José Alvarado struck out one batter in the tenth inning on Wednesday to earn the save against the Diamondbacks.
After Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth to send the game to extra innings, Alvarado got the tenth inning with a one-run lead. He walked a batter, but generated two groundouts and a strikeout to end the game and secure his sixth save -- first since coming off the injured list.
Ryan Pressly suffered his third blown save of the season on Wednesday, allowing three unearned runs in the ninth inning against the Nationals.
An error by Alex Bregman to start the ninth inning opened the floodgates, and an error by Pressly himself extended the frame as the Nationals pushed across three runs to tie the game. He escaped further trouble though, and wound up as the victor in the ballgame when the Astros walked it off in the home half of the inning. Pressly now holds a 3.29 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a 29/4 K/BB ratio over 27 1/3 innings on the season.
J.T. Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI on Wednesday in a 4-3 win against the Diamondbacks.
Realmuto must love playing in Arizona. After hitting for the cycle on Monday and two hits on Tuesday, he blasted a solo homer on Wednesday and added a second RBI on a groundout. The 32-year-old backstop is hitting .260/.310/.484 with seven homers and ten steals across 239 plate appearances.
Luis Medina allowed four runs over 4 2/3 innings on Wednesday in a loss against the Rays.
Medina was able to get out of trouble in the first inning with a nice defensive play and a pickoff at second base. A single and a double in the second inning put a runner on third before a sacrifice fly scored the first run for the Rays. A single and two doubles would bring in a pair of runs before Medina's day was done with two outs in the fifth inning. One inherited runner would come around to score. The 24-year-old right-hander holds a 7.55 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts across 39 1/3 innings. He's in line for a matchup against the Guardians in Cleveland on Tuesday.
Tyler Glasnow allowed three runs with six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday in a win over the Athletics.
Glasnow was hit by a come-backer in the first inning, but would be just fine. He returned for the second and allowed two runners on with a pair of base hits before JJ Bleday took him deep for a three-run blast. Glasnow settled down for three more scoreless frames before he was relieved with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth, ending his day with six strikeouts. The 29-year-old right-hander will take a 3.43 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts across 21 innings into a matchup against the Orioles in Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Kyle Tucker went 2-for-4 with a run scored as the Astros triumphed over the Nationals on Wednesday evening.
Tucker reached on an infield single in the first inning, then dashed around to score on Jose Abreu's two-run double. The 26-year-old outfielder is enjoying another terrific season at the plate, slashing .273/.349/.441 to go with nine homers, 39 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
Osvaldo Bido pitched well in his big league debut on Wednesday night, piling up six strikeouts over four innings of one-run baseball in a no-decision against the Cubs.
The 27-year-old hurler scattered four hits on the evening, though he also issued three walks. The lone tally against him came on an RBI single off the bat of Dansby Swanson in the opening inning. The right-hander got nine swings and misses on 91 pitches in the ballgame, while registering a healthy 32 percent CSW. It's not yet clear if he'll make another start in the Pirates' rotation, but given how well he fared in this outing it seems likely that he would take the ball against the Cubs at home on Monday.
Carlos Santana went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI on Wednesday night, but it wasn't enough to lead the Pirates to victory over the Cubs in Chicago.
Santana tagged Cubs' southpaw Drew Smyly for a 380-foot (99.7 mph EV) two-run shot in the opening inning that increased the Pirates' early lead to 3-0. He also added an RBI single in the third inning that extended that advantage to 4-1. With the two-hit attack, the veteran first baseman is now slashing .228/.319/.367 with five homers and 32 RBI on the season.
Drew Smyly picked up his sixth victory of the season on Wednesday night despite allowing five runs on nine hits over his six frames against the Pirates.
The left-hander walked one and punched out four on the evening. He was knocked around early in this one -- as Andrew McCutchen slugged a solo homer and Carlos Santana added a two-run blast before an out was recorded in the first inning, but he settled in after that. He only allowed two runs -- including a solo blast by Austin Hedges -- in his final five innings of work. Smyly got eight swings and misses on 83 pitches in the game, posting a CSW of 27 percent. He'll carry a 6-4 record, 3.59 ERA and 1.20 WHIP into a rematch against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Monday.
Andrew McCutchen blasted a leadoff solo home run on Wednesday night as the Pirates fell to the Cubs in Chicago.
McCutchen got the game started with a bang, belting a 3-0 knuckle curve from Drew Smyly for a 396-foot (103.0 mph) bomb. That would be his only hit in the contest, though he did also draw a walk -- finishing the night 1-for-4. On the season, the 36-year-old outfielder is now hitting .265/.381/.435 to go with nine homers, 24 RBI and seven stolen bases.
