MLB Player News

Valdez went 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs, three runs scored and three RBI in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Tigers.

Getting the start at DH and batting fifth, Valdez tormented Matt Olson and took him deep in the second and sixth innings, adding a two-bagger in between for good measure. It was the 25-year-old infielder's first start since being called back up from Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, but with Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) headed back to the IL after leaving Saturday's game early, the path is clear for Valdez to see regular action at second base for at least the next couple weeks, perhaps on the strong side of a platoon with Romy Gonzalez. Valdez is batting just .179 (17-for-95) in the majors this year, but he's having a breakout season in the power department, slugging four homers in 31 games for Boston and adding six in 20 games for Worcester.

Criswell (3-2) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over five-plus innings. He struck out five.

He gave up a leadoff double to Matt Vierling and watched him come around to score, then had Vierling rip another two-bagger off him to begin the fifth inning, but Criswell shut down the Detroit offense in between. It was a strong rebound from the right-hander after he got tagged for seven runs in his next outing, and Criswell will take a 3.92 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 41:10 K:BB through 43.2 innings into his next start, which lines up to come on the road next weekend against the White Sox.

Urshela went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Red Sox.

The third baseman made the final score a little more respectable by taking Brad Keller deep in the ninth inning. Urshela has only two homers on the season, but both have come during the current series in Boston, and he seems to have shaken off the rust following an IL stint due to a hamstring strain that cost him 21 games -- over the last seven contests, he's batting .348 (8-for-23).

Olson (1-6) took the loss Saturday as the Tigers fell 6-3 to the Red Sox, giving up five runs on six hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out two.

He was able to handle most of Boston's lineup, but Enmanuel Valdez proved to be his kryptonite, smacking a double and two homers off Olson. The right-hander had gone eight straight outings without allowing more than two earned runs heading into Saturday, and despite the stumble Olson will take a 2.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 52:20 K:BB through 61.2 innings into his next start, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Brewers.

Mountcastle went 2-for-3 with a walk, two home runs, four RBI and a third run scored in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Rays.

The O's launched four homers in total off Taj Bradley, and Mountcastle bookended the barrage with long balls in the first and fourth innings. The power display snapped a 17-game homer drought for the 27-year-old, but Mountcastle hasn't been slumping -- over his last 10 games he's batting .459 (17-for-37) with five doubles and five multi-hit performances. That surge has boosted his slash line on the season to .293/.333/.505 with eight home runs and 24 RBI in 51 contests.

Bradish came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Rays, giving up five runs on seven hits and three walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out six.

The right-hander wasn't at his sharpest, but he mostly got pecked to death as only one of the hits off him went for extra bases, a triple by Yandy Diaz in the second inning. Bradish got more than enough run support to avoid his first loss of the season, however. He'll take a 3.18 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 40:14 K:BB through 28.1 innings into his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Toronto.

Bradley (1-3) took the loss Saturday, surrendering nine runs on nine hits -- including four home runs -- and three walks over 3.1 innings as the Rays were downed 9-5 by the Orioles. He struck out three.

Baltimore put runs on the board in every inning the right-hander pitched, with Ryan Mountcastle taking him deep twice to lead the charge for the home squad. Bradley had served up only three homers in 23 innings this season since coming off the IL, but keeping the ball in the park was an issue for him in 2023 as well, and he's now been tagged for 30 homers in 131 career big-league innings. Bradley will look to rebound in his next start, which lines up to be a rematch with the O's back in Tampa Bay next weekend.

Guerrero went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 8-1 loss to the Pirates.

The first baseman continues to make consistent hard contact. Guerrero hasn't gone two straight games without a hit since late April, and over his last 30 contests he's slashing .368/.452/.479. He's still not providing the power expected of him and has just seven doubles and two homers during that stretch, and while he's in the 98th percentile in average exit velocity at 94.2 mph and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate this season, an average launch angle of 6.1 degrees -- down from 10.5 degrees last year -- is limiting his fantasy production.

Kikuchi (2-5) took the loss Saturday as the Blue Jays fell 8-1 to the Pirates, coughing up six runs (five earned) on nine hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out four.

Pittsburgh jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, and while Kikuchi was able to avoid an early exit, he still wound up putting extra pressure on a Toronto bullpen that had already been taxed by a 14-inning game Friday. The southpaw left the mound after 89 pitches (61 strikes), and he's been tagged for 10 earned runs in 8.1 frames over his last two starts -- a far cry from the prior six weeks, in which he delivered six quality starts in eight outings with a 2.61 ERA. Kikuchi will look to rebound when he next takes the mound, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Orioles.

Cameron went 2-for-5 with a two-run double and a stolen base in a win over Atlanta on Saturday.

Cameron opened the scoring on what would be a prolific afternoon for both teams with a first-inning double that plated Shea Langeliers and Miguel Andujar. Cameron would go on to record his first steal of the season as well, and the two-hit day snapped a 1-for-11 funk that had encompassed his previous three games. The 27-year-old boosted his average 50 points to .238 with his second multi-hit tally of the campaign, and the double served as his first extra-base hit since he'd homered in his season debut May 23.