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Jalen Beeks RP | TEX
Rays' Jalen Beeks: Likely bulk reliever Tuesday
Beeks is likely to cover the bulk of innings behind opener Ryne Stanek in Tuesday's series-opening game against the Dodgers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The left-hander moved his record to 3-0 with an impressive three-inning scoreless outing last Wednesday against the Marlins. Beeks is notably getting plenty of rest between appearances, as he'd been inactive for seven days prior his appearance against Miami and will be on five days of rest heading into Tuesday's likely appearance. The 25-year-old owns a 2.25 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 32 innings this season while serving in a variety of roles out of the bullpen.
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Ryne Stanek RP | STL
Rays' Ryne Stanek: Likely opener Tuesday
Stanek is expected to serve as the opener in Tuesday's series-opening game against the Dodgers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Stanek is once again slated to work the first inning at minimum Tuesday, this time as Clayton Kershaw's opposition. The right-hander would be serving as an opener for the 13th time in 19 appearances this season in the wake of firing two innings of one-hit, one-run ball in the same capacity against the Yankees last Friday.
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Chris Martin RP | TEX
Rangers' Chris Martin: Blows save
Martin allowed a solo home run during the ninth inning in a blown save against the Cardinals on Sunday.
This was Martin's first save chance since temporarily moving into the closer role on May 10. Martin has allowed five home runs in 18.1 innings this season, and this long ball does not bode well for him remaining in the closer role.The Rangers may move Jose Leclerc back into that role or count on Shawn Kelley (infection) for the ninth-inning duties once he returns from the injured list.
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Jose Leclerc RP | SD
Rangers' Jose Leclerc: Close to retaking closer role
After Leclerc struck out five of the six batters he faced Sunday, manager Chris Woodward said of Leclerc, "He's real close" to returning to the ninth inning, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Leclerc has pitched well since his demotion from the closer role in early May, racking up 15 strikeouts across eight innings while allowing just one earned run. While he has also walked four in that span, he has not issued a free pass in each of his last three outings, amounting to 4.1 innings. Current closer Chris Martin blew the save Sunday against the Cardinals and allowed an earned run Friday night, though the impending return of Shawn Kelley (neck) could keep the saves situation murky in Texas for a while longer.
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Ken Giles RP | ATL
Blue Jays' Ken Giles: Picks up 10th save
Giles allowed two hits and struck out three batters in 1.1 scoreless innings against the White Sox on Sunday to earn his 10th save.
Giles was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the eighth inning and immediately allowed an inherited runner to score on a Jose Abreu double, but he settled down to close out the win. The save was Giles' first since May 10, also against the White Sox. He is now 10-for-11 in save opportunities this season and holds a sparkling 1.37 ERA and 1.02 WHIP along with a 31:5 K:BB.
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Reynaldo Lopez RP | ATL
White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Allows one run in no-decision
Lopez allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out one batter in a no-decision against the Blue Jays on Sunday.
Lopez gave up a home run to Billy McKinney in the third inning but otherwise shut down the Toronto offense. He has now pitched at least six innings in six of his 10 starts this season but has shown inconsistency keeping the ball in the yard -- he has allowed 11 home runs on the season -- and missing bats. Sunday's one-strikeout performance was a season low and comes only four starts removed from a dominant 14-punchout performance against Detroit. Lopez will travel to Minnesota for his next scheduled start Friday.
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Trent Thornton RP | CHC
Blue Jays' Trent Thornton: Tosses quality start
Thornton gave up one run on three hits in six innings versus the White Sox on Sunday but did not factor into the decision. He struck out four and walked one batter.
An RBI groundout by Jose Abreu in the fourth inning was the only run the White Sox could muster against Thornton, but a stagnant Toronto offense kept him out of the win column. Thornton has had a roller coaster season thus far, pitching well in six of his 10 starts but getting hit hard in all four of his losses. He'll carry a 4.41 ERA and 1.20 WHIP into his next start against San Diego on Friday.
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Caleb Frare RP | NYY
White Sox's Caleb Frare: Lands on 7-day IL
Triple-A Charlotte placed Frare on the 7-day injured list Sunday due to an unspecified issue, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Frare pitched a scoreless inning in relief for Charlotte on Friday and presumably picked up the injury during that appearance. He'll be shut down for at least a week, delaying any potential return to the big club.
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Buddy Boshers RP | HOU
Blue Jays' Buddy Boshers: Reaches minor-league deal with Jays
Boshers signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Sunday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.
The 31-year-old lefty previously attended spring training with the Reds before getting released in March. After a brief stopover in the Mexican League, Boshers will return north of the border and report to the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. Boshers posted a 3.32 ERA at the Triple-A level in 2018 as a member of the Astros and Pirates organizations.
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Dellin Betances RP | LAD
Yankees' Dellin Betances: Set to increase throwing distance
Betances (shoulder) plans to stretch out his throwing distance off flat ground to 110 feet Monday, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com reports.
Betances felt good after making approximately 50 throws from 90 feet Sunday, making him confident he'll be able to take another step forward in his rehab during the upcoming week. The right-hander remains without a clear timeline to return from the 60-day injured list and will likely need to complete a multi-appearance minor-league rehab assignment before his activation can be considered imminent.