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Chase DeLauter RF | CLE
Guardians' Chase DeLauter: Returns to action
DeLauter started in right field and went 1-for-3 in Friday's 9-1 win over the Rockies.
DeLauter returned to action after missing three games due to a hamstring injury. It's a good sign that he returned to the field and was not eased back in at designated hitter. A strong season rages on for the rookie, whose 457 plate appearances are well beyond his previous career high as a professional. DeLauter is hitting .339 (20-for-59) over 15 games during the month of August.
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Nate Pearson RP | KC
Royals' Nate Pearson: Earns third save of season
Pearson earned the save Friday against the Tigers after pitching a scoreless ninth inning, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one.
Pearson was handed a three-run lead in the ninth and worked around some late traffic to secure Kansas City's sixth consecutive victory. The right-hander allowed two runners to reach but stranded both, striking out Dillon Dingler to end the game and collect his third save of the season. Pearson owns a 2.56 ERA and has worked his way into high-leverage situations for the Royals. Since joining Kansas City on July 22, Pearson has posted a 0.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with a 10:5 K:BB across 11.2 innings, recording two holds and going 2-for-3 in save opportunities.
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Noah Cameron SP | KC
Royals' Noah Cameron: Fires five scoreless innings, earns win
Cameron (8-8) earned the win Friday against the Tigers, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out two over five scoreless innings.
Cameron wasn't particularly sharp from a command standpoint, ending with more walks than strikeouts for the second time since the beginning of July, but the Tigers couldn't capitalize on their opportunities. Cameron was coming off a one-hit shutout against the Angels, and he's now worked 14 consecutive scoreless innings across his last two starts. Cameron will take a 4.02 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 128:46 K:BB across 143.1 innings into his next start, tentatively scheduled for Thursday at Toronto.
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Grant Taylor RP | CHW
White Sox's Grant Taylor: Earns win in relief Friday
Taylor (5-2) walked one and struck out two over a hitless and scoreless ninth inning to earn the win in Friday's 6-4 victory over the Mets.
Taylor entered with the game tied 4-4 and worked around a leadoff walk to keep New York off the board, setting the stage for Jake Rogers' walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. The right-hander needed 15 pitches (10 strikes) to complete the frame and lowered his ERA to 2.01. Taylor remains one of Chicago's primary late-inning arms, and over his last eight outings, he has one win and three holds while going 2-for-4 in save chances and posting a 0.94 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB.
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Sean Burke SP | CHW
White Sox's Sean Burke: Gives up four runs in no-decision
Burke didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Mets, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out four without a walk over six innings.
Burke struggled early, allowing three runs over the first four innings before Bo Bichette extended New York's advantage with a solo homer in the fifth. The right-hander nevertheless completed six frames without issuing a free pass, and Chicago's three-homer outburst in the bottom of the sixth ultimately got him off the hook for the loss. Burke has pitched particularly well over the last two months despite remaining winless since July 19, posting a 2.90 ERA in 40.1 innings across seven starts since the All-Star break. He's lined up to make his next start at home against the Rangers.
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Troy Melton SP | DET
Tigers' Troy Melton: Takes second loss Friday
Melton (7-2) allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits across 5.2 innings to take the loss in Friday's 5-2 defeat to the Royals. He walked three and struck out three.
Melton was ultimately done in by a pair of Kansas City home runs as well as a lack of run support, and he ended up taking his first loss since June 25. In eight starts since then coming into Friday's contest, he had allowed two earned runs just once and had posted a sparkling 0.77 ERA. On the season, Melton has a stellar 1.60 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 90 innings of work, though he hasn't been a great source of strikeouts with only 76 of them so far. The young righty will look to get back in the win column in his next scheduled outing, which is currently lined up for Wednesday against the Rays at home.
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Kevin McGonigle SS | DET
Tigers' Kevin McGonigle: Leads offense in loss
McGonigle went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Royals.
McGonigle was the only Detroit player with multiple hits as the offense slowed down against Kansas City starter Noah Cameron and four relievers. The rookie infielder continues to deliver consistently good results, as he's now batting .274 in August with three home runs, one steal, 14 RBI and 14 runs scored in 18 games. Overall, McGonigle is batting .284, and he's recorded 13 homers, 53 RBI, 82 runs scored and 12 stolen bases across 124 contests in what's been an outstanding MLB debut.
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Spencer Jones CF | NYY
Yankees' Spencer Jones: Supplies game-winning homer Friday
Jones went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jays.
The rookie outfielder took Spencer Arrighetti deep in the second inning, one of only four hits by the Yankees on the night, to give his team an early lead it wouldn't relinquish. Jones has gone yard in back-to-back games, and over his last 12 contests he's produced a .293/.356/.561 slash line with six total extra-base hits, four steals, eight runs and eight RBI. Despite that success when he does make contact, his 35.6 percent strikeout rate during that hot streak suggests he may not stay locked in for long.
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David Bednar RP | NYY
Yankees' David Bednar: Secures save No. 30
Bednar gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 30th save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Blue Jays.
The veteran closer continues to dominate in his first full season with the Yankees. Since the beginning of June, Bednar has converted 18 of 19 save chances while delivering a 0.81 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 36:7 K:BB over 33.1 innings. He's the third AL pitcher to reach the 30-save plateau this season, behind the Rays' Bryan Baker (36) and the Guardians' Cade Smith (32).
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Cam Schlittler SP | NYY
Yankees' Cam Schlittler: Sharp in 11th win
Schlittler (11-6) picked up the win Friday in a 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays, allowing one run on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out four.
The AL Cy Young Award favorite wasn't at his most dominant, as the four Ks were his lowest total since June 2, but Schlittler still put together his 16th quality start of the season on 96 pitches (59 strikes). Over nine outings since the beginning of July, the 25-year-old right-hander has compiled a 2.33 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 70:16 K:BB in just 54 innings. Schlittler will look to keep rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Astros.