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Hector Neris RP | HOU
Cubs' Hector Neris: Escapes with sixth save
Neris allowed one run on two hits and one walk but recorded the final three outs of Saturday's game against the Brewers to earn his sixth save of the season. He struck out one batter.
Neris put the tying run in scoring position with just one out, but he then buckled down and retired Tyler Black and Willy Adames to preserve the win for starter Jameson Taillon. With six saves in as many attempts since April 20, and with Adbert Alzolay struggling to get on track in lower-leverage situations, Neris appears to be shoring up his spot in the ninth inning under manager Craig Counsell.
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Tobias Myers RP | NYM
Brewers' Tobias Myers: Ugly outing in Chicago
Myers (0-2) took the loss to the Cubs on Saturday, allowing four runs on three hits and four walks over three innings. He struck out two batters.
Nico Hoerner and Christopher Morel touched Myers up for homers, sending the right-hander to his second loss in three starts. Walks had not been an issue for Myers in his first two turns, as he walked only one batter in his first 10 innings, but he couldn't find the strike zone and/or didn't trust his stuff enough on this particular day to fill up the zone. While it was a step backward, Myers projects to remain in the rotation for the time being with DL Hall (knee) and Jakob Junis (shoulder) still without definitive timetables.
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Whit Merrifield 2B | ATL
Phillies' Whit Merrifield: Homers off bench Saturday
Merrifield went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and a walk in Saturday's win over the Giants.
Merrifield didn't start the game but entered in the third inning for the injured Alec Bohm (hip) and wound up going deep off reliever Erik Miller later in the contest. Bohm is expected to be fine, but Merrifield could potentially see more action at second base in the coming weeks if the Phillies decide to shift Bryson Stott over to shortstop some days to cover for Trea Turner (hamstring). Merrifield is slashing .250/.308/.417 with two home runs and three steals over 16 games this season.
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Jameson Taillon SP | TOR
Cubs' Jameson Taillon: Beats Brewers for third win
Taillon (3-0) earned the win over the Brewers on Saturday, allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out seven.
The bullpen allowed Milwaukee back into the game with five runs, though Hector Neris ultimately shut the door to preserve the win. Taillon's seven strikeouts Saturday set a season high after he'd previously topped out at four Ks in an outing. Since returning from a back injury, Taillon has allowed just three earned runs with a 16:5 K:BB over 24 innings. Regression will come at some point, but Taillon will have a great chance to keep the good times rolling next weekend in Pittsburgh.
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Ranger Suarez SP | BOS
Phillies' Ranger Suarez: Posts quality start Saturday
Suarez (6-0) collected the win Saturday versus the Giants, permitting three runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out six.
There was a rain delay before the game and more inclement weather during the contest, but Suarez seemed undaunted as he became the first six-game winner in baseball (Tyler Glasnow joined him later Saturday). It speaks to how well Suarez has pitched this season that this was easily his worst start since his first outing of the season when he allowed three runs in five innings. The three runs the left-hander gave up Saturday matched his total from his previous five starts. With a matchup versus the Marlins looming next week, Suarez has a good chance to keep rolling.
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Jackson Stephens RP | ATL
Braves' Jackson Stephens: Added to roster
Atlanta selected Stephens' contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.
Stephens has posted a 3.86 ERA and 13:2 K:BB over 9.1 innings with Gwinnett this season. He pitched in five games for Atlanta last season, yielding four runs over 12 frames. Stephens will operate in low-leverage situations.
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Austin Gomber SP | TEX
Rockies' Austin Gomber: Six scoreless in no-decision
Gomber allowed four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Pirates on Saturday. He struck out three.
Gomber matched zeros with rookie phenom Jared Jones through six frames in a game that wasn't decided until the bottom of the ninth when Jack Suwinski broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single. Gomber was far less dominant than Jones from a swing-and-miss standpoint with eight whiffs to Jones' 17. Still, it was a quality start, Gomber's second in seven turns this season. He lines up for a tough home start against the Rangers his next time out and should still be handled with extreme caution despite his quality surface stats (3.79 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) to date.
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Keaton Winn RP | SF
Giants' Keaton Winn: Can't escape first inning
Winn (3-4) took the loss Saturday in Philadelphia, allowing five runs on four hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch over just two-thirds of an inning.
In fairness to Winn, the weather in Philadelphia for this one was nasty and the right-hander never seemed comfortable. Granted, Ranger Suarez pitched in the same conditions and posted a quality start. Winn had been on a roll prior to this one, yielding exactly one run over six innings in each of his last three starts, so this could be just a little bump in the road. His next outing, unfortunately, is tentatively lined up to come at Coors Field.
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Jared Jones SP | PIT
Pirates' Jared Jones: Brilliant in no-decision
Jones did not factor into the decision in Saturday's win against the Rockies. He allowed one hit and no walks while striking out 10 over seven scoreless innings.
The 22-year-old right-hander bounced back from a rather modest showing his last time out, matching his career high with 10 strikeouts. Jones got 17 swings and misses on 96 pitches and touched 100 mph with his heater a couple times. While he has a losing record at 2-3, Jones is off to a historically great start to his career. He became the first pitcher in Pirates history with an outing consisting of seven shutout innings, one hit or fewer allowed, 10 strikeouts and zero walks Saturday, and per MLB's Sarah Langs, Jones is the first pitcher since at least 1901 with 50-plus strikeouts and five or fewer walks in his first seven career starts.
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Nolan Arenado 3B | ARI
Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Big day in extra-inning loss
Arenado went 3-for-3 with two walks and a three-run home run in Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the White Sox.
The veteran third baseman took Erick Fedde deep in the fifth inning to give the Cardinals a 5-3 lead, but it didn't hold up. Arenado has recorded multiple hits in three of the last five games, and the surge has boosted his slash line on the season to .296/.362/.408 with two homers, 14 runs and 19 RBI through 33 contests.