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Justin Turner DH | CHC
Dodgers' Justin Turner: Drives in two Saturday
Turner went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Angels.
Turner served as the Dodgers' designated hitter, and his two-run single in the fifth inning proved to be crucial in a tight victory. It has been a grueling recovery process from a wrist injury for the 33-year-old, but he appears to be rounding into form with a .276/.389/.474 slash line, four homers and 11 RBI over his last 23 games.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Carries offense in loss to Cards
Belt went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Cardinals.
The Giants only managed eight hits on the day, and Belt provided their only extra-base hit. The first baseman is hitting .324 with a home run and six RBI over his last 10 games, pushing his slash line on the season up to .296/.387/.504.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Day-to-day with knee issue
Ohtani is day-to-day after fouling a ball off his right knee in the ninth inning of Saturday's game, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Ohtani doesn't seem to think it's a big deal, saying he thinks he'll be "fine." With a lefty in Alex Wood due up for the Dodgers in Sunday's series finale, the Angels will almost certainly hold Ohtani out and then reassess things following Monday's off day. The 24-year-old is just 2-for-16 since coming off the disabled list, including an 0-for-4 effort Saturday.
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Mark Canha LF | TEX
Athletics' Mark Canha: Three-hit night Friday
Canha went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in a loss to the Indians on Friday. He was also caught stealing on his only attempt.
Canha compiled the most hits of any Athletics player Friday, generating his first multi-hit effort since June 19 in the process. The 29-year-old outfielder has been steady at the plate since mid-June, raising his season average 26 points to .264 over his last 15 games. He should have a clear path to regular starts against both right- and left-handed pitching while Matt Joyce (back) is on the disabled list.
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Charlie Blackmon RF | COL
Rockies' Charlie Blackmon: Launches 16th homer
Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Colorado's 7-1 win over Seattle on Friday.
Blackmon went yard for the 16th time this season with a first-inning solo shot off Felix Hernandez. His .280/.353/.476 slash line through 327 at-bats would be considered terrific for most players, but it's actually lagging quite a bit behind the ridiculous standard he set last year, when he hit .331, posted an even 1.000 OPS, and clubbed 37 homers. Blackmon has remained a fantastic source of runs, as his current total of 65 leaves him fifth in the league. This was also his second three-hit effort in his last three games, so hopefully that's a sign he's gearing up for a hot streak that will pump his other numbers back toward the lofty levels he's capable of.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Red Sox's J.D. Martinez: Continues power binge
Martinez went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and two runs to help Boston to a 10-5 victory over Kansas City on Friday.
he just continues to rake at an epic clip in his first season in Boston, with this second-inning blast off Jason Hammel giving him a league-leading 27 long balls on the season. Martinez is one of the most complete hitters in baseball, as demonstrated by his impeccable .328/.392/.647 slash line, and there's little reason to believe he won't remain as such through the rest of the season.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Promoted to Triple-A
The Astros promoted Alvarez to Triple-A Fresno on Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Alvarez slashed .325/.389/.615 with 12 home runs in his first season at the Double-A level this year, which made for a short stay at Corpus Christi. The 21-year-old will likely join Fresno's outfield rotation for the rest of the season if he illustrates he can hold his own against superior competition.
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Jesse Winker DH | NYM
Reds' Jesse Winker: Out of lineup Friday
Winker is not starting Friday against the Cubs, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Winker is hitting .458 with a 1.218 OPS over his last nine games, but the Reds' outfield rotation will continue, with Adam Duvall starting over him in left field. Winker has pretty much been as advertised this season, with excellent on-base skills but little power or speed, leading to a .277/.391/.403 line with six homers and no steals on the season.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Cardinals' Marcell Ozuna: Drives in two
Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Giants.
Ozuna took advantage of several RBI opportunities, driving in runs on a groundout and single. He showed signs of breaking out of his slump, recording his first two-hit performance since June 26th and his first extra-base hit since the 25th. While he had been on a tear at the plate in the first half of June, Ozuna entered Thursday's game with just a .278 slugging percentage over the last 15 days, so his season of hot and cold spells has continued.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Continues extra-base hit barrage
Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, two walks and three runs scored Thursday against the Giants.
Carpenter took Johnny Cueto deep in the second inning for his 16th home run of the season. He now has at least one extra-base hit in three of his past four games and six of his last 10, helping him vault into the top 10 in the National League in OPS. While his power production stands out, Carpenter has also managed to raise his average to .264, his highest mark since April 2.