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Jonathan Aranda 1B | TB
Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Three hits Wednesday
Aranda went 3-for-5 with two RBI on Wednesday against the Orioles.
Aranda capped off the Rays' comeback win with a two-run single in the seventh inning. The performance marked his seventh multi-hit game across 16 starts in June, and he's gone 20-for-56 with 10 RBI, eight runs scored and one home run in that span.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Rays' Brandon Lowe: Key pinch-hit homer
Lowe went 1-for-1 with a walk, a two-run home run and two runs scored Wednesday against the Orioles.
Lowe was out of the lineup with lefty Trevor Rogers on the mound, but the second baseman entered the game in the fifth inning as a pinch hitter. He blasted a two-run homer to tie the game at 8-8, which is his 15th long ball of the season and fourth across 16 games in June. Lowe has gone 20-for-60 with 10 RBI and 15 runs scored this month.
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Taj Bradley SP | MIN
Rays' Taj Bradley: Crushed by Orioles
Bradley allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out two across 1.1 innings Wednesday against the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.
Bradley made it through the first inning with relative ease, but his start spiraled out of control in the second frame. He allowed six of the first eight batters he faced to reach base -- and one additional reached via error -- including a pair of home runs before being removed from the outing. Bradley is in the midst of a disastrous stretch, as he's allowed 19 total runs across his three starts and 9.1 innings, although only 13 of those have been earned. The lone positive from his outing Wednesday was the fact that the Rays rallied to win, so Bradley wasn't charged with a loss.
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Shawn Armstrong RP | CLE
Rangers' Shawn Armstrong: Starting bullpen game Thursday
Armstrong will start Thursday against the Royals in what's expected to be a bullpen game for the Rangers, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The Rangers remain without a No. 5 starter while Nathan Eovaldi (triceps) is on the injured list, so Armstrong will be called upon to fill the gap again after he previously covered the first three innings of last Friday's win over the White Sox. Jacob Latz will be available on four days' rest and could be called upon to fill multiple innings once Armstrong exits the contest. The 34-year-old Armstrong has been enjoying a nice bounce-back campaign, posting a 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through 30 innings.
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Wyatt Langford LF | TEX
Rangers' Wyatt Langford: Tallies three hits in loss
Langford went 3-for-5 with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Royals.
Langford made an early impact, driving in a run with a double before coming around to score in the first inning. The 23-year-old has been productive over his past 10 games, recording four multi-hit efforts along with four extra-base hits, five RBI and six runs scored. On the season, he's slashing .240/.318/.442 with 13 home runs, 31 RBI, 31 runs scored and 11 steals across 274 plate appearances.
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Christopher Morel 1B | NYM
Rays' Christopher Morel: Thriving in short-side platoon
Morel went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 12-8 win over Baltimore.
Although the righty-hitting Morel has fallen into a short-side platoon with the switch-hitting Jake Mangum in left field, the former has been highly effective in this role of late. Morel has just 39 plate appearances over his last 15 outings, but he's slashing .297/.333/.595 with two home runs, five doubles, six RBI and seven runs scored during this period. Morel has a .772 OPS versus righties as opposed to a .597 OPS against lefties, so perhaps manager Kevin Cash will consider finding ways to get Morel's bat into the lineup more often if he stays hot.
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Carlos Estevez RP | KC
Royals' Carlos Estevez: Notches 20th save
Estevez threw a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Rangers.
Estevez was summoned to protect a three-run lead in the ninth and needed just 12 pitches to retire the top of the Rangers' order. It was a solid rebound after taking the loss on Sunday, and the 32-year-old has now held opponents scoreless in 25 of his 31 appearances this season. He ranks second in the majors with 20 saves and owns a 1.99 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 28:14 K:BB across 31.2 innings.
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Maikel Garcia 3B | KC
Royals' Maikel Garcia: Sparks offense in win
Garcia went 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple, four RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Rangers.
Garcia fell just a double shy of the cycle, launching a three-run homer in the third inning and adding an RBI triple in the eighth. Through 14 June contests, the 25-year-old has delivered six multi-hit efforts with eight extra-base hits, 11 RBI, nine runs scored and five stolen bases. He's now slashing .318/.377/.500 with eight homers, 36 RBI, 33 runs scored and 15 steals across 294 plate appearances in what continues to be a breakout campaign.
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Junior Caminero 3B | TB
Rays' Junior Caminero: Hot streak continues with four hits
Caminero went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 12-8 win over Baltimore.
It was the second four-hit attack of the year by Caminero, who continues to tear the cover off the ball. The hard-hitting third baseman has nine homers and 10 doubles over his last 25 outings, slashing .323/.385/.697 with 28 RBI, two stolen bases and 25 runs scored covering 109 plate appearances during this stretch. Caminero's 2024 campaign may have been beset by injury, but he's beginning to display the slugging potential that helped make him one of the top prospects in baseball a year ago.
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Royals' Kris Bubic: Strikes out six in win
Bubic (6-4) earned the win against the Rangers on Wednesday, allowing three runs on nine hits and one walk with six strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
Bubic generated 19 swinging strikes but also gave up a season-high nine hits while surpassing 100 pitches in a start for the first time this year. After allowing just three earned runs during a stretch of five straight quality starts from May 8 to June 1, the southpaw has now yielded eight earned runs over 9.2 innings in his past two outings. Still, he boasts an impressive 2.12 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 88:27 K:BB across 85 innings this season and lines up for a home matchup with the Rays next week.