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Jose Ramirez 3B | CLE
Guardians' Jose Ramirez: Crosses plate four times
Ramirez went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, two walks and four total runs scored in Tuesday's 13-7 win over the Rockies.
Ramirez has five multi-hit efforts, five homers and 15 RBI over his last seven contests. He opened the scoring in the first inning with his team-leading 16th homer of the campaign. The third baseman has added a major-league-best 56 RBI with 41 runs scored, eight stolen bases and a .272/.328/.558 slash line over 54 games this season. Ramirez was batting as low as .227 with a .667 OPS on May 4, but he's powered up in a big way over the course of this month.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Guardians' Josh Naylor: Powers up in win
Naylor went 2-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, five RBI and three total runs scored in Tuesday's 13-7 win over the Rockies.
Naylor entered Tuesday 0-for-14 over his last three games, and he hadn't logged a multi-hit effort since May 9. Consider the slump busted, as the first baseman tagged starter Ryan Feltner for a two-run blast in the fifth inning before taking reliever Matt Carasiti deep with a three-run shot in the eighth. Naylor is already up to 15 homers through 52 contests this year, just five long balls shy of matching his career high from 2022. He's added a .234/.321/.510 slash line with 40 RBI, 30 runs scored and three stolen bases.
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Cade Smith RP | CLE
Guardians' Cade Smith: Collects second win
Smith (2-0) allowed a hit and struck out three without walking a batter over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Tuesday versus the Rockies.
Smith got the final out of the sixth inning and also pitched the seventh after the Guardians regained the lead. The rookie right-hander has an eight-inning scoreless streak going, and he's posted a 13:1 K:BB in that span while adding a save and three holds. Smith continues to see an increasing role in the late innings, one that he's earned by pitching to a 1.82 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 37:7 K:BB over 24.2 innings this season.
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Triston McKenzie SP | SD
Guardians' Triston McKenzie: Allows four runs at Colorado
McKenzie gave up four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out nine over five innings in a no-decision versus the Rockies on Tuesday.
Kris Bryant and Elehuris Montero each tagged McKenzie for a two-run home run. Despite those homers, McKenzie left the game in line for the win before the Guardians' bullpen faltered in the sixth inning. The right-hander had limited opponents to three runs or fewer in each of his last seven outings before his step back Tuesday. McKenzie is at a 3.77 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 54:34 K:BB over 57.1 innings across 11 starts. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Royals in a tough divisional matchup.
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Josh H. Smith LF | TOR
Rangers' Josh Smith: Logs third steal
Smith went 1-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch, an RBI single and a stolen base in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
Smith got the Rangers on the board with an RBI single in the third inning. He also stole second in the eighth after he was plunked. Smith has gone 13-for-43 (.302) with two steals over his last 12 contests. During that stretch, Smith has been promoted to the No. 3 spot in the order. He's slashing a sharp .280/.379/.409 with two home runs, three steals, 21 RBI and 24 runs scored over 190 plate appearances.
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Corey Seager SS | TEX
Rangers' Corey Seager: Hits go-ahead homer
Seager went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
Seager's hitting streak is up to 11 games, during which he's gone 14-for-40 (.350). He's also homered seven times over his last seven contests, with Tuesday's blast being enough to secure the win for the Rangers. The shortstop is up to 12 long balls, 27 RBI, 26 runs scored and a .259/.351/.461 slash line through 50 games, though he's been particularly impressive with his recent power surge after a slow start to the campaign.
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Kirby Yates RP | PIT
Rangers' Kirby Yates: Records eighth save
Yates allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two over one scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
This was Yates' first save since May 8, as opportunities have been few and far between for saves recently. He pitched four times between saves, allowing one run on two hits and three walks over three innings. The right-hander has eight saves, two holds, 0.90 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB over 20 innings this season.
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Andrew Heaney RP | LAD
Rangers' Andrew Heaney: Picks up win in relief
Heaney (1-6) earned the win in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over the Diamondbacks, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out one over 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.
Heaney essentially piggybacked Nathan Eovaldi, who was returning from a four-week absence with a groin strain. Heaney's last two starts have both been under four innings, so it's possible the Rangers are preparing him for a bullpen role once their rotation is healthier. In the short term, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports that Heaney could be deployed as a long reliever again later in the week due to the schedule giving the Rangers two off days this week. Texas hasn't released its projected starters for this weekend's series at Miami, so it's unclear when Heaney may pitch or start again.
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Jose Miranda 3B | MIN
Twins' Jose Miranda: Drives in two
Miranda went 1-for-4 with a two-run single during Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Royals.
Miranda's production at the plate continued Tuesday, plating Manuel Margot and Carlos Correa on a first-inning base hit. In May, Miranda is batting .276 with three long balls, 14 runs scored and 10 RBI across 22 games as the Twins' primary third baseman. However, the 26-year-old could be squeezed out of the starting lineup once Royce Lewis (quad) gets activated from the IL in the coming week or two.
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Nathan Eovaldi SP | TEX
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Short start as expected
Eovaldi allowed two runs on five hits and struck out two without walking a batter over three innings while taking a no-decision in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
Eovaldi wasn't sent on a rehab assignment and was reportedly on a pitch count for his return from a groin strain. The right-hander ended up throwing 37 pitches (27 strikes) in his first start since May 2. Eovaldi is at a 2.84 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 46:19 K:BB through 44.1 innings over eight starts this season. Given his limited workload Tuesday, Eovaldi may need to be stretched out over the next couple of weeks. That may make it tough for him to qualify for the win in his next projected start. It's possible Eovaldi pitches again this weekend versus Miami, as Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports that Andrew Heaney -- who threw 2.1 innings in relief Tuesday -- could be used as a long reliever while the Rangers' schedule doesn't require them to have five starters.