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Valente Bellozo RP | COL
Marlins' Valente Bellozo: Hurt by home-run ball again
Bellozo didn't factor into Thursday's decision against the Rockies, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out four.
After posting a 2.45 ERA in his first 33 big-league innings, Bellozo's now given up 11 earned runs and six homers in his last two outings (8.2 innings). The rookie right-hander now sports a 4.32 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP and 32:15 K:BB across eight starts (41.2 innings) with Miami this year. Bellozo will look to bounce back in his next outing, currently scheduled for early next week at home versus the Nationals.
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Bradley Blalock RP | MIA
Rockies' Bradley Blalock: Hit hard vs. Marlins
Blalock (1-1) took the loss Thursday against the Marlins, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out three.
It was a tough day for Blalock, who allowed a pair of runs in his first three innings before giving up a five-spot in the fourth. The 23-year-old right-hander had gotten off to a nice start before Thursday, pitching to a 3.06 ERA across his first 17.2 big-league innings. Blalock now sports a 4.98 ERA on the season with a 1.62 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB. Should the Rockies elect to keep him in the rotation, Blalock would line up for a road start in Atlanta next week.
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Brendan Rodgers 2B | BOS
Rockies' Brendan Rodgers: Cranks two homers
Rodgers went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs, three total RBI and three total runs scored in Thursday's 12-8 loss to the Marlins.
Rodgers got Colorado on the board with a solo shot off Valente Bellozo in the third inning before adding a two-run homer in the fourth. It's the first multi-homer game of the year for Rodgers, who'd been marred in a 3-for-24 slump coming into Thursday's contest. Overall, the 28-year-old second baseman has put together a solid campaign -- he's now slashing .274/.319/.419 with 12 homers, 48 RBI, 57 runs scored and one stolen base across 180 plate appearances.
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Derek Hill CF | PHI
Marlins' Derek Hill: Homers twice in win
Hill went 3-for-6 with two home runs and three total RBI in Thursday's 12-8 victory over the Rockies.
Hill led off the second inning with a solo shot off Bradley Blalock to open the scoring before launching a 420-foot, two-run homer off Noah Davis in the sixth. The 28-year-old Hill now has three long balls in his last two games after going 17 games without a home run -- he'd gone just 13-for-62 (.210) in that span. Overall, Hill's slashing .244/.270/.444 across 142 plate appearances between the Marlins, Giants and Rangers this season with seven homers, 24 RBI, 17 runs scored and five stolen bases.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Braves' Matt Olson: Reaches 25-homer mark
Olson went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Thursday's 5-4 loss to Philadelphia.
Olson went deep in the third and sixth innings to give Atlanta a 4-0 lead, but it didn't last. The first baseman's power has been on full display in August -- he's batting .265 (27-for-102) with eight homers and 26 RBI over 27 contests this month. While Olson is nowhere near the pace that saw him slug 54 homers over 162 games in 2023, he's got a good chance of reaching the 30-homer mark for the fifth straight full-length campaign. He's slashing .234/.313/.447 with 25 homers, 76 RBI, 65 runs scored, 30 doubles and a triple over 134 contests this season.
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Charlie Morton SP | ATL
Braves' Charlie Morton: One out shy of quality start
Morton allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out seven over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus Philadelphia on Thursday.
Morton successfully worked around traffic in each of the first five innings, but he got tagged for a three-run home run by Brandon Marsh in the sixth. Morton threw 62 of 105 pitches for strikes, but Atlanta couldn't hold the lead after he exited the game. He's allowed three runs or fewer in six of his eight starts since the All-Star break, though the two exceptions saw him give up seven (five earned) and eight runs in his only two losses in that span. Overall, Morton has a 4.26 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 140:52 K:BB through 137.1 innings across 25 starts this season. The 40-year-old is projected to make his next start at home versus Colorado.
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Bryson Stott 2B | PHI
Phillies' Bryson Stott: Two steals in win
Stott went 0-for-1 with three walks and two stolen bases in Thursday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.
Stott had walked just four times over his first 22 games in August before drawing three free passes Thursday. He's batting just .213 (17-for-80) this month, though he has logged five steals. For the season, the second baseman is 28-for-30 on stolen base attempts while adding nine home runs, 47 RBI, 56 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples and a .241/.319/.352 slash line over 123 contests.
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Nick Castellanos RF | SD
Phillies' Nick Castellanos: Hits go-ahead homer
Castellanos went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.
Castellanos' seventh-inning blast gave Philadelphia its first lead of the game, and the bullpen held on for the win. Over his last seven games, Castellanos has gone 9-for-28 (.321) with three homers, nine RBI and three multi-hit efforts. The veteran outfielder is slashing .250/.303/.425 with 19 homers, 73 RBI, 65 runs scored and five stolen bases over 134 contests this year, but he's batted a much more reliable .296 (42-for-142) since the All-Star break, which is more in line with his usual production.
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Brandon Marsh LF | PHI
Phillies' Brandon Marsh: Sparks offense Thursday
Marsh went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and a double in Thursday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.
Marsh has gone 10-for-35 (.286) with three homers, three doubles and seven RBI over his last 11 games. His sixth-inning homer got Philadelphia on the board in the comeback win. The outfielder is now at a .246/.321/.422 slash line with 14 homers, 51 RBI, 46 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 13 doubles and three triples through 392 plate appearances. He has split time between center field and left field while playing in a strong-side platoon role this year.
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Jeff Hoffman RP | MIN
Phillies' Jeff Hoffman: Secures 10th save
Hoffman struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.
Both Hoffman and Carlos Estevez had gone two days without pitching, so it's unclear why Hoffman got the save chance in this outing. This was his fourth scoreless outing in a row, and he's allowed three runs over 9.1 innings across his last 11 appearances since a four-run meltdown at Seattle on Aug. 3. Hoffman hadn't logged a save since July 10, and it's unclear if this signals a changing in the bullpen hierarchy or not, though manager Rob Thomson is known to prefer a committee for closing duties. For the year, Hoffman has a 1.92 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 74:15 K:BB through 56.1 innings while adding 10 saves and 17 holds.