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Steven Kwan LF | CLE
Guardians' Steven Kwan: Held out against lefty
Kwan is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.
The Guardians will roll out a right-handed-heavy lineup to counter Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodon in the series finale, so Kwan will take a seat Wednesday along with fellow lefty hitters Chase DeLauter and Kyle Manzardo. Cleveland will go with David Fry in left field in Kwan's stead.
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Kyle Manzardo 1B | CLE
Guardians' Kyle Manzardo: Idle against southpaw
Manzardo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.
The Guardians will roll out a right-handed-heavy lineup to counter Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodon in the series finale, so Manzardo will take a seat Wednesday along with fellow lefty hitters Chase DeLauter and Steven Kwan. Cleveland will go with Rhys Hoskins at first base in Manzardo's stead.
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Andy Pages CF | LAD
Dodgers' Andy Pages: Slugs 15th homer
Pages went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's 12-3 rout of the Pirates.
The 25-year-old center fielder got two plate appearances in the Dodgers' 10-run seventh inning, belting a two-run homer off Wilber Dotel before adding a sacrifice fly when his spot came around again. Pages has gone yard in back-to-back games, although he sat out Sunday's contest in between, and on the season he's slashing .282/.326/.528 with 15 home runs, seven steals, 39 runs and 56 RBI in 66 games.
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Eric Lauer SP | LAD
Dodgers' Eric Lauer: Effective in no-decision Tuesday
Lauer didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 12-3 rout of the Pirates, allowing two runs on three hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.
Back-to-back solo homers by Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O'Hearn in the first inning put Lauer in danger of getting a quick hook, but the veteran southpaw kept his focus and stuck around until finally leaving the mound after 89 pitches (64 strikes) just shy of his second quality start of the season. Lauer has been outstanding since being scooped up by the Dodgers following a rough beginning to the year with the Blue Jays, delivering a 2.76 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB in 16.1 innings over three starts. As long as he remains effective, he'll give Los Angeles little reason to promote a prospect like River Ryan, but Lauer's leash is likely short. He lines up to make his next start at home early next week against the Rays.
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Jake Bennett SP | BOS
Red Sox's Jake Bennett: Joining rotation Wednesday
The Red Sox will recall Bennett from Triple-A Worcester to start Wednesday's game against the Rays at Tropicana Field, Andrew Mahoney of The Boston Globe reports.
As anticipated, Bennett will be stepping into the rotation spot vacated by Brayan Bello, who was optioned to Triple-A last week. Though he reached five innings in both of his first two big-league starts back in early May against the Astros and Rays, Bennett yielded five earned runs on 11 hits and four walks while striking out four across 10.1 frames. However, the 25-year-old lefty has performed as one of the top pitchers in the International League this season, running up a 1.49 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 41:9 K:BB in 42.1 innings over 10 starts for Worcester. With Bello now in the minors and Garrett Crochet (lat) weeks away from a return from the injured list, Bennett could have a pathway to an extended run in the big-league rotation if his performance warrants it.
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Troy Melton SP | DET
Tigers' Troy Melton: Escapes with win despite long balls
Melton (3-0) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up four runs on eight hits over five innings in a 10-4 victory over the Twins. He struck out five without walking a batter.
The lack of free passes saved Melton's bacon, as he served up four solo homers on a night when the ball was flying out of Comerica Park. The right-hander has more than held his own in four starts since coming off the IL for his season debut in late May, posting a 2.81 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB in 25.2 innings, but with Tarik Skubal (elbow), Casey Mize (thigh) and Justin Verlander (hip) all on track to make their own returns over the next week or so, Melton's spot in the rotation is far from secure. The 25-year-old does appear set to make at least one more start for the Tigers, on the road early next week in Houston.
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Mike Paredes SP | MIN
Twins' Mike Paredes: Drawing first big-league start
Paredes is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Tigers in Detroit, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Before receiving his first big-league call-up May 31, Paredes had mostly been working out of the rotation at Triple-A St. Paul, with whom he produced a 3.38 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 33:8 K:BB in 34.2 innings. Though he's worked out of the bullpen over his first week and a half with the Twins, Paredes has been able to stay stretched out by making a pair of 3.2-inning appearances in long relief. He'll be pitching on five days' rest Wednesday, so Paredes should be capable of giving the Twins plenty of length in his first big-league start before turning the game over to the bullpen.
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Brandon Woodruff SP | MIL
Brewers' Brandon Woodruff: Throws 68 pitches in rehab start
Woodruff (shoulder) allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over 3.2 innings in his first rehab start with the Brewers' Arizona Complex League affiliate Tuesday.
The bottom-line results aren't what you want, but Woodruff did strike out five and got his pitch count up to 68. Per Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com, Woodruff averaged a shade under 91 mph between his four-seamer and sinker, which is down from his season average of 92.2 mph but up significantly from the mid-80s he was throwing in his final start before going on the injured list in late April. Woodruff is working on a lower arm slot, and he might need a couple more rehab outings to get comfortable before he rejoins the Milwaukee rotation.
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Byron Buxton CF | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Goes yard in return to lineup
Buxton went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 10-4 loss to the Tigers.
Back in the lineup after a two-game absence due to a shoulder bruise, Buxton was in his usual spot in center field and as the leadoff hitter, and he demonstrated he was healthy by crushing the first pitch he saw from Troy Melton over the fence in left-center field. It was Buxton's 19th homer of the season in 56 games, and he's slashing .255/.316/.554 with five steals, 29 RBI and 42 runs.
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Drake Baldwin C | ATL
Braves' Drake Baldwin: Closing in on rehab assignment
Baldwin (oblique) is slated to take live batting practice Thursday and Friday and could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett over the weekend, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.
Baldwin still has a couple more boxes to check in his recovery from a Grade 1 right oblique strain, but Atlanta still appears to be earmarking him for a return from the 10-day injured list for the start of their six-game homestand, which begins next Tuesday. Assuming all goes well during his upcoming pair of live BP sessions, Baldwin will likely catch at least one game with Gwinnett over the weekend to prove that the oblique strain is behind him. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year had gotten off to a hot start to his sophomore campaign before getting hurt, slashing .303/.389/.543 with 13 home runs, one stolen base, 38 RBI and 39 runs over 48 games.