MLB Player News

Henderson clobbered a mammoth 419-foot two-run homer off Nationals rookie DJ Herz in the opening frame to reach the lofty 30-homer threshold for the first time in his career after going deep 28 times during last year’s rookie campaign. The 23-year-old fantasy superstar, who is looking like a perennial first-round pick in fantasy drafts for the next decade, has cooled off a bit over the past few weeks, but is still batting .288 (136-for-473) with 95 runs scored, 30 homers, 71 RBI and 14 steals through 119 contests.

Estes is growing as a pitcher despite not yet getting over that hump. He worked around a lot of hard contact and two homers from the Mets to keep his team in the game. It’s been five starts since he’s allowed more than two runs. Also, keep an eye on his sweeper: he struggles to command it, but has been throwing it more and more. That pitch has the highest Stuff+ grade in his repertoire by far and could hold the key to him handling right-handed batters more consistently.

Hader did something you don’t see every day, he tied starter Ronel Blanco for the most swings-and-misses in this game with 11 out of the bullpen. He looked like vintage Hader with his dominant two-seam fastball eating up hitters at the top of the strike zone and didn’t let Tampa Bay off the mat even with a ghost runner on base in the 10th inning. Hader has allowed a run just one time in his last 15 appearances.

Peña’s solo blast was the only extra-base hit in a game that featured just four hits, period. The homer was his third over the last week as he’s quietly having a strong season with 12 homers, 13 stolen bases, and a .278 batting average. His strikeout rate has fallen for the third consecutive season while his contact rate has risen. This is a quality ball player.

This was a paltry showing by the Rays’ offense against Ronel Blanco and Houston’s bullpen. They had just two hits, none went for extra-bases, and scored one run on a fielder’s choice. Similarly, Walls’ is having a horrific season with a .521 OPS across 49 games played.

This was Littell’s second time facing the Astros in three starts and the Rays seemed to have scaled back what they asked of him. He was pulled after exactly two revolutions through their batting order despite allowing just one hit and one run. Yet, he’s also already past his career high in innings by 40 and had just three strikeouts versus one walk. This was his fourth straight start allowing one run or fewer as he looks to have put a disastrous July behind him.

The superstar outfielder was lifted from Wednesday’s game after tweaking his injured ankle during an at-bat in the eighth inning. Fortunately, neither Servais nor Rodríguez himself seem to think that it’s a major issue. He may sit on Thursday as a precautionary measure, but don’t expect him to land back on the injured list.

The 30-year-old hurler had been dealing, needing just 73 pitches to navigate six scoreless innings with only two hits allowed. Had it not been for the comebacker that hit his hand, he surely would have returned for the seventh. Fortunately, X-rays came back negative for any fractures, and it sounds like Blanco should be okay to make his next scheduled start.

With the Phillies down big early, Schwarber’s blast off Edward Cabrera would give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The grand slam was the seventh of his career and just barely found the seats in left center field, but it counts all the same. The four RBI sent Schwarber up to 16th in the league despite almost always hitting lead-off.

Bride has been scalding hot since being anointed the Marlins’ everyday first baseman. He’s started all but one game since July 25th and has five homers, 11 RBI, seven runs scored, 17 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 61 at-bats. That could be a very helpful player in deep leagues.

Cabrera fell apart in the fourth inning after being spotted a three-run cushion by his offense. He loaded the bases with two out before Kyle Schwarber just barely found the seats in left-center field for a grand slam. His command was waning even before the big fly as Cabrera walked four and barely threw half of his pitches for strikes. There was hope he’d build off his gem last Friday against the Padres, but Cabrera did not deliver.