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Merrill Kelly SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Ends skid with ninth win
Kelly (9-12) allowed two hits and four walks while striking out seven over seven scoreless innings to earn the win over the Giants in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.
Kelly entered the game winless over his last six starts, giving up 22 runs (21 earned) over 31 innings in that span. There was some concern he had been tipping pitches in his previous outing against the Cubs, but if the Giants were able to steal signs, they weren't able to do much with that information Saturday. Control remains a concern for Kelly -- he's walked at least three batters in each of his last six games. He's at a 5.08 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 95:64 K:BB through 141.2 innings over 25 starts this season, making an effort like the one he had Saturday an anomoly. He's lined up to make his next start at Houston.
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Matt Wilkinson SP | SF
Giants' Matt Wilkinson: Logs first quality start
Wilkinson (0-2) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four over six-plus innings, taking the loss in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader versus the Diamondbacks.
While Wilkinson was on the hook for the loss, he was able to earn his first quality start in the majors with this performance. He threw 51 of 90 pitches for strikes in the outing. Through 11.2 innings for the Giants this year, he has a 4.63 ERA and 6:2 K:BB. It's not yet clear if Wilkinson will stick in the rotation beyond this contest, but the Giants do have a couple of openings to fill due to a bad stretch of injuries to starters.
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Shane Drohan SP | MIL
Brewers' Shane Drohan: Strikes out six in win
Drohan (7-5) earned the win against the Rangers on Saturday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts over five innings.
Drohan allowed a solo homer in the fifth inning but was otherwise strong, throwing 63 of a season-high 99 pitches for strikes with 15 whiffs. The southpaw opened August with a six-run blowup but has since posted a 3.12 ERA over his past four outings, one of which was a two-inning relief appearance. He'll take a 3.75 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 110:37 K:BB across 110.1 frames into a road matchup with the Reds next weekend.
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Trevor Megill RP | MIL
Brewers' Trevor Megill: Secures 25th save
Megill threw a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Rangers. He did not record a walk or a strikeout.
Megill was called on to close out a two-run lead in the ninth inning and did so on just seven pitches. The 32-year-old has now gone 13 straight appearances without allowing an earned run, and he's converted 17 consecutive saves dating back to June 16. For the year, he's 25-for-27 in save chances with a 2.24 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 57:14 K:BB across 52.1 innings.
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Jackson Chourio LF | MIL
Brewers' Jackson Chourio: Reaches 20 homers in win
Chourio went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.
Chourio launched a solo shot in the first inning, reaching the 20-homer mark for the third straight season. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, he's just the 17th player to accomplish this feat by age 22, a list that includes eight Hall of Famers. On the year, he's slashing .281/.342/.478 with 20 long balls, 56 RBI, 69 runs scored and 14 steals across 456 plate appearances.
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Walker Buehler SP | SD
Padres' Walker Buehler: Allows two homers in no-decision
Buehler did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Rays, allowing three runs on seven hits and no walks with three strikeouts over five innings.
Buehler entered the sixth inning with a 3-2 lead but was pulled after surrendering a leadoff homer to Junior Caminero. It ends a streak of three straight quality starts for the 32-year-old, though he's now yielded three earned runs or fewer in each of his eight outings since the All-Star break. He'll take a 4.66 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 111:49 K:BB across 131.1 innings this season into a home matchup with the Yankees next weekend.
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Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Tallies steal in loss
Machado went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, one run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Rays.
Machado had an eventful seventh inning, driving in two runs on a single before swiping second as part of a double steal. The 34-year-old has more steals (two) than homers (one) in August, as he's struggled to a .574 OPS through 26 games this month. On the season, he's slashing .214/.302/.400 with 24 home runs, 74 RBI, 67 runs scored and four stolen bases across 568 plate appearances.
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Ty France 1B | SD
Padres' Ty France: Goes deep in loss
France went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Rays.
France gave the Padres a 3-2 lead with a two-run shot off Nick Martinez in the sixth inning. It continued a strong second half for the 32-year-old, who's hitting .315 with eight home runs, 25 RBI and 22 runs scored in 40 games since the All-Star break. For the season, he's slashing .287/.356/.509 with 19 homers, 58 RBI, 46 runs scored and a stolen base across 400 plate appearances.
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Heriberto Hernandez LF | MIA
Marlins' Heriberto Hernandez: Smacks homer to extend hitting streak
Hernandez went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer during the Marlins' 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Nationals on Saturday.
Hernandez capped off the Marlins' four-run seventh inning in style by belting a two-run home run off Brad Lord. It was the 22nd homer of the season for Hernandez, four of which have come during his current seven-game hitting streak. Over his last 10 games, Hernandez has gone 11-for-38 (.289) with one steal, eight RBI and four extra-base hits.
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Kyle Leahy SP | STL
Cardinals' Kyle Leahy: Another short outing Saturday
Leahy didn't factor into the decision Saturday as the Cardinals fell 6-2 to the Pirates, allowing one run on four hits and one walk over three innings. He struck out three.
The only blemish on the right-hander's line came via a Brandon Lowe solo shot in the first inning. Leahy was limited to 51 pitches (32 strikes) as St. Louis keeps a close eye on his workload, and he hasn't completed five innings in either of his last two starts. Despite a 1.80 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 43:5 K:BB in 40 innings since the All-Star break, Leahy's fantasy value will be capped if he isn't allowed to last long enough to qualify for a win. He lines up to make his next start on the road next weekend against the Rockies.