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Lawrence Butler RF | ATH
Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Adds insurance with homer
Butler went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Mariners.
Butler went deep in the eighth inning to pad the Athletics' lead. His hitting streak is up to 14 games, a span in which he has gone 18-for-51 (.353) with two homers and 16 RBI. The outfielder is up to 13 long balls on the year, and he's batting .233 with a .702 OPS, 52 RBI, 54 runs scored, 16 doubles, one triple and 10 stolen bases over 135 contests. Butler should continue to maintain a starting role in right field.
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Max Muncy 3B | ATH
Athletics' Max Muncy: Homers again in win
Muncy went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a second RBI and two total runs scored in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Mariners.
Muncy has homered in consecutive contests, going 5-for-8 with three RBI in that span. The third baseman has been in the lineup for five of the last six games, splitting time between the hot corner and designated hitter. On the year, Muncy is batting .229 with a .695 OPS, nine homers, 29 RBI, 31 runs scored, nine doubles, two triples and three stolen bases over 74 games. He's finishing the year strong and should get ample opportunities to contribute down the stretch.
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Jeffrey Springs SP | ATH
Athletics' Jeffrey Springs: Strong in win over Mariners
Springs (4-13) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out six over seven scoreless innings to earn the win over the Mariners on Saturday.
Springs was tagged for 13 runs over 15 innings across his previous three starts, so a start of this caliber was unexpected. The win was his first since April 14, and this was his first quality start since May 17. Overall, Springs has struggled to a 6.02 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 104:52 K:BB through 130 innings over 26 starts this season. The southpaw's next start is expected to be a rematch against the Mariners in Sacramento.
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Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Goes deep for team's lone run
Machado went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in a loss to the Yankees on Saturday.
San Diego managed just three hits as a team, and the club's only run came on Machado's fourth-inning solo blast. The long ball snapped a 13-game homerless stretch for the veteran slugger, who had also gone deep just once across his previous 34 contests. Machado's current .717 OPS is on pace to be the lowest mark of his long career, though he's still provided some decent counting stats with 25 homers, 70 runs and 76 RBI through 138 contests. He's now reached the 25-homer mark in every season since 2015 with the exception of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
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Ben Rice DH | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Reaches five times in win
Rice went 3-for-3 with two walks and two runs Saturday in a 5-1 victory versus the Padres.
Rice was impactful out of the cleanup spot, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances and scoring two of the Yankees' five runs. The All-Star slugger has been swinging a hot bat of late, notching multiple hits in seven of his past 12 contests and batting .388 with two homers, 10 runs and eight RBI over that span. Rice has been a breakout performer for the Yankees this year, leading the team in homers (36), runs (89) and RBI (88), with Aaron Judge (ribs) playing in just 59 games so far.
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Robbie Ray SP | SD
Padres' Robbie Ray: Battles control in short start
Ray (11-8) took the loss against the Yankees on Saturday, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks while striking out one batter over 2.1 innings.
Ray breezed through the first inning, retiring the side in order on three groundouts while tossing just eight pitches. The rest of the lefty's start went in the complete opposite direction, however, as he gave up four runs on three hits and three walks in the second frame and another run on two hits and a walk in the third before being pulled. Overall, Ray threw just 36 of 68 pitches for strikes and notched only four whiffs. Control has long been an issue for the veteran hurler, and things haven't changed since he's joined the Padres, as Ray has now walked 20 batters over 28.2 innings across six starts with his new club. He had mostly gotten away with the free passes coming into Saturday, yielding two or fewer runs in four straight outings, but there's always going to be a risk of an implosion with a pitcher who puts runners on via walks as frequently as Ray does.
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Carlos Rodon SP | NYY
Yankees' Carlos Rodon: Fans seven in victory
Rodon (5-3) earned the win over San Diego on Saturday, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out seven batters over five innings.
Rodon was very sharp Saturday, and the only run he gave up came on a Manny Machado solo homer in the fourth frame. Rodon racked up seven punchouts -- his most in a game since June 17 versus the White Sox -- and notched his first victory since being activated from the injured list Aug. 18. The veteran lefty continues to be held to less than a full starter's workload, but his 89 pitches and five innings Saturday were both his most since coming off the IL. Rodon is next slated to face the Mets at Yankee Stadium.
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Dylan Crews RF | WAS
Nationals' Dylan Crews: Nabs steal in loss
Crews went 2-for-4 with two doubles, one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Dodgers.
Crews has three doubles over two games in this weekend series against the Dodgers. The steal was his first since Aug. 13 versus the Cubs. The outfielder is still getting fairly steady playing time between center field and right field. Crews is batting just .220 with a .654 OPS, 10 home runs, nine steals, 35 RBI, 46 runs scored, 17 doubles and one triple over 91 contests this season.
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C.J. Abrams SS | WAS
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Steals base in loss
Abrams went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Dodgers.
Abrams is still scuffling at the plate, having gone just 4-for-40 (.100) over his last 10 games, though he has two steals and two RBI in that span. The infielder is hitting .265 with an .837 OPS, 28 steals, 29 home runs, 94 RBI, 83 runs scored, 26 doubles and three triples over 135 contests. If he can find his swing again soon, he has plenty of time to secure the first 30-30 season of his career.
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James Wood RF | WAS
Nationals' James Wood: Posts steal Saturday
Wood went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Dodgers.
Wood has gone 4-for-13 with two doubles and one RBI over three games since he returned from an oblique injury. This was his first steal since his activation off the injured list. The outfielder is up to 18 steals on 20 attempts this year. He's added a .267 batting average, .925 OPS, 30 home runs, 74 RBI, 101 runs scored, 28 doubles and one triple across 117 contests.