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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Dodgers' Joc Pederson: Sitting against lefty
Pederson is not in the lineup Sunday against the Braves, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
He sits with southpaw Max Fried on the hill for Atlanta. Kyle Garlick will get the start in his place, hitting seventh.
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Jesse Winker DH | NYM
Reds' Jesse Winker: Sitting in series finale
Winker (back) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Both Winker and Joey Votto are dealing with back issues and will miss their fourth consecutive contests. Based on manager David Bell's recent comments, Winker's upper-back tightness may not have surfaced until Saturday, making it all the more surprising that the outfielder sat out the previous two games when the Reds were opposing right-handed starting pitchers. In any event, Winker's absence for the series finale will clear room in the outfield for Phillip Ervin. C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports that Winker will be available off the bench.
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Charlie Blackmon RF | COL
Rockies' Charlie Blackmon: Drives 25th homer
Blackmon went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, three runs, two RBI and two walks in Saturday's win over the Marlins.
The 33-year-old continued his hot start to August, as he's now 23-for-63 with four home runs and 14 runs to begin the month. Blackmon has 91 runs and 67 RBI to accompany his 25 home runs this season.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Notches six RBI
Belt went 2-for-5 with a home run and six RBI in Saturday's 11-6 win over the Diamondbacks.
Belt blasted a grand slam off Diamondbacks starter Taylor Clarke in the second inning, giving the Giants a lead they never relinquished. Belt also had an RBI single in the third inning and plated the Giants' final run of the night on a groundout in the eight inning. The first baseman may be heating up after going 5-for-14 with two homers and eight RBI over his last three games. For the year, the 31-year-old is batting .232 with 14 homers, 48 RBI and 62 runs scored.
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Jesse Winker DH | NYM
Reds' Jesse Winker: Dealing with upper-back tightness
Winker is dealing with upper-back tightness, which is why he's sitting out Saturday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "I just woke up. I slept on it wrong," Winker said. "That's when I first started feeling it. Then it progressively got worse. Just a little back spasm. Unfortunately, it happened, but I should be all right. Hopefully I will start to feel better by the end of today or start feeling better tomorrow."
Winker went on to say that the issue bothers him both when throwing and hitting. It's noteworthy and a bit cryptic that manager David Bell said that the back issue isn't why Winker didn't play Friday. "It's not why [Winker] didn't play last night," Bell said. "But it was a bigger reason why he's not playing today."
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Justin Turner DH | CHC
Dodgers' Justin Turner: Launches long ball in win
Turner went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's victory over Atlanta.
After Max Muncy powered Los Angeles into the lead with a three-run bomb in the seventh inning, Turner made it back-to-back jacks with a 415-foot shot to center field. The long ball was Turner's fifth in his last five games and 22nd overall this season. He has enjoyed a strong August, slashing .314/.375/.706 with a 1.081 OPS, six homers and 11 RBI through 14 games.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Cardinals' Marcell Ozuna: Three-hit night in win
Ozuna went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a run in a win over the Reds on Friday.
Ozuna didn't participate in the Cardinals' four-homer derby, but he opened the scoring with his first-inning two-bagger. The veteran outfielder's three-hit effort was his first in nearly two months and was another step in the right direction following his long absence due to multiple finger fractures. After going just 1-for-12 over the first four games following his return, Ozuna is hitting .333 (9-for-27) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI, five walks and six runs in the subsequent eight contests.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Hits 13th homer in win
Belt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 10-9 win over the Diamondbacks.
Belt tied the game at 1-1 with a blast off Mike Leake in the third inning. It was the first long ball since July 30 for the 31-year-old veteran, who has not been seeing the ball well as of late. Overall this season, Belt is batting .229/.345/.387 with 13 homers.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Continues power surge
Harper went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run and two runs scored Friday night against the Padres.
Harper gave the Phillies some breathing room in the sixth inning with a three-run blast over the wall in left. He's now left the yard in back-to-back contests, as he also cranked a game-winning grand slam in Thursday's series finale against the Cubs. Harper will aim to stay hot heading into the final two contests of the series.