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Luis Arraez 2B | PHI
Twins' Luis Arraez: Sitting again Friday
Arraez (knee) is not in the lineup Friday against the Angels.
Manager Rocco Baldelli said the Twins would decide after Thursday's evaluation whether Arraez would require a trip to the injured list, and for now a move has yet to be made. Brent Rooker was promoted to fill the roster spot of the traded Nelson Cruz, and he'll immediately step in as the designated hitter.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Rays' Brandon Lowe: Clutch effort in win
Lowe went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a walk in an extra-inning win over Cleveland on Thursday.
Lowe's timely ninth-inning two-bagger plated Brett Phillips to knot the score at 4-4. The previously struggling outfielder is on quite the nine-game tear, producing a quartet of two-hit efforts over that span on his way to a .370/.528/.778 slash line across 36 plate appearances. Batting leadoff, as he did for the 22nd time this season Thursday, also seems to agree with the 27-year-old, as he now owns a .984 OPS, .411 wOBA and .376 ISO when operating out of the top of the order.
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Gleyber Torres 2B | DET
Yankees' Gleyber Torres: Drives in two
Torres went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a stolen base in a loss to the Red Sox on Thursday.
Torres produced the game's first run with a groundout in the fourth inning and added another RBI with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. He also swiped his seventh bag of the campaign in the sixth frame. During his current five-game hit streak, the shortstop has gone 5-for-15 with three homers and six RBI.
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Jack Mayfield 2B | LAA
Angels' Jack Mayfield: Belts three-run shot
Mayfield went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Thursday's win over Minnesota.
Mayfield smacked his second homer in the last four games off Kenta Maeda in the fifth inning, and that would be all the offense the Angels would need to come away with the win. It's worth noting that this was only Mayfield's second long ball of the year, but he's seeing the ball better of late with hits in three of his last four contests after an 0-for-12 showing in June and July, a period that saw him get released by the Mariners and claimed by the Angels off waivers.
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Josh Rojas 3B | KC
Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Out of lineup
Rojas (finger) will not start Friday against the Cubs.
Rojas dislocated his left pinkie finger Wednesday against the Pirates when diving into second base. Thursday's off day evidently wasn't enough time for him to heal, so he'll be on the bench for at least one game. Per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, the Diamondbacks are still evaluating Rojas, and a trip to the injured list remains a possibility. Josh VanMeter will get the start at second base.
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Ozzie Albies 2B | ATL
Braves' Ozzie Albies: Three hits in win
Albies went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored in Thursday's win over the Phillies.
Batting second with southpaw Matt Moore on the mound for Philadelphia, Albies laced his fourth two-bagger in the last five games. The second baseman has yet to homer in July despite his recent display of extra-base power, however, slashing .254/.284/.349 through 16 games on the month with two steals, seven RBI and nine runs.
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Enrique Hernandez 3B | LAD
Red Sox's Enrique Hernandez: Drives in three
Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI on Thursday against the Yankees.
Hernandez provided clutch offense late in the game for Boston. That began with a sacrifice fly that tied the game in the seventh inning, though his biggest hit came in the ninth frame, when he doubled in two runs with two outs to once again bring the Red Sox level. Through 344 plate appearances this season, Hernandez has hit .241/.320/.462 with 14 home runs, 47 runs scored and 38 RBI. He also has six hits over his last three games.
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Andy Ibanez 2B | NYM
Rangers' Andy Ibanez: Collects three hits, scores twice
Ibanez went 3-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Tigers.
Ibanez put together his first multi-hit performance since June 26, a span of 15 games and 13 starts. He hit just .174/.191/.239 in that period but showed signs of life at the dish Thursday. He delivered an RBI single in the fourth inning and also led off the eighth frame with a triple before coming around to score. Overall this season, Ibanez is hitting .222/.245/.322 across 94 plate appearances.
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Zack Short SS | NYM
Tigers' Zack Short: Pops fifth home run
Short went 1-for-4 with a home run in Thursday's win over the Rangers.
Short launched one of three home runs against Texas starter Mike Foltynewicz, giving the infielder five home runs this season. Short has become the team's top option at shortstop with Niko Goodrum (calf) on the injured list, though Goodrum is expected to begin a rehab assignment within the next week. His return could cut into Short's playing time.
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Ernie Clement 2B | TOR
Indians' Ernie Clement: Drives in three in win
Clement went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-4 win over Houston.
Clement knocked in more than half of Cleveland's runs with his three-run double in the sixth inning. The 25-year-old has seen a small uptick in playing time at third base lately with Jose Ramirez still battling elbow soreness. A timeshare over the next few weeks is possible until Ramirez is back to 100 percent. Clement is slashing .245/.302/.286 with four RBI and eight runs scored through 55 plate appearances.