MLB Player News
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Spencer Torkelson 1B | DET
Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Slugs two homers Saturday
Torkelson went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four total RBI in a 7-0 win against the Angels on Saturday.
Torkelson recorded both Detroit long balls Saturday, launching a three-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the fifth. It was the first multi-homer game of the campaign for the first baseman, while the four RBI set a season-high mark. Torkelson's .209 batting average is ugly, but he's been a steady source of power with 18 homers, which is second most on the team behind Dillon Dingler (19).
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Logan Taylor Allen RP | CLE
Guardians' Logan Allen: Inefficient in spot start
Allen didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks over 3.1 innings. He struck out three.
Called up as the 27th man to get the start in the nightcap of the twin bill, Allen needed 81 pitches (51 strikes) to record just 10 outs before getting the hook in line for the loss. Cleveland's offense was able to bail him out late, however. The southpaw is likely to return to Triple-A Columbus, but through two big-league appearances (one start) this season, he's posted a 2.45 ERA, 2.05 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB over 7.1 innings.
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Grayson Rodriguez SP | LAA
Angels' Grayson Rodriguez: Roughed up in defeat
Rodriguez (3-3) took the loss against Detroit on Saturday, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three batters over four innings.
Rodriguez had a daunting task facing off against Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, and a Tigers four-run first inning essentially put the game out of reach for the Angels. Rodriguez needed 87 pitches to get through four innings, and he's now finished fewer than five frames in four of his eight starts so far this season. The 26-year-old hurler has been very up-and-down when healthy enough to pitch, giving up three or fewer earned runs on four occasions and six-plus runs three times. The blow-ups have been more impactful to his overall line than the decent appearances, as altogether Rodriguez has a troubling 8.23 ERA and 1.77 WHIP across 35 innings.
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Gavin Williams SP | CLE
Guardians' Gavin Williams: Fans 11 in Saturday's loss
Williams (10-5) took the loss in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates, giving up five runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- over six innings. He struck out 11 without walking a batter.
Despite the right-hander's dominance over 84 pitches (65 strikes), he served up more than two long balls in a start for the first time this season to get saddled with his first loss in over a month. The 11 strikeouts tied Williams' season high, a mark he's reached four times now, including his last outing before the All-Star break. Williams will take a 4.00 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 145:37 K:BB over 119.1 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is set to come at home next week against the Twins.
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Tarik Skubal SP | LAD
Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Dominant to open second half
Skubal (6-5) earned the win over the Angels on Saturday, allowing five hits and issuing no walks while striking out nine batters over seven scoreless innings.
Detroit put up four runs in the first inning, which were more than enough for the veteran southpaw. Skubal held the Angels without an extra-base hit and racked up 19 whiffs en route to nine punchouts -- an amount he has posted exactly in four of his past five outings. Skubal also notched his first scoreless start since his very first appearance of the campaign (March 26 versus San Diego). There has been plenty of trade chatter including Skubal's name, but there's no guarantee that the Tigers will move him, especially since they've won eight of their past 10 contests to pull within 5.5 games of the White Sox and Guardians in a tight AL Central.
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Jeff McNeil 2B | ATH
Athletics' Jeff McNeil: Tallies three hits in rout
McNeil went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI in a 15-1 thrashing of Washington on Saturday.
McNeil, who batted out of the No. 9 slot, was one of two Athletics to collect three hits Saturday -- the other was leadoff hitter Jacob Wilson. All three of McNeil's knocks were singles, but two of those hits knocked in a run. Prior to Saturday, the veteran infielder had gone 12 games without a multi-hit effort, batting just .152 (5-for-33) during that span.
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Jacob Wilson SS | ATH
Athletics' Jacob Wilson: Sets tone with leadoff homer
Wilson went 3-for-6 with a home run, three total runs and two total RBI in a 15-1 rout of the Nationals on Saturday.
Wilson foreshadowed a big day by the A's offense when he launched a leadoff long ball off Zack Littell in the bottom of the first inning. The third-year infielder added two more hits, including a run-scoring single in the seventh. Wilson has carried a strong end to the first half with a standout start to the second -- he now has a six-game hitting streak during which he's batting .458 (11-for-24), though Saturday marked his first RBI of that stretch.
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J.T. Ginn SP | ATH
Athletics' J.T. Ginn: Teases no-no in easy victory
Ginn (8-6) earned the win over Washington on Saturday, allowing one hit and issuing three walks while striking out seven batters over 6.1 scoreless innings.
The A's jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, and Ginn hit cruise control from there. He didn't allow a hit until the seventh frame, when Keibert Ruiz stroked a single to center field with one out. Manager Mark Kotsay decided that would be the final batter of Ginn's outing despite the fact that the hurler was at only 82 pitches. Though he fell short of etching his name in the history books, Ginn rebounded nicely from the eight-run, 4.1-frame blowup he posted against the White Sox in his final start of the first half. Even including that mauling, Ginn has nice numbers overall, posting a 3.46 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 100:49 K:BB over 109.1 innings spanning 22 appearances (19 starts).
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Cole Young 2B | SEA
Mariners' Cole Young: Turns tide with huge homer
Young went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in a 4-3, extra-inning win over the Giants on Saturday.
Logan Webb dominated Seattle for six scoreless innings, giving up only one hit (a single by Young). However, the Giants' ace gifted the Mariners an opportunity when he walked a batter and hit another in the seventh frame, and Young made him pay with a game-tying, two-out, three-run blast to right-center field. It was the second baseman's 12th long ball of the season and pushed him into the Seattle lead with 46 runs batted in. The RBI total also ranks fifth among MLB second basemen.
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Bryan Woo SP | SEA
Mariners' Bryan Woo: Fans seven in no-decision
Woo allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over six innings in a no-decision versus San Francisco on Saturday.
Woo allowed just one run over his initial five frames but then surrendered a pair of solo homers in the sixth. He was down 3-0 when he departed, but a late Seattle rally took him off the hook for the loss. While Woo wasn't able to nab his eighth victory, he did record his 11th quality start of the season while displaying good swing-and-miss stuff with 14 whiffs. He's lined up to make his next start on the road against the Rangers.