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Julio Rodriguez CF | SEA
Mariners' Julio Rodriguez: Homer, steal in loss
Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Rays.
Rodriguez has gone 10-for-25 (.400) with two homers and two steals during his seven-game hitting streak. His blast Friday prevented the Mariners from getting shut out, but it came with two outs in the ninth inning. The outfielder is hitting .260 with a .752 OPS, 18 homers, 15 steals, 51 RBI, 54 runs scored and 16 doubles across 106 contests and is trending up in August, though the Mariners' meager offense could still make it tough for him to accumulate ample RBI.
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Max Fried SP | NYY
Yankees' Max Fried: Fans seven in no-decision
Fried did not factor into Friday's decision against Atlanta, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out seven across 6.1 scoreless innings.
Fried got into a bit of hot water in the first inning after allowing three Atlanta batters on base, though he managed to escape the inning unscathed. He allowed just two more baserunners over the rest of his outing, generating 14 whiffs on 90 pitches (57 strikes), though he came away with the no-decision as both teams failed to score until the eighth inning. It was Fried's first quality start since he was activated off the IL in late July, and the 32-year-old southpaw has a 2.88 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 81.1 innings this season. His next start is lined up for next week at home against the Mariners.
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Logan Gilbert SP | SEA
Mariners' Logan Gilbert: Gives up two homers in loss
Gilbert (8-7) allowed two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six over 6.2 innings to take the loss Friday versus the Rays.
Unfortunately for Gilbert, two of the four hits he allowed were home runs, though both were solo shots. He's allowed multiple homers in each of his last two starts, though it's only happened five times all year. This was his third quality start in his last four outings as well, a span in which he has given up 11 runs over 25.1 innings. Gilbert is at a 3.42 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 145:32 K:BB through 139.1 innings over 23 starts on the year. He's lined up to make his next start on the road versus the Yankees.
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Jose Fermin RP | LAA
Angels' Jose Fermin: Gets first major-league save
Fermin was credited with the save in Friday's 4-3 win over the Marlins, allowing one run on three hits in the ninth inning.
Ben Joyce was already deployed for the eighth inning, so the Angels turned to Fermin to keep the 4-1 lead safe in the ninth. It was not smooth sailing for Fermin, who gave up three hits to the five batters he faced, though he escaped with just the one run given up after Leo Jimenez was thrown out at home for the final out of the game. It was the first save of Fermin's career, though he's given up at least one earned run in each of his last three outings and has a 3.29 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 38.1 innings this season.
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Victor Mesa Jr. RF | TB
Rays' Victor Mesa: Logs fifth steal
Mesa went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in Friday's 2-1 win over the Mariners.
Mesa has a pair of multi-hit efforts over his last two games after going 0-for-14 over the previous four contests. The outfielder's inconsistency at the plate will likely lead to him remaining in a strong-side platoon role in right field for the foreseeable future. Mesa is batting .219 with a .739 OPS, eight home runs, five steals, 18 RBI, 18 runs scored, three doubles and two triples over 155 plate appearances this season.
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Jonny DeLuca RF | TB
Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Pops homer Friday
DeLuca went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 win over the Mariners.
DeLuca has gone 5-for-18 with two homers and two stolen bases over his last five games. The outfielder plays regularly versus southpaws but isn't a pure bench bat against right-handers since Cedric Mullins continues to underwhelm at the plate. DeLuca is hitting .259 with a .732 OPS, eight homers, 12 steals, 34 RBI, 30 runs scored and 15 doubles over 228 plate appearances this season.
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Jonathan Aranda 1B | TB
Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Belts homer in win
Aranda went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 win over the Mariners.
Aranda's third-inning blast ended up being the difference in this contest. It was his first homer of the second half, as the infielder struggled a bit by hitting .230 with a .257 slugging percentage over his previous 18 games. He's turned a corner in August, hitting safely in all five of his games this month. For the season, Aranda is batting .287 with an .815 OPS, 15 homers, 72 RBI, 56 runs scored and 19 doubles across 112 contests.
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Bryan Baker RP | TB
Rays' Bryan Baker: Allows homer but earns save
Baker allowed one run on one hit and struck out three over one inning to earn the save in Friday's 2-1 win over the Mariners.
He came into the game on a 13-inning scoreless streak dating back to June 27. Julio Rodriguez snapped that streak with a two-out homer, but Baker bounced back to strike out Josh Naylor to end the game. Baker continues to dominate in the closer role, having converted 33 of 36 chances this season, and he's picked up a save in 14 of his last 15 appearances. The right-hander has a stellar 1.59 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 51:15 K:BB through 45.1 innings on the year.
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Drew Rasmussen SP | TB
Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Earns fourth straight win
Rasmussen (11-5) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out eight over seven scoreless innings to earn the win over the Mariners on Friday.
Rasmussen struggled just before the All-Star break, but he's won four straight starts since the schedule resumed. During the streak, he's given up just two runs over 25 innings with a 32:5 K:BB in that span. Friday's performance was his seventh scoreless outing in 22 starts this season. Rasmussen has a 2.75 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 130:22 K:BB through 124.1 innings overall. He's lined up to make his next start on the road versus the Athletics.
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Carter Jensen C | KC
Royals' Carter Jensen: Clubs 16th homer
Jensen went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 6-4 loss against the Cubs.
Jensen also struck out twice and has done so 22 times across his past 13 contests, resulting in a .149 average (7-for-44) and just four extra-base hits during that stretch. The 23-year-old continues to operate as Kansas City's primary leadoff man, but that may not be the case much longer if he continues to struggle at the plate. After Friday's productive performance, Jensen now has a .229/.303/.422 slash line with 16 home runs, 55 RBI and 52 runs through 109 games during his first full major-league season.