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Omar Narvaez C | HOU
Mariners' Omar Narvaez: Notches first multi-homer game
Narvaez went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in a loss to Oakland on Sunday.
Narvaez drove in all four Seattle runs in the loss, sandwiching solo home runs in the second and eighth innings around run-scoring singles in the fourth and sixth. The multi-homer game was the first of his career and the four hits established a career single-game high. Narvaez enters the All-Star break with 14 home runs -- the most ever by a Mariners catcher before the break -- along with 36 runs batted in and a .294/.366/.486 slash line in 255 at-bats.
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Christian Vazquez C | HOU
Red Sox's Christian Vazquez: Launches 14th home run
Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Tigers.
Vazquez delivered a two-run blast over the fence in right during the second inning, putting Boston ahead 2-1. He's been red-hot at the dish heading into the All-Star break, racking up seven extra-base hits (including four homers) over his last seven contests.
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Francisco Mejia C | TB
Padres' Francisco Mejia: Sits for series finale
Mejia is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
Mejia started the last two games in Los Angeles but heads to the bench after going 2-for-8 with three strikeouts. Austin Hedges will start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Friars.
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Matt Thaiss C | BOS
Angels' Matt Thaiss: Garners third start
Thaiss will start at third base and bat seventh Sunday against the Astros, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Though Thaiss didn't play the hot corner much during his time in the minors, the Angels will give him a chance to prove his worth at the position while Tommy La Stella (lower leg) likely remains sidelined through August. While starting in two of his first four games with the big club, Thaiss has gone 1-for-7 with a double and three strikeouts.
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Luke Maile C | KC
Blue Jays' Luke Maile: Losing work to Jansen
Maile is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Maile had fallen into a timeshare behind the plate with Danny Jansen for much of June, but the former looks like the clear No. 2 backstop these days. With Jansen slashing .375/.390/.950 over his last 11 games dating back to June 23, the Blue Jays look set to ride his hot bat for as long as it lasts. Maile will thus find himself on the bench for the seventh time in eight games to close out the first half.
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Sandy Leon C | ATL
Red Sox's Sandy Leon: Back on bench
Leon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.
Leon was behind the plate for each of the past three games but managed only one hit across 11 at-bats. Even with the recent uptick in action, Leon has still been included in the lineup just four times over the last 13 contests. He's the clear No. 2 backstop behind Christian Vazquez.
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Christian Vazquez C | HOU
Red Sox's Christian Vazquez: Keeps rolling at dish
Vazquez started at designated hitter and went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 10-6 win over the Tigers.
Vazquez has been a hitting machine over the past month, and manager Alex Cora is looking to get his bat in the lineup. The 28-year-old catcher has slashed .350/.357/.625 with six home runs and 17 RBI over the last 19 games. With J.D. Martinez getting an off day, Vazquez served as the DH and hit in Martinez's third spot in the order. The catcher entered the season with a career .632 OPS, but his hot stretch leaves him at .844 as the season closes in on the All-Star break.
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Curt Casali C | ATL
Reds' Curt Casali: Getting breather
Casali is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Indians.
Casali started behind the dish in each of the Reds' last three games, going hitless with four strikeouts in eight at-bats. He'll cede catching duties to Kyle Farmer on Sunday as the Reds and Indians wrap up their first-half schedules.
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Tomas Nido C | DET
Mets' Tomas Nido: Drives in three against Phillies
Nido went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Phillies.
His bases-loaded double in the fifth inning proved to be the game-winning hit for the Mets. Nido's picked up two hits in three of his last four starts and is slashing .333/.357/.481 over his last seven games, but that's a span that stretches all the way back to June 18 as he remains behind Wilson Ramos on the depth chart.