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Ronald Acuna Jr. RF | ATL
Braves' Ronald Acuna: Goes deep Saturday
Acuna went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in an 8-3 win against the Nationals on Saturday.
Acuna kicked off the scoring with a 419-foot solo shot to center field in the first inning. It was the star outfielder's second long ball in three games and just his third hit of any sort over six contests since returning from the injured list July 27. Acuna has struggled to a .136 batting average (3-for-22) since his return and has struck out at least once in each game during that span, so he seems to be still shaking off some rust.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto SP | LAD
Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Goes eight innings in loss
Yamamoto (11-7) allowed three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out three over eight innings to take the loss versus the Red Sox on Saturday.
Yamamoto has gone seven or more innings in three of his five starts since the beginning of July. He had a little early trouble in this one, giving up solo home runs to Ceddanne Rafaela in the first and third innings before the Red Sox scraped together the decisive run in the eighth. Yamamoto continues to be a workhorse for the Dodgers with a 2.76 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 121:29 K:BB through 133.2 innings over 20 starts, though he has already given up a career-high 15 homers this year. Yamamoto's next start is projected to be on the road in Arizona.
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Miles Mikolas RP | WAS
Nationals' Miles Mikolas: Takes eighth loss
Mikolas (3-8) took the loss against Atlanta on Saturday, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out three batters over six innings.
Mikolas struggled to keep the ball in the park, at Atlanta teed off for three homers against him, including two in the first inning. The right-hander at least managed to give Washington six frames, but he ultimately fell to his eighth defeat of the campaign and his first since June 29. Mikolas' ERA now stands at 5.67 through 108 frames, which would be the worst mark in the league if he had enough innings to qualify (he's currently four frames short). He's lined up for a tough road matchup in Philadelphia his next time out.
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Reynaldo Lopez RP | ATL
Braves' Reynaldo Lopez: Likely to go on IL
Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Saturday that Lopez (knee) will likely go on the 15-day injured list, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Lopez was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against the Nationals due to left knee inflammation. He'll undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the knee injury, but Atlanta is already anticipating Lopez to be down for at least the next two weeks. JR Ritchie is expected to be called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to start in Sunday's series finale and could make a few turns through the rotation while Lopez is shelved.
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Martin Perez SP | ATL
Braves' Martin Perez: Dominant in last-minute start
Perez (7-6) earned the win over Washington on Saturday, allowing one hit and walking two batters while striking out six over seven scoreless innings.
Perez was originally slated to pitch Sunday, but he was moved up a day after Reynaldo Lopez was scratched due to a knee injury he suffered while warming up. The last-minute adjustment didn't phase Perez at all, as he no-hit the Nationals until there were two outs in the seventh inning. The left-hander needed just 78 pitches to complete seven frames in his longest outing of the campaign. With Lopez expected to go on the injured list, per Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Perez's importance to the rotation becomes even more emphatic. The veteran hurler holds a 3.24 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 75:39 K:BB over 97.1 innings spanning 21 games (17 starts).
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Kohl Drake SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Kohl Drake: Strikes out six in no-decision
Drake did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 12-8 win over the Guardians, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk with six strikeouts over four innings.
Drake was burned by a two-run homer in the first inning but labored overall, needing 94 pitches to complete just four frames. In three outings since debuting July 21, the 26-year-old southpaw has posted a 4.85 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB across 13 innings. He covered five frames in his debut but has failed to do so in his past two starts. Drake lines up for a home matchup with the Padres next week.
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Gregory Soto RP | PIT
Pirates' Gregory Soto: Locks down 14th save
Soto secured the save Saturday against the Reds, throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out one.
Soto made quick work of the Reds, firing nine of his 11 pitches for strikes. The Pirates acquired Camilo Doval from the Yankees on Saturday to bolster the back end of their bullpen, and 29-year-old possesses closing experience that offers Pittsburgh another option for high-leverage spots. Soto has been shaky as the club's primary closer this season, posting a 3.69 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 53:20 K:BB with 14 saves in 19 attempts over 46.1 innings.
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Nolan Arenado 3B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Nolan Arenado: Homers in win
Arenado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Saturday's 12-8 win over the Guardians.
Arenado walked and scored in the seventh inning before adding a solo shot in the eighth. The veteran third baseman entered Saturday having gone hitless in six of his previous seven contests, though he's still posted an .846 OPS with three home runs and 11 RBI in 15 games since the All-Star break. On the season, he's slashing .244/.323/.425 with 15 homers, 51 RBI, 51 runs scored and three steals across 406 plate appearances.
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Tarik Skubal SP | LAD
Dodgers' Tarik Skubal: Moving on to L.A.
The Dodgers acquired Skubal from the Tigers on Saturday in exchange for outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handers River Ryan (hamstring) and Brady Smith, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Skubal, the biggest domino to fall ahead of Monday's deadline, will head west to the two-time defending World Series champions and form a lethal one-two punch with Yoshinobu Yamamoto atop the rotation. The acquisition of Skubal will give the Dodgers some more stability to the pitching staff while the rotation navigates the absences of Blake Snell (elbow) and Tyler Glasnow (back) along with Shohei Ohtani, who is working solely as a designated hitter while tending to a lingering knee issue. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner turned in a 2.79 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 116:14 K:BB over 96.2 innings this season for Detroit.
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Corbin Carroll RF | ARI
Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll: Goes deep in win
Carroll went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Saturday's 12-8 win over the Guardians.
Carroll walked and scored in the first inning before launching a three-run blast to break the game open in the seventh. The 25-year-old is batting just .228 through 14 games since the All-Star break, though he's hit safely in 11 of them while tallying eight extra-base hits. For the year, he's slashing .249/.344/.483 with 16 homers, 52 RBI, 67 runs scored and 15 steals across 465 plate appearances.