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Whit Merrifield 2B | ATL
Royals' Whit Merrifield: Swipes bag in loss
Merrifield went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 6-3 extra-inning loss to Houston.
Merrifield helped manufacture the opening run in the first inning: he singled, then moved to second on a Nicky Lopez sacrifice, stole third and scored on a Salvador Perez sacrifice fly. In August alone, Merrifield has recorded eight stolen bases in 17 games. He's up to 35 for the year to go with eight home runs, 57 RBI, 66 runs scored and a .273/.318/.385 slash line in 525 plate appearances.
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Nicky Lopez 2B | TEX
Royals' Nicky Lopez: Goes deep Thursday
Lopez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 6-3 extra-inning loss to Houston.
The light-hitting shortstop took Luis Garcia deep in the third inning for what would be Kansas City's last runs of the game. That was the first long ball of the season for Lopez and just the fourth of his career in 268 games. The 26-year-old has added some speed (15 stolen bases, five triples) this season while slashing .277/.347/.354 with 30 RBI and 49 runs scored through 375 plate appearances.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Rays' Brandon Lowe: Homers, doubles in win
Lowe went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and another run scored during Thursday's win over the Orioles.
Lowe took Jorge Lopez deep with a 383-foot shot in the second inning. He also doubled in the first. The long ball was his seventh of the month and a career-high 29th of the year for the 27-year-old, who is batting .236/.344/.505 overall with 21 doubles.
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Marcus Semien 2B | NYM
Blue Jays' Marcus Semien: Goes yard twice in loss
Semien went 2-for-5 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's 8-5 loss to the Nationals.
He took Josiah Gray deep in the third inning before touching up Ryne Harper in the seventh. Semien has gone yard three times in the last three games to give him 29 homers on the year, but he's otherwise cooled down in August, slashing .243/.308/.557 through 18 games.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Rays' Brandon Lowe: Scores twice, nabs steal in win
Lowe went 1-for-3 with two walks, two runs, an RBI and a stolen base Wednesday in the Rays' 8-4 win over the Orioles.
Lowe has enjoyed a big first three games of the series with Baltimore, reaching base at a .571 clip while scoring five times and driving in five more. He'll remain in the lineup for Thursday's series finale, starting at second base and batting leadoff.
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Jack Mayfield 2B | LAA
Angels' Jack Mayfield: On bench Thursday
Mayfield isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Tigers, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Mayfield started each of the last two games and went 1-for-6 with a run, an RBI and two walks. Phil Gosselin will take over at the hot corner and bat third.
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Harold Castro 2B | KC
Tigers' Harold Castro: Sitting Thursday
Castro is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels.
Willi Castro will step in at shortstop for Harold Castro, who started each of the past three games at the position while going 2-for-10 at the plate. Until the Tigers return outfielders Derek Hill (rib) and Akil Baddoo (concussion) from the 10-day injured list -- which will likely result in Willi Castro moving back to the infield -- Harold Castro should have a path to a near-everyday role.
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Christian Arroyo 2B | NYM
Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Rehabbing with WooSox
Arroyo (hamstring) could be activated off the 10-day injured list at some point this weekend, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Arroyo kicked off a rehab assignment at Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, going 0-for-2 while starting at second base. He was given the day off Wednesday and is scheduled to play second base again Thursday. Barring any setbacks, he could rejoin the club for the weekend series against the Rangers. Red Sox manager Alex Cora mentioned Arroyo working out at first base, but he's not expected to play first base in game action just yet.
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Nicky Lopez 2B | TEX
Royals' Nicky Lopez: Running wild
Lopez went 3-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-2 win over Houston.
In his last 10 games, Lopez has stolen seven bases without getting caught. He's hitting 10-for-37 (.270) in that span, but that hasn't reduced his effectiveness on the basepaths. The shortstop owns a .277/.347/.345 slash line with no home runs, 28 RBI, 48 runs scored and 15 steals in 371 plate appearances. Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) has suffered another shutdown in an injury-plagued campaign, which should keep Lopez locked in as Kansas City's starting shortstop for the foreseeable future.
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Owen Miller 2B | CHC
Indians' Owen Miller: Records steal in loss
Miller went 1-for-5 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-7 extra-innings loss to Minnesota.
Miller recorded his first major-league steal in the second inning. The utility man has a mediocre .152/.211/.238 slash line with two home runs, eight RBI, 12 runs scored and three doubles through 114 plate appearances. He's seen the bulk of the playing time at first base while Bobby Bradley (knee) has been on the shelf, but Miller has yet to produce much with the bat.