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Henry Bolte CF | ATH
Athletics' Henry Bolte: Powers rout with two homers
Bolte went 3-for-4 with a walk, two home runs, four RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 9-2 win over the Rangers.
The rookie outfielder wasn't getting fooled by lefty Cody Bradford, touching him up for two-run blasts in the third and fourth innings as the A's put the game away early. Bolte snapped a 16-game power drought with the performance, but he stayed productive during that span with a .299/.373/.358 slash line. Through his first 375 big-league plate appearances, Bolte is batting .274 with a respectable .739 OPS, eight homers, 15 steals, 30 RBI and 41 runs.
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Jacob Lopez SP | ATH
Athletics' Jacob Lopez: Nabs sixth win Wednesday
Lopez (6-4) picked up the win in Wednesday's 9-2 victory over the Rangers, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out seven.
The southpaw served up solo shots to Ezequiel Duran in the first inning and Justin Foscue in the second -- the first time Lopez has been taken deep multiple times since May 14 -- but he settled in after that and produced his fourth quality start of the season on 102 pitches (65 strikes). Lopez has been locked in for nearly two months, giving up two runs or fewer in 10 straight outings dating back to July 10 and delivering a 2.28 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 61:18 K:BB in 51.1 innings over that sparkling stretch. He'll look to tie his career high with his seventh win in his next trip to the mound, which is set to come at home early next week against the Blue Jays.
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Mickey Gasper DH | BOS
Red Sox's Mickey Gasper: Getting time at first base
Gasper went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Mariners.
Gasper continued an unexpected power surge that began with his return to the majors Aug. 17 -- he's gone 15-for-38 (.395) with four doubles, seven homers and 14 RBI over 14 games around a very short-lived trip to the minors for one day earlier this week. The versatile Gasper made a third consecutive start at first base in place of the injured Willson Contreras, and the Red Sox will find a spot for Gasper somewhere if he continues to hit like this.
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Ezequiel Duran SS | TEX
Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Homers in loss
Duran batted leadoff and went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 9-2 loss to the Athletics.
Duran gave the Rangers an early lead when he took Jacob Lopez deep on the third pitch he saw in the bottom of the first inning. It was the 16th home run of the season for Duran, who has found his swing again. Following a two-week run at the beginning of August in which he batted .128 (6-for-47), Duran's posted a .404 average (19-for-47) with three doubles, one triple, three home runs and 11 RBI over the subsequent 13 games. He's now at a career-high 507 plate appearances with a career-high .791 OPS.
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Salvador Perez DH | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Crushes 18th homer
Perez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 9-6 loss to the Marlins.
Perez got in on the action of a five-run first inning, crushing a two-run homer off Eury Perez. Over his past 15 games, the veteran slugger is slashing .271/.306/.441 with two homers, 12 RBI and six runs. He's been better of late, but his overall numbers are among the worst of his career, as Perez is hitting .221/.266/.375 with 18 homers, 64 RBI and 47 runs across 130 contests.
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Robert Garcia RP | TEX
Rangers' Robert Garcia: Rehab assignment coming
Garcia (shoulder) is likely to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, Drew Davison of MLB.com reports.
Garcia had a positive live-throwing session Wednesday and is ready for the next step. "Honestly, it felt good to be back. It felt normal," Garcia said. The left-hander's been on the injured list since April 23 due to left rotator cuff inflammation. The Rangers plan for him to make two or three appearances for the Express before being activated.
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J.P. Crawford SS | SEA
Mariners' J.P. Crawford: Three hits in win
Crawford went 3-for-3 with two run scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Red Sox.
Crawford has now gone 6-for-8 in his last three contests after going just 2-for-16 in his first five games following a month-long stint on the IL. With Colt Emerson (wrist) out for the year, Crawford should remain Seattle's everyday shortstop down the stretch. The veteran is slashing .221/.338/.347 with 10 homers, 31 RBI, 42 runs scored and one steal across 394 plate appearances this season.
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Moises Ballesteros DH | LAA
Angels' Moises Ballesteros: Goes yard in loss
Ballesteros went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 6-3, extra-inning loss to the Yankees.
Ballesteros went deep in the 10th inning, but the Angels weren't able to get closer than a three-run deficit. The long ball was his first in the majors since May 3 when he was still with the Cubs, a span of 54 contests without a homer for the 22-year-old. He's hitting .207 with a .594 OPS, seven homers, 29 RBI, 22 runs scored, nine doubles and one stolen base over 85 contests between the Angels and the Cubs this year.
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Vaughn Grissom 1B | LAA
Angels' Vaughn Grissom: Homers in loss
Grissom went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-3, extra-inning loss to the Yankees.
Grissom accounted for the lone run and both hits off Yankees starter Cam Schlittler in this contest. Grissom has been pretty steady lately, going 16-for-61 (.262) with three homers and 12 RBI over his last 16 games. He's batting .249 with a .705 OPS, 10 homers, 59 RBI, 40 runs scored, 20 doubles and one stolen base across 97 contests on the year, but his recent hitting has helped him secure something closer to an everyday role.
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Reid Detmers SP | LAA
Angels' Reid Detmers: Gets little help in no-decision
Detmers allowed one run on six hits and struck out eight without walking a batter over seven innings in a no-decision Wednesday versus the Yankees.
The Angels moved back to a five-man rotation when George Klassen (back) landed on the injured list, pressing Detmers into action against the Yankees. Detmers delivered another gem for his fifth straight quality start, but he still wasn't as good as Cam Schlittler, who pitched eight innings of one-run, two-hit ball. With just three runs allowed over his last 33 innings and a 32:5 K:BB in that span, Detmers is setting himself up to end the year strong. He's maintained a 3.44 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 182:44 K:BB over 162 innings through 28 starts, but playing on the Angels has left him with a 4-8 record. It won't be any easier in his next outing, which is projected to be in Boston.