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Zack Littell RP | ARI
Reds' Zack Littell: Delivers quality start Friday
Littell didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning loss to the Cardinals, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits over seven innings. He struck out four without walking a batter.
Some shaky defense, including a catcher's interference call on Jose Trevino in the third inning, helped Littell salvage a quality start -- his third in five outings for Cincinnati. The right-hander sports a 3.90 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB through 27.2 innings with his new club, and he'll look for his first win since Aug. 5 in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Blue Jays.
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Nick Gonzales 3B | PIT
Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Hitting for average
Gonzales went 2-for-5 with a run scored Friday against the Red Sox.
Gonzales recorded his eighth multi-hit performance across 25 starts in August, good for a .317 average. He's had little production to show for it, however, as he has zero home runs and only four of his 33 hits have gone for extra bases. Due in part to the poor lineup around him, Gonzales has just four RBI and 10 runs scored in the same 25-game span.
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Hunter Goodman C | COL
Rockies' Hunter Goodman: Tallies three hits
Goodman went 3-for-5 on Friday against the Cubs.
Goodman tallied three singles to record his first multi-hit game in his last five starts. He's still wrapping up an excellent August, as he's racked up seven home runs with 16 RBI and 13 runs scored while hitting .265 across 83 at-bats.
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Pablo Reyes RF | SD
Pablo Reyes: Cut loose by Mets
The Mets released Reyes on Friday.
Reyes spent time in the majors with the Yankees earlier in the season, but he never saw big-league action with the Mets after joining the organization in late June on a minor-league deal. Over 44 games with Triple-A Syracuse, Reyes slashed .289/.385/.484 with six home runs and four stolen bases before getting cut loose.
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Justin Slaten RP | BOS
Red Sox's Justin Slaten: Shaky first outing off IL
Slaten allowed two hits and one walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Pirates.
This was Slaten's first appearance since he was activated off the injured list Thursday, and understandably, it was shaky. He allowed a leadoff single to Oneil Cruz, who was then erased on a double play, but Slaten then issued a two-out walk and allowed a single before wriggling out of the threat. Slaten's previous appearance in the majors was May 28.
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Pedro Pages C | STL
Cardinals' Pedro Pages: Swats homer No. 10
Pages went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Reds.
The backstop gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead when he took Zack Littell deep in the second inning. Pages has been splitting the workload at catcher with Yohel Pozo (concussion), and he could see a bump in playing time while Jimmy Crooks is getting his first look at the big leagues as the team's No. 2 option. Over 16 games in August, Pages is slashing an impressive .352/.407/.648 with four of his 10 homers on the season, along with nine runs and 14 RBI.
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Nathan Wiles P | ATL
Braves' Nathan Wiles: Back in minors
Atlanta optioned Wiles to Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.
Wiles didn't appear in Friday's game after being recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day, and he'll now return to Gwinnett to make room for Chris Sale's (ribs) return from the injured list. Wiles surrendered three earned runs during his MLB debut in April but has turned in a 3.24 ERA and 1.26 WHIP through 105.2 innings in the minors.
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Carson Benge RF | NYM
Mets' Carson Benge: Returns from IL
Tenge (undisclosed) has gone 2-for-8 with a home run, two RBI and an additional run in two games for Triple-A Syracuse since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list Wednesday.
Tenge missed just under two weeks of action while tending to an unspecified injury. Since getting bumped up from Double-A Binghamton to Syracuse earlier this month, the 22-year-old outfield prospect is slashing .250/.348/.400 through six games, with Friday's homer being his first at the Triple-A level.
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Chris Sale SP | ATL
Braves' Chris Sale: Activated for start
Atlanta reinstated Sale (ribs) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start Saturday against the Phillies.
Sale made three rehab starts after landing on the injured list in late June with a fractured ribcage, posting a 2.53 ERA and 1.22 WHIP alongside an 11:3 K:BB through 10.2 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett. Now fully healthy, he'll be welcomed back to MLB action by the Phillies, against whom he tossed six shutout innings when he last faced them in late May. The veteran lefty reached just 77 pitches in his final rehab outing, however, so there's a chance Atlanta will limit his workload during his first start back from the IL. Nathan Wiles was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Ryan Fernandez RP | STL
Cardinals' Ryan Fernandez: Collects first save of season
Fernandez walked one and struck out two in a scoreless 10th inning Friday to record his first save of the season in a 7-5 win over the Reds.
JoJo Romero struggled to find the plate in the eighth inning, throwing only four of 12 pitches for strikes, and Riley O'Brien wasn't used at all after having thrown 13 pitches the night before, so the Cardinals' closer picture got a little murkier after Fernandez got the job done in the 10th. Fernandez has an 11.9 K/9 through 11.1 innings since being called up at the beginning of August, but that comes with a 4.76 ERA and 5.6 BB/9. Romero and O'Brien remain the top options for saves in St. Louis, but Fernandez may be working his way into higher-leverage usage.