Late‑Night Baseball Recap
Yesterday’s baseball slate delivered a roller‑coaster of bullpen drama, injury updates and offensive fireworks that kept fans glued to their screens late into the night.
Gregory Soto blew his second save of the year, surrendering three runs in the ninth inning, while Dennis Santana followed with three runs in the tenth, earning his third loss of the season. Orion Kerkering recorded his first save for the Pirates, but Gus Varland, treated like a closer, was pulled after a sac fly. Richard Lovelady earned his second save for the Nationals, and Jeff Hoffman failed to hold the lead, giving up a walk and two hits in the ninth.
Kenley Jansen threw a perfect inning with a couple of strikeouts, picking up his first win of the night, while Trevor Megill notched his fifth save and showed noticeable improvement since his last appearance. Lucas Erceg allowed a couple of singles, resulting in a blown save, and Tejay Antone earned his first save for the Reds, whose bullpen has been a mess lately. Bryan King secured his fourth save for Houston, keeping the seat warm for Josh Hader, and Hogan Harris collected his third save in a win over the Giants. Mason Miller closed out the Padres’ victory in Seattle with his 14th save.
Injury news dominated the headlines: Clay Holmes will be sidelined for a while after breaking his fibula, Blake Snell was scratched and will head to the injured list due to loose bodies in his rotation, and Byron Buxton sat out with a sore hip flexor but is expected back soon. Meanwhile, Logan O’Hoppe left early after aggravating his wrist injury.
Offensively, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber combined for a 7‑10 performance that included two homers and seven RBIs, while Daylen Lile went 3‑4 with a double, a homer and two RBIs. Jakob Marsee added a homer, a steal and a couple of singles, and both Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery homered, continuing their excellent streaks. Spencer Arrighetti took a no‑no into the eighth inning before his first hit, and Ildemaro Vargas went 4‑5 with a couple of runs and RBIs.
Merrill Kelly earned his third win with a complete game at Coors, and Randy Vásquez delivered six shutout innings, allowing just four hits and striking out three. Emerson Hancock struck out six but gave up one more walk, hit and run than Vásquez, prompting a streaming recommendation for Cade Cavalli today.
For fantasy enthusiasts, the Ottoneu Six Picks lineup suggests Hunter Goodman, Nick Kurtz, Ketel Marte, Kyle Schwarber, Logan Henderson and Cade Smith as a potent mix of power and reliability.