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Michael Wacha SP | KC
Royals' Michael Wacha: Turns in quality start
Wacha allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out five without walking a batter over 6.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Wacha put together a quality start for the fourth time in five starts since the All-Star break. In that span, he's allowed 10 runs (eight earned) over 31.1 innings. Wacha remains effective at eating innings -- he's covered six or more frames in 18 of his 24 starts this season while pitching to a 3.46 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 117:41 K:BB through 150.2 innings overall. The veteran's next start is projected to come at home versus the Athletics.
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Mookie Betts SS | LAD
Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Big performance in win
Betts went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, a second RBI and two total runs scored in Tuesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Royals.
Betts ended an 18-game power drought when he went deep in the first inning. He also came up clutch with an RBI single to tie the game in the eighth. Over his last six contests, he's gone 9-for-23 (.391) at the plate. Betts is batting .235 with a .697 OPS, 14 homers, 38 RBI, 46 runs scored, 13 doubles and one stolen base over 83 contests this season. While it's becoming increasingly clear his prime is behind him, the 33-year-old can still deliver a big game every now and then.
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Blake Snell SP | LAD
Dodgers' Blake Snell: Strikes out 10 in return
Snell allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out 10 over six innings in a no-decision versus the Royals on Tuesday.
Snell's long-awaited return from an elbow procedure was well worth the wait. He had pitched in just one other game this season after opening the year on the injured list due to a shoulder injury. He had loose bodies removed from his elbow after that May 9 start versus Atlanta. Assuming he can stay healthy, Snell is poised to be a big boost for the Dodgers' rotation and his fantasy managers' lineups down the stretch. He threw 84 pitches (55 strikes) in Tuesday's game, so he shouldn't be facing much in the way of a limitation heading into his next start, which is projected to be in Colorado early next week.
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Junior Caminero 3B | TB
Rays' Junior Caminero: Homers again Tuesday
Caminero went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 12-4 win over the Athletics.
Caminero opened the scoring in his first plate appearance, taking Mason Barnett deep for a two-run homer. The third baseman has now homered in consecutive games and six times over his last 11 contests, bringing him into a four-way tie for the MLB lead with 35 long balls. Caminero's .277/.369/.554 slash line has all three marks above his career-year performance from last season, and with 35 homers already, he has a legitimate chance to surpass the 45 he launched a year ago.
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Drew Cavanaugh C | SF
Giants' Drew Cavanaugh: Logs first career steal
Cavanaugh went 2-for-4 with one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Astros.
Cavanaugh logged the first steal of his career when he swiped second in the second inning. The catcher has gone 9-for-34 (.265) at the plate since the All-Star break, and even with Andrew Knizner in the fold, Cavanaugh is likely to get some on-the-job experience in a starting role, at least until Jesus Rodriguez (elbow) is healthy. Cavanaugh is batting .242 with a .609 OPS, no home runs, five RBI, four runs scored and a double over 79 plate appearances in his first taste of the majors this year.
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Willy Adames SS | SF
Giants' Willy Adames: Picks up fifth steal
Adames went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Astros.
This was Adames' first multi-hit effort since July 12 versus the Rockies. He went 15-for-82 (.183) over the previous 23 games, though he supplied four home runs and 11 RBI in that span. The shortstop is now hitting .223 with a .696 OPS, 19 homers, five steals, 48 RBI, 58 runs scored, 25 doubles and one triple across 115 contests this season.
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Bryce Eldridge DH | SF
Giants' Bryce Eldridge: Mashes homer in win
Eldridge went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Astros.
Eldridge took Hunter Brown deep in the fifth inning to put the Giants up 3-1. After dealing with a bruised thumb earlier in the month, Eldridge has struggled a bit, going just 4-for-24 (.167) over his last six games, though two of those knocks have gone for extra bases. On the year, the 21-year-old is batting. 248 with a .775 OPS, 12 homers, 29 RBI, 38 runs scored, 15 doubles and one stolen base over 77 contests.
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J.T. Brubaker RP | SF
Giants' JT Brubaker: Clean inning for second save
Brubaker pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Astros.
While it wasn't a high-pressure situation, Brubaker did his job to protect a three-run lead. The Giants' bullpen looks to be morphing into a committee following the team's sell-off at the trade deadline. Dylan Smith was presumably unavailable after pitching -- and blowing a save chance -- in Monday's game, though Brubaker also took a blown save in that contest. Brubaker is up to two saves and three holds on the year while pitching to a 3.34 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 37:23 K:BB over 56.2 innings. His past experience as a starter makes him viable in a multi-inning role, but he also has some of the better surface numbers of the relievers on the Giants' roster, so it wouldn't be surprising if he continues to get some looks in save situations.
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Taylor Walls SS | TB
Rays' Taylor Walls: Launches pair of homers in win
Walls went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Tuesday's 12-4 win over the Athletics.
Walls delivered a rare display of power by homering from both sides of the plate Tuesday. He ended a 105-game regular-season homer drought dating back to July 27 of last year by going deep left-handed off Mason Barnett in the fourth inning before launching another homer as a right-handed hitter off Brady Basso in the sixth. The two long balls were his first of the season and were particularly surprising considering Walls has just 24 homers across 581 career games. He entered Tuesday batting just .135 over his previous 14 contests. Walls owns a .216 average with a .605 OPS and 18 stolen bases across 97 games this season.
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Carson Whisenhunt SP | SF
Giants' Carson Whisenhunt: Rebounds for third win
Whisenhunt (3-3) allowed one run on four hits, three walks and a hit batsman while striking out two over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Astros on Tuesday.
Whisenhunt had arguably his best outing of the season so far, though it was mostly because the Astros couldn't capitalize on many of their chances. Still, Whisenhunt had allowed 14 runs over his three previous starts, so this was a step in the right direction. The southpaw has a 6.11 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 22:18 K:BB through 28 innings over six starts this season, and that walk rate is likely to remain a problem. He's projected to make his next start on the road in Cleveland.