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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Red Sox's Trevor Story: Continues rolling Saturday
Story went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and three RBI in a 7-3 win against the Astros on Saturday.
Story broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run blast to left field in the third inning and tacked on an RBI double in the seventh. The veteran shortstop has three home runs over his past four games and is batting an even .500 (7-for-14) with seven RBI during that span. Story is up to 18 home runs and 68 RBI on the season -- both of those totals are his highest since his 24-homer, 75-RBI campaign with Colorado in 2021.
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Colton Gordon RP | MIL
Astros' Colton Gordon: Tagged for three homers in loss
Gordon (4-4) took the loss against Boston on Saturday, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out six batters over four innings.
Gordon actually gave up fewer hits than his counterpart Walker Buehler, who surrendered nine knocks over 4.1 frames. However, the types of hits given up by the pitchers were dramatically different -- Gordon surrendered five extra-base knocks, including three homers, while all but one of the hits against Buehler were singles. Gordon has had a problem with the long ball throughout the campaign, giving up multiple homers in five of his 14 outings and posting a 1.87 HR/9, which is seventh worst among pitchers who have tossed at least 50 frames. He's managed to maintain a spot in the rotation despite a poor 5.27 ERA, but that may not be the case much longer, as Spencer Arrighetti (thumb), Cristian Javier (elbow) and Luis Garcia (elbow) are all nearing returns from the injured list.
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Aroldis Chapman RP | BOS
Red Sox's Aroldis Chapman: Notches save No. 20
Chapman earned a save against the Astros on Saturday, retiring both batters he faced (including one by strikeout) in the ninth inning.
Boston entered the ninth inning with a 7-3 lead and gave the ball to Jorge Alcala, who allowed two batters to reach base and got only one out. Chapman was then summoned in a save situation and struck out Cam Smith before retiring Mauricio Dubon on a groundout to end the game. The veteran closer continued what has been a dominant campaign -- he's allowed just six earned runs over 43.2 frames while posting a 64:13 K:BB. Chapman's ability to avoid walks has been a big part of his success, as his 2.7 BB/9 is on pace to be the lowest of his career. The left-hander's save Saturday was his 20th of the campaign, marking the 10th time he's reached that mark in his career but the first such instance since 2021.
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Walker Buehler SP | SD
Red Sox's Walker Buehler: Can't get through five innings
Buehler allowed three runs on nine hits and three walks over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against Houston on Saturday. He didn't notch any strikeouts.
Given the constant traffic allowed by Buehler, he fared relatively well in allowing just three runs. The right-hander didn't toss any clean innings and had multiple batters reach base against him in all but one of the frames in which he pitched, but only one of the Astros' nine knocks against him -- a first-inning, two-run homer by Christian Walker -- went for extra bases. Buehler was helped by two double plays, but he didn't strike out any batters and got just six whiffs among his 84 pitches (54 strikes). He showed a bit of promise in July when he posted a 3.57 ERA over four starts, but his 12:9 K:BB across 22.2 innings during that month was far from promising, and he still sits at an ugly 5.74 ERA on the season after Saturday's outing.
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Miguel Vargas 3B | CHW
White Sox's Miguel Vargas: Diagnosed with oblique strain
Vargas was scratched from Saturday's game against the Angels due to a left oblique strain.
Vargas was originally slated to start at first base but was scratched just before the beginning of Saturday's contest. The White Sox later announced that Vargas is dealing with a left oblique strain and is being further evaluated. Given the nature of the injury, it wouldn't be surprising if Vargas has to miss more than just Saturday's contest, though it's not yet clear how severe the issue is. Lenyn Sosa shifted from the keystone over to first base Saturday after Vargas was pulled and may make more starts there if the latter needs to miss additional time.
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Randy Arozarena LF | SEA
Mariners' Randy Arozarena: Hits clutch homer in loss
Arozarena went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-4 extra-innings loss to the Rangers.
Arozarena scored the tying run on a Julio Rodriguez double in the sixth before launching a two-run homer to tie it again in the 10th. He's hit safely in eight of his past 10 games, collecting four homers, six RBI, seven runs and four steals in that span. For the year, the 30-year-old is slashing .249/.350/.472 with 22 home runs, 55 RBI, 63 runs and 20 steals across 477 plate appearances, and he appears to have taken over the leadoff role against right-handed pitching following the Mariners' recent trades.
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Kyle Higashioka C | TEX
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Homer, three RBI in win
Higashioka went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, three total RBI and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-4 extra-innings win over the Mariners.
Higashioka opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the third inning and broke a 2-2 tie in the 10th with an RBI single. In 17 games since July 4, the veteran backstop has posted a remarkable 1.142 OPS with nine extra-base hits, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored. For the year, he's slashing .269/.316/.431 with seven home runs, 30 RBI, 22 runs scored and three steals across 212 plate appearances.
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Ryan Bliss 2B | SEA
Mariners' Ryan Bliss: Fields grounders Saturday
Bliss (biceps) took grounders on the field ahead of Saturday's game against the Rangers, per MLB.com.
Bliss is recovering from a left biceps tear, which has kept him sidelined for nearly four months. At this point, the Mariners are hoping that the 25-year-old second baseman will be able to at least return by the end of the season, so he's increasingly unlikely to have any fantasy relevance in 2025. The lefty-hitting Cole Young should continue to serve as Seattle's primary option at the keystone in Bliss' stead.
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Corey Julks RF | DET
White Sox's Corey Julks: Very late addition to lineup
Julks is batting seventh and starting in left field against the Angels on Saturday.
Julks wasn't originally slated to start, but he was added to the starting nine just before the beginning of the game while Miguel Vargas was scratched. Saturday will mark Julks' MLB season debut after he had his contract selected from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.
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Miguel Vargas 3B | CHW
White Sox's Miguel Vargas: Last-minute scratch Saturday
Vargas is no longer in the starting lineup against the Angels on Saturday.
Vargas was originally slated to start at first base and bat cleanup, but he was removed from the lineup just before the start of the contest. It's not immediately clear what prompted his removal. Corey Julks is entering the starting nine in Vargas' place and is playing left field, while Lenyn Sosa is shifting from the keystone to first base, among other defensive changes.