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Zac Gallen SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen: Stung by Rays
Gallen (9-6) took the loss Saturday, giving up four runs on nine hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out three as the Diamondbacks were downed 6-1 by the Rays.
Despite getting extra rest after his last outing Aug. 10 due to cramping and general body soreness, Gallen didn't look to be at his best Saturday as he generated only seven swinging strikes among his 98 pitches. The 29-year-old right-hander has yet to allow a home run in six starts since the All-Star break, but the rest of his numbers during that stretch (3.78 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 26:16 K:BB in 33.1 innings) aren't up to his usual standards. Gallen will look to regain his form in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next weekend in Boston.
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Luis Severino SP | ATH
Mets' Luis Severino: Fires second career shutout
Severino (8-6) picked up the win Saturday, scattering four hits and a walk over nine scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory over the Marlins. He struck out eight.
Three of the four hits off Severino were doubles, but he bore down and stranded the runner each time. The right-hander needed a season-high 113 pitches (78 strikes) to record his second career shutout, with the other coming back in 2018. It was an impressive turnaround for Severino, who had gone 0-3 with an 8.00 ERA and 1.83 WHIP over his prior four starts. The 30-year-old is scheduled to make his next trip to the mound on the road next week in San Diego.
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Max Meyer SP | MIA
Marlins' Max Meyer: Can't find plate in loss
Meyer (3-3) took the loss Saturday, giving up four runs on six hits and three walks over four innings as the Marlins fell 4-0 to the Mets. He struck out three.
While the Miami offense gave the rookie right-hander no support, Meyer created his own problems by throwing only 49 of 90 pitches for strikes and having poor command within the strike zone -- four of the six hits he served up went for extra bases, including solo shots by Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. In five outings since returning to the big-league rotation in late July, Meyer has stumbled to an 8.10 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and 19:9 K:BB through 23.1 innings, but the Marlins will let him work through his growing pains. The 25-year-old lines up to make his next start at home next weekend against the Cubs.
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Nathan Eovaldi SP | TEX
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Fades late Saturday
Eovaldi (8-7) allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and no walks while striking out six batters over seven-plus innings to take the loss against Minnesota on Saturday.
Eovaldi didn't give up a run until Trevor Larnach tagged him for a solo homer in the fourth. The right-hander cruised through the next three innings without giving up another score and carried a 2-1 lead into the eighth. However, Eovaldi allowed three straight singles in that frame before being pulled with the bases loaded and no outs. All three baserunners then came around to score after his departure. It was a tough finish for Eovaldi, who was hit with his third straight loss. During that span, he's allowed 12 runs (11 earned) over 15 frames despite a strong 17:3 K:BB.
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David Festa P | MIN
Twins' David Festa: Fans six in five frames
Festa allowed two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out six batters over five innings in a no-decision against Texas on Saturday.
Festa racked up 15 whiffs in the outing as he continues to show good swing-and-miss stuff against big-league hitters. While the rookie right-hander hasn't tossed more than five innings in any of his seven appearances with the Twins, that's largely due to a managed workload -- he's yet to toss more than 82 pitches in an outing. After a pair of rough starts during his initial MLB cup of coffee in late June and early July, Festa has looked much better since rejoining the big club July 24, posting a 2.38 ERA and 31:8 K:BB over 22.2 frames.
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Brayan Bello RP | BOS
Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Notches 11th victory
Bello (11-5) earned the win over Baltimore on Saturday, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out six batters over six innings.
Bello tossed five scoreless frames before serving up a game-tying solo homer to Gunnar Henderson in the sixth inning. That was the hurler's final frame, but Boston scored in the top of the seventh to move him in line for the victory. Bello has shown considerable improvement since the All-Star break, notching five quality starts across seven outings and posting a 3.57 ERA across 40.1 innings. The improvement in ERA is particularly promising after the right-hander recorded a 5.40 ERA over 83.1 frames during the first half of the season.
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Nick Lodolo SP | CIN
Reds' Nick Lodolo: Run over by Royals
Lodolo (9-5) took the loss against Kansas City on Saturday, allowing eight runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out two batters over 2.1 innings.
Lodolo gave up one run in the first frame and two in the second to fall behind early. Things got much worse for him in the third inning, when he allowed the first four batters to reach base and was lifted with one out and the bases loaded having already given up two more runs. All three of the runners he left aboard subsequently came around to score on a Dairon Blanco grand slam. This was the second time in his past four starts that Lodolo has been charged with eight runs in an outing, and his ERA has jumped from 3.33 at the All-Star break to its current mark of 4.55.
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Michael Wacha SP | KC
Royals' Michael Wacha: Cruises to 10th victory
Wacha (10-6) earned the win over Cincinnati on Saturday, allowing four hits and issuing one walk while striking out nine batters over six scoreless innings.
The Royals built a 10-run lead through three frames, so Wacha didn't face much pressure in the contest. Still, he didn't let down his guard, yielding just four hits -- all of which were singles -- while tossing six scoreless frames for his fourth consecutive quality start. Wacha's nine punchouts were a season high, and he reached the double-digit win mark for the fifth time in his 12-year career.
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Cade Povich SP | BAL
Orioles' Cade Povich: Heading back to Triple-A
The Orioles will option Povich to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Povich was brought up to the big-league club to start Saturday's game against the Red Sox and give the other members of the Orioles' rotation an additional day of rest. The 24-year-old was dealt the loss but pitched well, completed 6.1 innings and striking out six batters while allowing two runs on six hits and no walks. He'll head back to Norfolk for the time being but should be first in line to join the rotation if a spot opens up at some point down the road. After Saturday's loss, Povich has a 1-6 record to go along with a 5.77 ERA and 31:23 K:BB across 43.2 innings in the big leagues.
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Chris Bassitt SP | BAL
Blue Jays' Chris Bassitt: Allows three runs in loss
Bassitt (9-12) took the loss against the Cubs on Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts over five innings.
Bassitt surrendered a leadoff homer to Ian Happ in the first inning and then yielded two more runs in the fifth. He battled through two rain delays but failed to record a win or quality start for the fifth time in six chances since the All-Star break. On the year, the veteran owns a 4.34 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 134:54 K:BB across 139 innings and lines up for a home matchup with the Angels next week.