Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman became the third hitter to reach 30 home runs this year, going deep three times against the Reds on Sunday. He’s just one off his career high (31 in 2025).
1. Contreras walks off the Marlins
Milwaukee had done virtually nothing against Eury Perez and company entering the ninth inning yesterday. Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks came in to shut the door with a 1-0 lead, but immediately found himself in trouble. After a leadoff single followed by a walk, Fairbanks struck out Andrew Vaughn. He then left a cutter over the plate that William Contreras drilled for a game-winning home run. Fairbanks has now been scored upon in six of his last nine outings. The blown save marked the sixth straight loss for Miami. The Marlins are now in a three-way tie for the final NL Wild Card spot.
2. D-Backs erase seven-run deficit
Speaking of that final Wild Card spot, the Diamondbacks are now just a 1/2 game back of the Cardinals, Marlins, and Pirates. Arizona was down 7-0 midway through Sunday’s matchup against St. Louis. The club slowly chipped away at the margin, with some help from the Cardinals, who walked in two runs in the sixth inning and allowed an inside-the-park home run in the seventh inning. Nolan Arenado‘s two-run shot tied the score in the eighth inning. Max Kepler walked it off for the Diamondbacks in extras. Arizona has now won six of seven. The series win over St. Louis puts them right in the mix for the final playoff spot.
3. Blanco set to return
The Astros are expected to activate right-hander Ronel Blanco for Monday’s matchup against the Marlins. He’s been on the 60-day IL while recovering from elbow surgery. Houston has openings on the 40-man roster, so no move will be needed there. The club will have to bump someone from the big-league squad to clear a spot for Blanco. Kai-Wei Teng tossed 46 pitches in long relief yesterday, so he could be a candidate to head back to the minors. Blanco put together a strong 2024 campaign in his first year as a full-time starter with the club. He delivered a 2.80 ERA over a career-high 167 1/3 innings. The righty no-hit the Blue Jays in April of that year. He went down with the elbow injury after nine starts last season.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images
