second straight day after blowing his first save of the season on Thursday, so it looks like it might be Lawrence's turn in Colorado. His stuff is definitely better than Johnson's, though control can be an issue at times. Those desperate for saves can give him a try.
Austin Gomber lasted just 2 2/3 innings and allowed two runs Saturday against the Royals.
Gomber's ERA went down slightly to 6.99 today, so he has that going for him. The Rockies don't have anyone else they want to stick in the rotation right now, but they might have to make a switch anyway. It's the third time in four starts that Gomber couldn't get through five.
Elehuris Montero hit a two-run triple in the first inning Saturday as the Rockies topped the Royals 6-4.
The triple down the right field line was part of a five-run first inning for Colorado. Montero was making his second start since being recalled Monday. Both have come at first base, which is also where he was getting most of his playing time in Triple-A. It seems like the Rockies have just about given up on him at third. He'll likely have only limited opportunities to impress at first and/or DH over the rest of the season.
Orioles placed LHP Danny Coulombe on the bereavement leave list.
The left-hander will be away from the club for at least a couple of days. Josh Lester was promoted from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move on Saturday. Coulombe has done a nice job out of the O's bullpen this season -- posting a 2.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a 31/5 K/BB ratio across 21 2/3 innings.
Orioles transferred RHP Dillon Tate to the 60-day injured list.
Tate was recently shut down from throwing on his minor league rehab assignment due to a stress reaction in his right elbow. It now sounds like he's going to be out for a while. It's not yet clear when he'll resume throwing or what the next step in his recovery program will be. Josh Lester was promoted from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move on Saturday.
Rougned Odor (groin) was held out of the Padres' starting lineup on Saturday.
Earlier in the day on Saturday it sounded like Odor was a lock to land on the injured list, so the fact that he's just sitting out on Saturday and not being shelved for a couple of weeks is an encouraging development. Ha-Seong Kim will start at second base and bat seventh for the Padres for Saturday's tilt against the Cubs.
Graham Ashcraft was obliterated for 10 runs over four innings on Saturday in a loss to the Brewers.
Yikes. Ashcraft served up a staggering nine hits, including a pair of homers, and also issued a pair of walks. He holds a calamitous 6.64 ERA across 12 starts this season. It's fair to wonder at this point whether it makes sense for the Reds to hand him the ball for a challenging home outing Thursday against the Dodgers.