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Zach McKinstry RF | DET
Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Reaches three times in win
McKinstry went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's win over Seattle.
McKinstry walked in his first trip to the plate and later added an infield single in the top of the eighth before stealing his ninth base of the campaign. The second baseman reached three times on the night while posting his first multi-hit performance since July 13 against the Dodgers. McKinstry has now hit safely in each of his last four games and is batting .313 (5-for-16) to open the month of August.
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Matt Vierling CF | DET
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Three hits, stolen base in win
Vierling went 3-for-5 with an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Mariners.
Vierling singled in each of his first two at-bats, coming around to score on a Bligh Madris' double following the latter hit as Detroit jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The outfielder would later drive home and score a run in the ninth to extend the Tigers' lead, increasing his average to .333 (8-for-24) in August. Vierling has tallied multiple hits in back-to-back games and has hit safely in five of six contests to open the month. The stolen base was his third of the season, with all three coming over his last 10 games.
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George Kirby SP | SEA
Mariners' George Kirby: Allows two homers in no-decision
Kirby took the loss against the Tigers on Wednesday, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out seven.
Kirby had a hard time with Detroit's lineup out of the gate, coughing up a leadoff homer to Wenceel Perez to open the contest before also surrendering runs in the third and fourth innings. The right-hander allowed multiple long balls on the night, something he hadn't done since June 21 against the Marlins (span of seven starts), and he's now failed to make it through six innings in back-to-back outings. Still, Kirby has not given up more than three runs in any start since May 24 and currently holds a 3.14 ERA on the season.
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Tarik Skubal SP | LAD
Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Fans nine in 13th win
Skubal (13-4) picked up the win over Seattle on Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over seven innings while striking out nine.
Skubal got off to a great start, going 1-2-3 through the first three innings before surrendering a two-run shot to Cal Raleigh in the fourth. The lefty bounced right back after the long ball, however, holding the Mariners scoreless over his final three innings of work while generating 21 whiffs on the night. Skubal has now gone at least six innings in four consecutive starts, going 3-1 over that stretch while posting a 31:7 K:BB. He's also logged quality starts in three of his last four outings and hasn't recorded fewer than six strikeouts in nine straight.
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Michael Stefanic 2B | ATH
Angels' Michael Stefanic: Tallies three hits in Game 2
Stefanic went 3-for-4 with a double and a run Wednesday in Game 2 of a doubleheader split with the Yankees.
Stefanic didn't get into Game 1, but he started the second contest at second base and logged his first three-hit game of the campaign. The infielder has three multi-hit performances over his past four games and has gone 7-for-13 (.538 average) during that span, though only one of those seven knocks went for extra bases. Despite his recent solid hitting and .304 average on the season, Stefanic may see less playing time with Anthony Rendon getting activated from the injured list Tuesday.
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Zachary Neto SS | LAA
Angels' Zach Neto: Enjoys huge day in twin bill
Neto went 4-for-9 with two homers, a double, eight RBI and a walk across both games of a doubleheader split with the Yankees on Wednesday.
Neto accounted for all of the Angels' scoring in a Game 1 loss with a two-run homer in the seventh inning. He carried the team's offense again in Game 2, slugging a grand slam and a two-run double to rack up six more RBI and set a new single-game career high. Altogether, Neto's eight RBI on the day were as many as he had accumulated over his previous 15 contests combined. The shortstop has been running hot for the past month, batting .342 with five homers, 20 RBI and six stolen bases over his past 23 contests dating back to July 9.
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Oswaldo Cabrera SS | CIN
Yankees' Oswaldo Cabrera: Homers in Game 1 of doubleheader
Cabrera went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Wednesday in the first game of a twin bill versus the Angels.
Cabrera belted New York's only homer in the doubleheader, smashing a solo shot to right field in the second inning of Game 1. He got the start at second base in that contest but returned to the bench and didn't see a plate appearance in the second game. Cabrera has seen his playing time shrink since the Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm to play third base at the trade deadline -- Wednesday marked Cabrera's first start at any position across the team's past seven contests.
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Carson Fulmer RP | PIT
Angels' Carson Fulmer: Settles for no-decision Wednesday
Fulmer allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out one batter over four innings in a no-decision in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Yankees.
Fulmer was staked to an early 6-0 lead that increased to 8-1 by the middle of the fourth, and he kept New York from drawing close enough to cause major concern. However, the right-hander didn't record any clean frames and allowed multiple hits in three of the four innings in which he took the mound, which drove up his pitch count and resulted in him getting pulled at 90 pitches after four frames. That prevented him from qualifying for the win, which instead went to reliever Hunter Strickland, who followed Fulmer with two scoreless innings. Fulmer has given up three or fewer runs in each of his five outings since moving into the rotation July 14, but he's finished fewer than five frames in three of those starts.
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Davis Daniel RP | CIN
Angels' Davis Daniel: Sputters against Yankees
Daniel (1-3) took the loss against the Yankees on Wednesday in Game 1 of a doubleheader, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 3.1 innings.
Daniel fell behind 2-0 after one inning and 3-0 after two before pitching his first scoreless frame in the third. However, he couldn't maintain any momentum in the fourth, as he allowed two of the three hitters he faced to reach base before getting the hook. Altogether, the rookie ended up allowing five runs, the third time in five starts he's given up that amount (though in one of those starts, only four of the runs were earned). Daniel has shown some promise too with a pair of strong starts during which he's given up just one earned run across a combined 13 frames, but his overall 6.04 ERA and 1.38 WHIP over 25.1 innings make him a volatile fantasy starter.
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Clay Holmes SP | CHC
Yankees' Clay Holmes: Claims save No. 24
Holmes earned a save against the Angels in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.
Holmes had little trouble protecting a three-run, ninth-inning lead, retiring the side in order on 13 pitches. The right-hander had blown four of his previous six save chances coming in, though he had allowed just two earned runs over 7.1 frames during that span. Holmes leads the majors with nine blown saves on the campaign, but his numbers have been otherwise acceptable, as he has a 2.70 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 49:12 K:BB across 46.2 innings.