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Charlie Blackmon RF | COL
Rockies' Charlie Blackmon: Goes deep again Saturday
Blackmon went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Mets on Saturday.
Blackmon brought the Rockies to within a run with his two-run blast in the fifth frame, but that was the last time Colorado was able to score. The homer was Blackmon's second in as many games since he returned from a hamstring injury that resulted in him sitting out three matchups. The veteran outfielder had gone deep just twice over his previous 26 games prior to leaving the park in back-to-back contests.
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Francisco Lindor SS | NYM
Mets' Francisco Lindor: Clubs clutch homer
Lindor went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run, a stolen base and two walks Saturday in a 7-3 win against Colorado.
New York was hanging onto a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning when Lindor slugged a 420-foot, three-run home run to center field. The long ball was his fourth through 13 games in June and his 17th overall this season. Lindor also swiped his 18th bag of the campaign in the contest, and he's one of seven major leaguers with at least 15 homers and 15 thefts so far in 2024.
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Ryan Feltner SP | COL
Rockies' Ryan Feltner: Issues five walks in defeat
Feltner (1-9) took the loss against the Mets on Saturday, allowing four runs (three earned) on two hits and five walks while striking out seven batters over 3.2 innings.
Feltner had trouble finding the striking zone, as the five walks were two more than his previous season high. Three of the free passes came in the second frame, which was when the Mets scored all four of their runs against him. Feltner did at least manage to register seven punchouts, but he couldn't avoid his ninth loss of the campaign. Among NL pitchers, only teammate Dakota Hudson has lost more games, and Feltner has been mostly ineffective with a 5.36 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 102.1 innings.
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Dedniel Nunez RP | NYM
Mets' Dedniel Nunez: Records two-inning save
Nunez earned a save against the Rockies on Saturday, striking out three batters over two perfect frames.
Nunez entered in the eighth inning in a tight situation with New York up one run and runners on first and second base with no outs. He induced a double play and a foul out to impressively escape the jam, then watched the Mets score three times in the bottom of the frame. The right-hander returned for the ninth and struck out all three batters he faced to cap his first big-league save. Nunez isn't likely to see many more save opportunities with Edwin Diaz established as New York's closer, but the rookie has nonetheless worked his way up to high-leverage work with an impressive campaign during which he's recorded a 2.35 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 39:5 K:BB through 30.2 frames. In addition to Saturday's save, he's registered seven holds and two wins through 21 outings.
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Christian Scott SP | NYM
Mets' Christian Scott: Can't get through fifth inning
Scott allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five batters over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against Colorado on Saturday.
Scott gave up a third-inning solo homer but was up 4-1 heading into the fifth. However, the rookie ran into trouble in that frame, surrendering a one-out, two-run home run to Charlie Blackmon followed by a double and a walk. That was enough to earn him the hook, eliminating his chance of emerging with a victory. Scott still doesn't have a win to his ledger through eight big-league outings, though he's been able to hold his head above water with three quality starts and a 4.36 ERA along with a 1.11 WHIP through 43.1 innings.
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Oneil Cruz CF | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Picking up RBI pace
Cruz went 0-for-4 with two RBI on Saturday against the White Sox.
Cruz went hitless but drove in a pair of runs on a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly. Across his last 29 games, Cruz has 23 RBI --- over half of his total for the season. In that same span, he's also maintained a .260 average with seven home runs and three stolen bases.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto SP | LAD
Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Moved to 60-day IL
The Dodgers transferred Yamamoto (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Saturday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Yamamoto won't be eligible for activation until Aug. 15, but considering he just started playing catch from 60 feet this week, he likely wouldn't have been ready to return before mid-August anyway. The transaction clears room on the 40-man roster for right-hander Brent Honeywell, who was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh on Saturday. Yamamoto has been shelved since June 16 and will likely require multiple minor-league rehab starts before being reinstated from the IL.
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Taylor Rogers RP | MIN
Giants' Taylor Rogers: Handed third loss
Rogers (1-3) allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in one-third of an inning, taking the loss Saturday versus the Twins.
Rogers served up a go-ahead solo home run to Carlos Santana in the sixth inning, and the Giants couldn't bounce back from it. This was Rogers' first loss in two months, and prior to Saturday he had given up just two runs (one earned) over his prior 22 innings. He's now at a 2.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB through 37.2 innings while adding four holds in a middle-relief role this year.
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Hayden Birdsong P | SF
Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Decent in no-decision
Birdsong allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings in a no-decision versus the Twins on Friday.
Birdsong continues to put in passable performances without standing out. The rookie right-hander has also walked multiple batters in all four of his big-league appearances, and his three strikeouts were a season low. He's pitched to a reasonable 3.72 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 18:10 K:BB over 19.1 innings so far. It's unclear if Birdsong will stay in the Giants' rotation following the All-Star break, though that decision likely won't come to a head until Alex Cobb (hip/shoulder) and/or Robbie Ray (elbow) are ready for their season debuts.
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Nick Castellanos RF | SD
Phillies' Nick Castellanos: Homer, four RBI in win
Castellanos went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Athletics.
Castellanos got the Phillies on the board with a two-run home run in the second inning and then added a two-run double in the eighth. The outfielder was on a 2-for-17 skid over his past five contests and hadn't driven in a run since his last homer July 4. On the year, he's batting .235 with 13 home runs, 47 RBI and 44 runs scored over 398 plate appearances.