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James Paxton SP | BOS
Mariners' James Paxton: Allows four earned runs
Paxton (8-3) allowed four earned runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out nine across seven innings to take the loss Saturday against the Rockies.
Paxton allowed only one earned run through 6.1 innings but stumbled in the seventh inning, allowing a three-run homer to put a damper on his outing. Still, it wasn't a disastrous outing as he allowed only eight baserunners and struck out nine batters. Over his last three starts, Paxton has pitched a combined 22 innings and struck out 30 batters, giving him a safe floor on a start-to-start basis.
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Deck McGuire SP | TOR
Angels' Deck McGuire: Strikes out six in three innings
McGuire allowed one hit and two walks while striking out six over three scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Saturday.
The 29-year-old induced 10 swinging strikes on 61 pitches. He had given up eight runs over 8.1 innings in his first three appearances with the Angels, and he also struggled with Toronto to begin the year. This was a step in the right direction and may afford McGuire some more spot starts down the road, but it looks like he will be headed to the bullpen or Triple-A Salt Lake for the time being with Tyler Skaggs (groin) set to return next week.
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Luis Severino SP | ATH
Yankees' Luis Severino: Early exit in win over Jays
Severino (14-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 8-5 victory over the Blue Jays, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks over five innings while striking out five.
The right-hander needed 97 pitches (70 strikes) to get through the minimum innings required for a win, and Severino served up multiple homers for the first time all season, but the outcome was never in doubt after the Yankees' offense staked him to a 4-0 lead before he even took the mound. He's already matched his win total from all of last year, and Severino will carry a 2.12 ERA into his next outing Thursday in Cleveland.
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Brad Keller RP | PHI
Royals' Brad Keller: Takes step back against Red Sox
Keller allowed four runs on six hits and five walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against the Red Sox on Saturday.
This was a stumble for Keller after several strong outings. He couldn't find the strike zone consistently, issuing as many free passes as he had in his previous three starts combined, and he wasn't fooling anyone with just four swinging strikes on 89 pitches. The lack of dominance has been a theme throughout Keller's major-league tenure, as he's totaled just 35 strikeouts in 60.2 innings. Next week's start against the White Sox in Chicago will be a good test for the groundballer.
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Cole Hamels SP | SD
Rangers' Cole Hamels: Struggles again
Hamels (4-8) allowed seven runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out two across just two-thirds of an inning to take the loss Saturday against the Tigers.
Nick Castellanos opened the floodgates against Hamels, cracking a solo home run for the first run of the game. That was followed up by two singles and two walks, with the big blow coming on an error by Delino DeShields with the bases loaded that allowed all three baserunners to score. It's difficult to draw conclusions from such a short outing, but Hamels has now allowed 18 runs (14 earned) in his last 10.2 innings, spanning three starts.
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Blake Snell SP | LAD
Rays' Blake Snell: Blanks Mets for 7.1 innings
Snell (12-4) allowed six hits and three walks while striking out nine across 7.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Saturday against the Mets.
Snell generated an impressive 16 swinging strikes and stayed out of trouble by also generating 10 groundouts. Although the Mets struggle against southpaws, Snell has been particularly dominant in his last three starts, striking out 29 batters across 21.2 innings. That's only added to his impressive breakout campaign as he ranks among the American League leaders in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.
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Charlie Morton SP | ATL
Astros' Charlie Morton: Earns win despite surrendering five runs
Morton (11-2) allowed five earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out eight across 5.2 innings to earn the win Saturday against the White Sox.
Morton was pitching well through five innings but loaded the bases in the sixth inning, leading to four runs scoring in the frame. More specifically, the trouble began when Morton worked through the White Sox order for the third time. However, that has not been a consistent problem for him this season as he has surrendered a .374 slugging percentage to hitters the third time he faces them in a game. Despite the subpar outing, Morton still has a 2.83 ERA for the season, with Saturday's start being the first time he has surrendered more than three earned runs in a start since June 3.
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Kyle Gibson SP | BAL
Twins' Kyle Gibson: Earns win Saturday
Gibson (3-6) fired seven strong innings to earn the win over the Orioles on Saturday, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out nine.
Gibson has been solid for the Twins throughout most of the season and he continued that with Saturday's effort, with most of the damage coming from a first-inning home run hit by Chris Davis. The 30-year-old will carry a 3.59 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 105:46 K:BB into his start against the Rays on Wednesday.
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Kevin Gausman SP | CHC
Orioles' Kevin Gausman: Fires five solid innings
Gausman did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits over five innings in a 5-4 loss to the Twins. He struck out five and walked one.
Gausman was cruising until the the fifth inning, when he allowed three runs on four hits and a walk, effectively ending his afternoon. The 27-year-old has been solid across his last six outings with a 3.13 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, and he lines up to face the Phillies at home Thursday.
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Martin Perez SP | ATL
Rangers' Martin Perez: Waiting on Saturday's bullpen session
Perez (elbow) will be evaluated for a possible return to the Rangers' rotation when he throws a bullpen session Saturday, Tyler Fenwick of MLB.com reports.
Perez made his third rehabilitation start for Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, and then joined the Rangers, who are in Detroit this weekend, for Saturday's bullpen session. The pitcher is confident he doesn't need any more rehab starts, and manager Jeff Banister received good reports from his outing Thursday, when the left-hander allowed one run over 6.1 innings and ran his pitch count to 87 (58 strikes). "The report was that his stuff was good," Banister said. "It was sharp. The changeup played well for him. His sinker was there." If all goes well Saturday, Perez's five-day schedule puts him in line to start Tuesday in Boston.