Overview
- The Detroit Tigers scratched right-hander Troy Melton with back tightness and opened their series in Houston with a bullpen-only plan on Monday, using six relievers and an opener in Drew Anderson before Colt Keith hit three homers to lift a 9-3 win.
- The Cincinnati Reds erupted for a 12-0 rout of the New York Mets on Monday highlighted by Eugenio Suárez’s two-run homer and a grand slam that drove in six runs, while the Mets placed scheduled starter Christian Scott on the injured list and announced Kodai Senga would be activated from the 15-day IL to start.
- St. Louis starter Dustin May threw the first complete-game one-hit shutout of his career in a 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres, a rare dominant starting outing that stood out in a week of makeshift rotations.
- Milwaukee left-hander Aaron Ashby reached an unusual milestone for a reliever by earning his 10th win after a late-inning appearance, illustrating how expanded bullpen use is producing atypical pitching statistics.
- Teams around the league are balancing short-term fixes against longer plans as hampered rotations and midseason injuries force managers to test depth; an opener is when a reliever starts to face the top of the opponent’s order and hands the game to a traditional starter later, and that tactic is becoming common as clubs preserve arms and weigh trade‑deadline choices.