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Alex Verdugo LF | SD
Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Homers off bench
Verdugo hit a solo home run in his lone at-bat in Thursday's 10-1 win over the Orioles.
Verdugo has had to share left field with Jasson Dominguez in recent weeks. In September, Verdugo has gone 14-for-56 (.250) with two homers and five RBI over 17 games, which hasn't been enough to claw back playing time. Verudgo is at a .234/.293/.359 slash line with 13 homers, 59 RBI, 74 runs scored, 28 doubles and a stolen base over 147 contests this season.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Drives in four in blowout win
Stanton went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a three-run double and two total runs scored in Thursday's 10-1 win over the Orioles.
Stanton has gone 6-for-19 with two homers and eight RBI over his last five games. He opened the scoring in the second inning with his homer before adding a bases-clearing double as part of a six-run rally in the sixth. This is the first year since 2018 that Stanton has collected 20 each of homers (27) and doubles (20), doing so in 112 contests. He's added a .235/.300/.481 slash line, 72 RBI and 49 runs scored while serving as the Yankees' designated hitter.
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Aaron Judge RF | NYY
Yankees' Aaron Judge: Homer streak up to five games
Judge went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Thursday's 10-1 win over the Orioles.
Judge homered for the fifth game in a row, giving him 58 long balls on the year. He's driven in eight runs during his sudden power surge, which has him within striking distance of his second 60-homer season if he can keep it going during this weekend's three-game series versus the Pirates. Judge has added a .325/.461/.708 slash line with 144 RBI, 122 runs scored, 36 doubles and 10 stolen bases over 157 contests in an MVP-caliber campaign.
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Gerrit Cole SP | NYY
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Dominates Orioles for eighth win
Cole (8-5) allowed two hits and one walk while striking out five over 6.2 scoreless innings to earn the win over the Orioles on Thursday.
Cole's last regular-season outing was one of his best, as it was one of three scoreless starts he produced this year. He threw 101 pitches (64 strikes), seeing a much higher workload than opposing starter Corbin Burnes (69 pitches). Cole will also get more time to recover, as this win secured the AL East title and a spot in the ALDS for the Yankees. Cole is now at a 3.41 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 99:29 K:BB over 95 innings across 17 starts this season. The right-hander's next start is likely to be Game 1 of the ALDS.
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Corbin Burnes SP | ARI
Orioles' Corbin Burnes: Takes ninth loss
Burnes (15-9) allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out nine over five innings, taking the loss versus the Yankees on Thursday.
The lone run he gave up was on a Giancarlo Stanton solo home run in the second inning. Burnes was lifted at 69 pitches (46 strikes), likely to keep him fresh for the Orioles' wild-card round matchup, and the Orioles' bullpen was unable to keep this game close. Burnes concludes the regular season on a high note, having allowed just five runs (four earned) while adding a 31:8 K:BB over 30 innings across five starts in September. He posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 181:48 K:BB over 194.1 innings across 32 regular-season starts.
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Jason Foley RP | SF
Tigers' Jason Foley: Up to 27 saves
Foley earned the save in Thursday's 4-3 win over Tampa Bay, striking out a pair in a scoreless ninth inning.
Foley's now converted 12 of his last 13 save opportunities, allowing just four earned runs over 16.2 innings in that span. The right-hander is up to 27 saves on the season with a 3.17 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 46:20 K:BB across 59.2 innings.
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Tyler Alexander RP | TEX
Rays' Tyler Alexander: Blanks Detroit over five innings
Alexander didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers. He allowed four hits and no walks while striking out six over five scoreless innings.
Alexander has held opponents scoreless in his last two outings, allowing just six hits while recording 12 strikeouts over 9.1 innings in that span. The left-hander will finish the year at 6-5 with a 5.10 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 90:24 K:BB across 107.2 innings while working as both a bulk reliever and traditional starter.
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Michael Wacha SP | KC
Royals' Michael Wacha: Goes five innings vs. Nats
Wacha didn't factor into the decision Thursday versus Washington, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.
Three of the four runs charged to Wacha came on a Luis Garcia homer in the third inning. The veteran right-hander hadn't allowed more than two runs in four starts coming into Thursday, posting a 1.99 ERA in that span (22.2 innings). Wacha will finish a solid campaign with a 13-8 record, 3.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 145:45 K:BB across 166.2 innings.
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Lucas Erceg RP | KC
Royals' Lucas Erceg: Snags 14th save
Erceg earned the save in Thursday's 7-4 win over the Nationals, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Erceg's now converted his last six save opportunities, allowing just one earned run while striking out 13 over 10.2 innings in that span. The 29-year-old right-hander's ERA is down to 3.36 with a 1.05 WHIP and 72:16 K:BB across 61.2 innings between the A's and Royals this season.
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Mason Miller RP | SD
Athletics' Mason Miller: Lands four-out save
Miller picked up the save Thursday against Texas, striking out two across 1.1 perfect innings.
Miller shut the door on the Rangers in the Athletics' final game at Oakland Coliseum, retiring four straight batters to earn his 28th save of the year. The 25-year-old has been one of the few bright spots for Oakland this season and has established himself as one of the best young arms in baseball. In 64 innings, Miller has logged a 2.25 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP with a 101:21 K:BB.