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Andres Munoz RP | SEA
Mariners' Andres Munoz: Collects sixth save
Munoz earned a save against the Royals on Monday, striking out three batters in 1.1 perfect innings.
Munoz was summoned from the bullpen in the top of the eighth inning with two outs, Seattle up by two runs and the tying run at the plate. He struck out Nelson Velazquez to end the threat, then got some stress reduction when the Mariners' offense put up two runs in the bottom of the frame. From there, Munoz closed things out without incident, fanning two of the three batters he squared off against in the ninth frame. The save was his sixth of the season and first since April 30, though no other Seattle pitcher recorded a save in the meantime. Munoz has looked great since his lone blown save of the campaign April 21, tossing 9.1 scoreless frames during which he's posted a 10:1 K:BB across eight appearances.
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George Kirby SP | SEA
Mariners' George Kirby: Cruises with seven scoreless frames
Kirby (4-3) earned the win over Kansas City on Monday, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out six batters over seven scoreless innings.
Kirby was shaky to begin his outing, allowing a single to the second hitter he faced and then loading the bases on consecutive hit-by-pitches. He worked his way out of that threat, though, and yielded just two harmless singles the rest of the way to finish with his fourth scoreless start of the campaign. The right-hander had an 8.16 ERA through three starts this season but has lowered that to 3.58 by giving up two or fewer runs in five of his subsequent six appearances. He's registered four quality starts over that stretch.
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Kevin Pillar CF | TEX
Angels' Kevin Pillar: Continues to boost team's offense
Pillar went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Monday's loss to the Cardinals.
Pillar knocked in three of Los Angeles' five runs in the defeat, drilling a two-run homer in the third inning and adding an RBI single in the eighth. The veteran went just 1-for-6 through his first three games after joining the club April 30, but he's been on a heater of late, recording three multi-hit performances across his past five games. Over that span, he's batting ..474 (9-for-19) with three home runs, 12 RBI, six runs and a stolen base.
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Jose Soriano SP | TOR
Angels' Jose Soriano: Fires 5.1 scoreless frames
Soriano tossed 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out six batters in a no-decision against St. Louis on Monday.
Soriano allowed just two baserunners through five frames before running into trouble in the sixth, when the Cardinals loaded the bases against him with one out. The right-hander was lifted at that point, and Adam Cimber was able to come to the rescue by inducing an inning-ending double play. As such, Soriano was credited with his second scoreless outing over his past three starts, though he lost an opportunity for a victory due to a late collapse by the Angels' bullpen. Soriano has shown flashes of excellence but has been inconsistent since moving into the rotation April 10 -- in seven starts since that date, he's given up one or zero earned runs on four occasions but has yielded exactly four earned runs in each of the other three starts.
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Alex Bregman 3B | CHC
Astros' Alex Bregman: Explodes for two homers, four RBI
Bregman went 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs, a double, four total RBI, three total runs and a walk in a 9-2 victory against the Athletics on Monday.
Bregman came into Monday looking like a shell of his former power-hitting self with just one long ball through 159 plate appearances, but he brought back reminders of his 41-homer 2019 campaign with a pair of solo blasts in the victory. The third baseman capped the big performance with a two-run double in the eighth inning, giving him a season-high four RBI and his second three-hit effort of the campaign. Bregman could be in the midst of turning around what had previously looked like a tepid season, as he's on a five-game hitting streak during which he's gone 8-for-20 (.400 average) with four extra-base hits and six RBI.
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Ross Stripling SP | KC
Athletics' Ross Stripling: Takes seventh loss
Stripling (1-7) took the loss against Houston on Monday, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out one batter over five innings.
Stripling was efficient in the outing, needing just 52 pitches to get through five frames. However, he was pulled before the sixth inning despite the low pitch count and despite retiring the final five batters he faced, and a fourth-inning solo homer he served up to Alex Bregman ended up being the deciding factor in sending him to his MLB-high seventh loss. Stripling at least managed to improve from a horrific outing his previous trip to the mound, when he gave up 11 runs (five earned) over 1.2 innings against Texas.
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Spencer Arrighetti RP | TOR
Astros' Spencer Arrighetti: Picks up first big-league victory
Arrighetti (1-4) earned the win over Oakland on Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five batters over five innings.
Arrighetti opened with three scoreless frames before giving up a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings. Houston was ahead by just one run when the right-hander departed, but a strong performance by the team's bullpen and a late offensive surge ensured that the rookie held onto his first win as a major-leaguer. Arrighetti has managed to stick in the rotation despite posting a 7.52 ERA through six starts, so Monday's victory was a much-needed positive outing in terms of his chances of hanging on as a starter. Still, with Cristian Javier recently coming off the injured list and Jose Urquidy (forearm) potentially soon to follow, Arrighetti may not be long for the big-league rotation.
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Amed Rosario 3B | NYY
Rays' Amed Rosario: Doubles, triples, drives in three
Rosario went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, three RBI and a run scored during Monday's win over the Red Sox.
Rosario's two-out, two-run triple in the first put the Rays on the board while his run-scoring double in the eighth provided the Rays with their final margin of victory. Rosario has found a regular role as the top utility man for Tampa, batting .296 with a .312 on-base percentage, six doubles, three triples, two homers, 18 RBI, 12 runs and five stolen bases over 138 plate appearances.
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Tyler O'Neill RF | BAL
Red Sox's Tyler O'Neill: Blasts 10th homer
O'Neill went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk during Monday's loss to the Rays.
O'Neill's first-inning three-run blast provided all the scoring for the Red Sox on Monday. It was the first homer since April 27 for the slumping O'Neill, who hit .333 with nine homers over his first 19 games, but had gone just 7-for-44 (.159) with six walks and 22 strikeouts over the most recent 12 game homer-less stretch prior to Monday.
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Dominic Canzone DH | SEA
Mariners' Dominic Canzone: Could return this weekend
Canzone (shoulder), who took a full game's worth of plate appearances as the designated hitter for Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, could be activated ahead of the start of the Mariners' next road trip Friday, MLB.com reports.
Canzone went 2-for-5 with an RBI double Sunday for the Rainiers after also lacing a two-bagger in his rehab debut Saturday. Canzone's timing at the plate already seems to be in good shape, and if he continues without any physical setbacks, it appears he could be ready to jump back into action with the Mariners beginning Friday against the Orioles.