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Joey Cantillo SP | CLE
Guardians' Joey Cantillo: Strikes out eight in bulk relief
Cantillo did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Twins, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out eight over four scoreless innings.
Cantillo entered in the third inning and dominated, throwing 37 of 56 pitches for strikes with 10 whiffs. It marked the first time the 26-year-old pitched in relief all year, and it was also his first scoreless outing since another four-inning effort July 29. He owns a 3.89 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 162:78 K:BB across 148 frames this season and lines up for a home matchup with the Athletics next weekend, should he return to the rotation.
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Spencer Arrighetti RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Spencer Arrighetti: Nabs win in relief Saturday
Arrighetti (8-9) picked up the win in Saturday's 7-3 victory over the Orioles, allowing one unearned run on two hits and two walks over 2.2 innings of relief. He struck out two.
The right-hander was the third of seven Toronto pitchers to take the mound on a bullpen day, and Arrighetti got credited with the win in a game his team never trailed. It was his first victory in a Blue Jays uniform, and over five appearances (two starts) since being acquired at the trade deadline from the Astros, he's produced a 6.87 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 15:10 K:BB in 18.1 innings. Arrighetti will continue being plugged in as necessary to help cover a couple holes in the rotation, but after throwing 50 pitches (26 strikes) on Saturday, it doesn't seem like he's viewed as a real candidate to make a traditional start.
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Emmanuel Rodriguez LF | MIN
Twins' Emmanuel Rodriguez: Homers in first career plate appearance
Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Guardians.
Rodriguez wasted no time getting acclimated to the majors, launching a 420-foot blast in his first career plate appearance in the third inning. With Byron Buxton set for season-ending hip surgery and the Twins slipping in the American League Wild Card race, the 23-year-old Rodriguez could have a chance to earn regular playing time down the stretch after slashing .262/.414/.500 with 11 homers, 33 RBI, 36 runs scored and seven steals across 220 Triple-A plate appearances this year.
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A.J. Minter RP | MIN
Twins' A.J. Minter: Earns first save
Minter earned the save against the Guardians on Saturday, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
With Yoendrys Gomez struggling in a loss Friday, Minter was summoned to preserve a one-run lead in the ninth inning Saturday and did so on 16 pitches. It was likely just a matchup play, as the southpaw's last save came May 13, 2024. On the season, he owns a 2.01 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 36:7 K:BB across 40.1 innings with the Mets and Twins.
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Bobby Witt SS | KC
Royals' Bobby Witt: Reaches 40 steals in loss
Witt went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Red Sox.
Witt singled and stole second in the first inning, becoming the fourth player to reach the 40-steal threshold this season. It marks the second time the 26-year-old has reached that milestone in five MLB campaigns, with his career high of 49 coming in 2023. In addition to his elite speed, Witt is slashing .280/.359/.450 with 18 homers, 54 RBI and 84 runs scored in 576 plate appearances.
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Pete Alonso 1B | BAL
Orioles' Pete Alonso: Launches 35th homer
Alonso went 1-for-3 with two walks and a two-run home run in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays.
The slugging first baseman took Paul Sewald deep in the seventh inning, but the Orioles were already staring at a 6-1 hole at that point. Alonso has reached the 35-homer mark for the sixth time in his career, and he's closing in on a couple milestones -- he needs one more RBI to record his fifth season with 100 or more, and his next long ball will be the 300th of his career. Over his past 25 games, Alonso is batting .269 (25-for-93) with eight homers and 19 RBI as Baltimore tries to stay in the wild-card picture.
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Randy Dobnak SP | KC
Royals' Randy Dobnak: Suffers tough-luck loss
Dobnak (3-4) took the loss against the Red Sox on Saturday, allowing three runs on four hits and no walks with four strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
Dobnak departed in a 1-1 tie with two outs and two men on in the sixth inning, but he was saddled with the loss after both inherited runners came around to score. It ended a streak of three straight games in which the 31-year-old completed six frames, but he's still yielded three earned runs or fewer in 11 of 13 outings this season. He'll take a 2.73 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 47:23 K:BB across 69.1 innings into a road matchup with the Pirates next weekend.
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Kyle Bradish SP | BAL
Orioles' Kyle Bradish: Chased early by Jays
Bradish (7-14) took the loss Saturday, surrendering five runs on eight hits and two walks over three innings as the Orioles fell 7-3 to the Blue Jays. He struck out two.
Home runs by Brett Bateman and Alejandro Kirk in the third inning helped chase Bradish from the mound after just 56 pitches (37 strikes). It's the fifth time in his last nine starts that the right-hander has failed to complete five innings, and over that stretch he's stumbled to a 5.83 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 32:19 K:BB in 41.2 innings while going 0-5. Bradish will try to rebound in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Brewers.
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Ranger Suarez SP | BOS
Red Sox's Ranger Suarez: Strong again in win
Suarez (7-4) earned the win against the Royals on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks with eight strikeouts over seven innings.
Suarez allowed a solo homer in the sixth frame but was otherwise dominant, throwing 69 of 96 pitches for strikes with 14 whiffs. After surrendering a season-high six runs Aug. 30, the southpaw has rebounded in a big way with back-to-back seven-inning victories. He'll carry a 3.33 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 130:40 K:BB across 137.2 innings this season into a road matchup with the Rays next weekend.
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Spencer Bivens RP | KC
Royals' Spencer Bivens: Claimed by Kansas City
The Royals claimed Bivens off waivers from the Giants on Saturday.
Bivens has been assigned to Triple-A Omaha. He was designated for assignment by San Francisco earlier in the week after appearing in four games out of the bullpen. Across 81 big-league appearances from 2023-2024 -- his only prior MLB experience -- Bivens posted a 3.68 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 98:36 K:BB across 129.2 innings.