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Griffin Jax SP | TB
Rays' Griffin Jax: Earns third straight win
Jax (4-5) earned the win Tuesday against the Royals, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five over six innings.
Jax surrendered all three of his runs via the long ball, as Carter Jensen led off the game with a homer and Bobby Witt added a two-run shot in the third inning. However, Tampa Bay's offense erupted for 10 runs while he was on the mound, giving him plenty of run support. Since allowing six runs over four innings June 1, Jax has bounced back, posting a 1.73 ERA over his last five outings while riding a three-start winning streak. He now owns a 3.45 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 58:20 K:BB across 60 innings and is scheduled to face Houston on the road next.
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Joe Ryan SP | MIN
Twins' Joe Ryan: Crumbles in fourth frame
Ryan (5-5) took the loss against Houston on Tuesday, allowing six runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters over four innings.
Ryan got through three frames without allowing any runs, but things unraveled for him in the fourth. In that inning, Houston struck for six runs on four hits, including a Yordan Alvarez grand slam. Ryan didn't help himself by issuing two free passes in the frame, with both players he walked coming around to score. The veteran right-hander had a shaky June -- despite posting a strong 43:8 K:BB over 33 innings, he also registered a 4.91 ERA across his six starts. Ryan still has a fine 3.61 ERA and a strong 1.08 WHIP overall on the campaign, and his 113 strikeouts are fifth-most in the American League.
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Josh Hader RP | HOU
Astros' Josh Hader: Dominant in eighth save
Hader earned a save against the Twins on Tuesday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.
Hader was unsurprisingly called upon in the ninth inning with Houston holding a two-run lead. The veteran closer made quick work of Minnesota, notching a pair of punchouts while retiring the side in order on nine pitches. Hader didn't pitch for the Astros until June 3, but he hasn't wasted any time reminding everyone that he's still one of MLB's top closers. He's gone 8-for-8 on save chances so far while giving up only one run and posting a 21:5 K:BB over 13 innings spanning 13 appearances.
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Michael Burrows SP | HOU
Astros' Mike Burrows: Fares well enough to nab victory
Burrows (4-8) completed five innings against Minnesota on Tuesday, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three batters to earn the win.
Burrows had a rough beginning to his outing, allowing three runs on two hits in the first frame. He rebounded pretty well from there, holding the Twins scoreless over his following three innings before giving up one more run in the fifth. The right-hander logged just three punchouts, continuing a disappointing campaign so far on the strikeout front -- after posting a 9.1 K/9 across 96 innings with Pittsburgh last year, he's at a meager 7.2 K/9 through 90.1 frames this season. Beyond that, Burrows has regressed in his ratios as well, and he now holds a poor 5.58 ERA and 1.51 WHIP through 17 appearances (16 starts).
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Riley O'Brien RP | STL
Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Grabs 21st save
O'Brien earned the save Tuesday against Atlanta, allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.
O'Brien entered the ninth with a two-run lead and worked around a Matt Olson double to lock down his 21st save of the season. The right-hander has now converted all seven of his save opportunities in June, though the results haven't always been clean, as he had allowed six runs over his previous nine innings entering Tuesday. His 21 saves are tied for the National League lead alongside Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran. O'Brien now owns a 3.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 34:11 K:BB across 35.1 innings this season.
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Gavin Sheets 1B | SD
Padres' Gavin Sheets: Homers after entering late
Sheets went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in a loss to the Cubs on Tuesday.
With Chicago sending out lefty Matthew Boyd as the team's starter, Sheets began Tuesday's contest on the bench in favor of Jase Bowen. However, Sheets entered to pinch hit for Bowen in the sixth inning and finished off the contest in left field. Though Sheets grounded out in that pinch-hit appearance, he got another turn at the plate and gave the Padres a little life with a three-run blast to right-center field in the eighth frame. The veteran slugger typically rests against lefty starters, which dents his fantasy appeal to an extent. However, Sheets has otherwise been one of San Diego's most productive batters, slashing .232/.317/.461 while ranking second on the club in home runs (14) and RBI (38) through 78 games.
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Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Delivers homer in defeat
Machado went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run against the Cubs in a loss Tuesday.
All seven of San Diego's runs Tuesday came via the long ball, with Machado's shot to right field in the third inning plating two. The veteran third baseman finished June with six homers over 26 contests, though he managed just a .220 batting average. That actually brought up his season mark, though, as Machado has struggled to a .189/.274/.399 slash line on the campaign. He does lead the Padres with 16 home runs and 46 RBI, so he's been relatively productive despite the poor batting average.
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Fernando Tatis Jr. RF | SD
Padres' Fernando Tatis: Goes deep twice in loss
Tatis went 2-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs Tuesday in a loss to the Cubs.
Tatis got the Padres off to a promising start when he led off the contest with a 425-foot blast to left field. The outfielder-turned-second-baseman later capped the scoring with a 370-foot solo shot in the eighth inning. Tatis was a frequent source of frustration for fantasy managers when he opened the campaign with no homers over his first 55 games, but he's been more productive since then, batting .311 with five long balls, 16 RBI, 17 runs and five stolen bases over his subsequent 28 contests. He's still way below expectations with just five home runs overall, but Tatis has been helpful in other ways, notching 19 thefts while slashing .284/.345/.383.
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Martin Perez SP | ATL
Braves' Martin Perez: Punished by long ball in loss
Perez (6-5) took the loss Tuesday against the Cardinals, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one over five innings.
Perez was undone by two swings in the fourth inning. Nelson Velazquez led off the frame with a solo homer before Nathan Church added a three-run blast. The four earned runs matched Perez's season high, and it was an uncharacteristic showing after he had surrendered just three home runs over his previous 36 innings. Following a four-start winning streak, Perez has now dropped each of his last two outings. He'll carry a 3.27 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 61:30 K:BB across 77 innings into his next scheduled start at home against the Mets.
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Weston Wilson 3B | SEA
Mariners' Weston Wilson: Plates two Tuesday
Wilson went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Angels.
Wilson has been used sparingly since joining the Mariners' big-league roster. He has gone 2-for-11 with two steals and two RBI over four contests since his contract was selected from Triple-A Tacoma on June 19. The outfielder is batting .220 with a .616 OPS, four thefts, one home run, five RBI, seven runs scored and a double over 57 plate appearances between Seattle and Baltimore this season. Expect Wilson to remain in a reserve role during his time in the majors.