Manny Machado went 1-for-4 with a solo homer on Wednesday against the Guardians.
Machado continues to swing a hot bat since coming off the injured list, blasting a solo homer on Wednesday off Aaron Civale in the third inning. He's now batting .249/.295/.398 with seven homers, 22 RBI, and two steals across 217 plate appearances.
Dansby Swanson went 3-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs as the Cubs triumphed over the Pirates on Wednesday evening in Chicago.
Swanson got the Cubs on the board with a run-scoring single off of Osvaldo Bido in the opening inning, cutting their early deficit to two runs at 3-1. He also chipped in an RBI single in the sixth inning -- extending the Cubs' lead to 7-5. With his three-hit attack, the shortstop is now hitting .265/.355/.401 to go with six homers, 29 RBI and four stolen bases on the season.
Luis Castillo allowed two runs with six walks and six strikeouts on Wednesday in a loss against the Marlins.
Castillo allowed two runners on with a pair of walks in the first inning, but struck out two and induced a groundout to get out of the jam. Control issues would hurt him in the third as he allowed a run to score on a wild pitch after issuing his third walk. A second run would score on a solo homer by Jorge Soles to lead off the sixth before two more walks would end Castillo's day at 101 pitches, walking six in total with six strikeouts. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 2.73 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts across 82 1/3 innings into a matchup against the Yankees in New York on Wednesday.
Nick Fortes went 1-for-4 with an RBI-double on Wednesday against the Mariners.
Fortes extended the Marlins lead in the eighth inning with a run-scoring double off Justin Topa. The 26-year-old backstop is hitting .232/.279/.333 with four homers, 14 RBI, and three steals across 147 plate appearances.
Aaron Civale gave up two runs over 3 2/3 innings on Wednesday in a loss against the Padres.
Civale surrendered a leadoff homer to Fernando Tatis Jr. to start the game. The home run ball would hurt him again in the third when Manny Machado took him deep for a solo shot. He only gave up the two runs, but an inefficient outing would end his day at 3 2/3 innings after he walked four and struck out seven on 95 pitches. The 28-year-old right-hander will take a 2.67 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts across 27 innings into a matchup against Athletics in Cleveland on Tuesday.
Andrew Heaney pitched decently in a no-decision against the Angels on Wednesday night, allowing just one run on five hits over his 3 2/3 innings of work.
The left-hander struggled a bit with his command in this one, issuing four walks and striking out five. The problem, is that he needed 95 pitches to record 10 outs and had to be lifted in the fourth inning. The only damage done against him came on an RBI double by Anthony Rendon in the third inning. Heaney got seven swings and misses in the contest, while posting a CSW of 26 percent. He'll carry a 4.05 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and a 70/31 K/BB ratio (66 2/3 innings) into Monday's matchup against the White Sox in Chicago.
Marcus Semien went 2-for-5 and swatted a two-run homer on Wednesday night, helping to power the Rangers to victory over the visiting Angels.
Semien did his damage off of Jimmy Herget in the seventh inning -- crushing a go-ahead 361-foot two-run blast to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead. He also singled in the ballgame. With the two-hit attack, the dynamic second baseman is now hitting .286/.351/.477 with 10 homers, 53 RBI and seven stolen bases to go with a league-leading 58 runs scored.
Mike Clevinger was removed from Wednesday's start against the Dodgers with an apparent right arm injury.
Clevinger was hunched over in pain and shaking his right arm after delivering a 95-mph fastball to J.D. Martinez in the fifth inning. The 32-year-old righty held the Dodgers scoreless over 4 2/3 innings before leaving the contest with the White Sox' training staff. There should be an update on his status at some point later on Wednesday night.
Corey Seager launched his ninth home run of the season on Wednesday as the Rangers rallied to beat the Angels.
Seager went back-to-back with teammate Marcus Semien in the seventh inning, with his 384-foot blast off of Jimmy Herget increasing the Rangers' lead to 4-1. He also drew a walk in the ballgame, finishing the night 1-for-3 officially. The 29-year-old shortstop is now slashing a robust .357/.417/.643 with nine homers and 36 RBI through his first 36 games. The only thing that he hasn't done all season is steal a base.
Austin Gomber was charged with three runs over six innings on Wednesday in a loss to the Red Sox.
Gomber limited Boston's lineup to just one run over six frames before giving up back-to-back hits to open the seventh inning, which chased him from the contest. The 29-year-old southpaw notched five strikeouts and only issued one walk. He'll bring an inflated 7.29 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 44/28 K/BB ratio across 66 2/3 innings (14 starts) into a road matchup on Monday against the upstart Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.