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Hunter Goodman C | COL
Rockies' Hunter Goodman: Launches pair of homers Wednesday
Goodman went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, three RBI and four runs scored in Wednesday's 13-2 win over the Reds.
Goodman continued his hot stretch at the plate, launching a solo homer in the fifth inning before adding a two-run shot in the seventh, with both blasts traveling over 410 feet. The catcher has now homered four times in his last five games, going 8-for-21 during that span while consistently driving the ball with authority. On the season, Goodman is slashing .269/.345/.587 with nine home runs, six doubles, 14 RBI and 23 runs scored across 116 plate appearances. His bat has been reliable, but his 38.7 percent strikeout rate remains a concern and ranks the second highest in MLB.
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Lawrence Butler RF | ATH
Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Blasts homer in win
Butler went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Royals.
Butler got a day off Tuesday amid a 1-for-14 skid at the plate. The outfielder bounced back with a fourth-inning blast Wednesday, which ended up being all the offense the Athletics needed to get this win. He's still batting just .187 with a .568 OPS, three homers, 12 RBI, nine runs scored, two doubles and four stolen bases on six attempts over 28 contests this season. Butler's struggles at the plate have kept him in a strong-side platoon role. He probably won't challenge for many at-bats against southpaws, but his playing time against right-handers appears to be safe for now.
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Mark Leiter RP | ATH
Athletics' Mark Leiter: Nabs third save
Leiter walked one and struck out one without giving up a run over one-third of an inning, earning the save in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Royals.
Joel Kuhnel entered the game in relief of starter Luis Severino in the eighth inning when the Athletics were up 5-1. In the ninth, Kuhnel created some trouble and allowed a run on two hits and a sacrifice fly. Leiter was brought in and closed the door, earning his first save since April 14. Over his last six outings, Leiter has covered five innings, surrendering one run on four hits and three walks while adding six strikeouts. He's part of the closing committee, and this save has Leiter within one of Kuhnel for the team lead in saves. Leiter is at a 6.23 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB over 13 innings while adding three saves in five chances and one hold over 15 appearances.
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Luis Severino SP | ATH
Athletics' Luis Severino: Strikes out eight in win
Severino (2-2) allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out eight over seven innings to earn the win over the Royals on Wednesday.
Severino was locked in, throwing 71 of 103 pitches for strikes. He gave up a run in the first inning, but he was sharp after that. He started the year with mixed results, but he's allowed just two runs over his last 13.2 innings, winning each of his last two starts. For the season, Severino has a 4.46 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 40:23 K:BB through 38.1 innings over seven starts. The 32-year-old's next outing is projected to be at Philadelphia.
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Michael Wacha SP | KC
Royals' Michael Wacha: Yields four runs in loss
Wacha (2-2) allowed four runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out five over five innings to take the loss versus the Athletics on Wednesday.
Wacha threw 64 of 105 pitches for strikes. The biggest hit against him was Lawrence Butler's three-run blast in the fourth inning. After allowing just three runs over his first four starts, Wacha's given up 10 runs across 10.1 innings over his last two outings. He's at a 3.13 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB through 37.1 innings over six starts this season. The veteran right-hander has kept his ERA under 4.00 in each of the previous four seasons, so he should be pretty close to leveling off after his unsustainable hot start to the year. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Guardians.
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Tomoyuki Sugano SP | COL
Rockies' Tomoyuki Sugano: Tosses 5.1 scoreless innings
Sugano (3-1) earned the win Wednesday against the Reds, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out two over 5.1 scoreless innings.
Sugano turned in his first scoreless outing of the season, relying more on command than swing-and-miss stuff. The right-hander threw 51 of his 91 pitches for strikes and generated just five whiffs but made up for it with 24 called strikes to keep hitters off balance. He continues to show consistency, now holding opponents to two or fewer runs in five of his six outings. Sugano owns a 2.84 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 21:9 K:BB across 31.2 innings in a strong debut season with Colorado and is slated to face the Mets in his next start early next week.
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Adrian Del Castillo DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Adrian Del Castillo: Hits second homer
Del Castillo went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Brewers.
Del Castillo's blast got the Diamondbacks on the board in the fourth inning. The catcher had gone 0-for-7 with two walks and three strikeouts over his last three games. Overall, he's batting just .222 with a .652 OPS, two homers, 11 RBI, six runs scored, three doubles and no stolen bases over 57 plate appearances. He's shared the catching duties with James McCann lately, but Del Castillo is likely to see a drop in playing time once Gabriel Moreno (oblique) returns, which is expected to happen during Arizona's series versus the Cubs this weekend.
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Ketel Marte 2B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Pops fifth homer
Marte went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Brewers.
Marte has gone 13-for-47 (.277) over his last 11 contests, logging four multi-hit efforts in that span. The second baseman has just two extra-base hits in that sample, but it's encouraging to see him make more steady contact after a slow start to the campaign. Marte is batting .239 with a .693 OPS, five homers, 11 RBI, 17 runs scored, three doubles and no stolen bases over 28 contests. It's worth monitoring to see if his power shows up more consistently as the season progresses, as he's hit at least 25 homers in three straight seasons.
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Corbin Carroll RF | ARI
Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll: Clubs fourth homer
Carroll went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Brewers.
Carroll also struck out three times, but he made up for it with a ninth-inning homer, going back-to-back with Ketel Marte to pad the Diamondbacks' lead. This was just the second multi-hit effort over Carroll's last eight games, a span in which he's 6-for-27 (.222) with two extra-base hits, two RBI and two stolen bases. The outfielder has been in the No. 3 hole over the last five contests, but it doesn't appear that move down from the two-spot has worked all that well yet. Overall, Carroll is batting .284 with a .947 OPS, four homers, 18 RBI, 19 runs scored, four stolen bases, six doubles and four triples over 27 games, so he still offers plenty of quality across the board.
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Nolan Arenado 3B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Nolan Arenado: Swats go-ahead homer
Arenado went went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Brewers.
Arenado went yard in the fourth inning to put the Diamondbacks ahead for good. The third baseman has gone 12-for-22 (.545) with two homers, six RBI and a 5:2 BB:K over his last seven games, hitting safely in six of them. For the season, he's batting .284 with a .787 OPS, five long balls, 17 RBI, 15 runs scored, two doubles and no stolen bases over 27 contests.