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Matthew Liberatore SP | STL
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Fans nine in quality start
Liberatore (5-11) took the loss against the Reds on Wednesday, allowing three runs on four hits and no walks in six innings. He struck out nine.
It was a bit of a hard-luck loss for Liberatore, who delivered a quality start and matched his second-highest strikeout total of the year. August has arguably been the southpaw's best month so far, as he's worked to a 4.03 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 25:4 K:BB in 22.1 innings (four starts). Liberatore will take a season-long 5.04 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 125:44 K:BB over 125 innings into his next scheduled outing against Baltimore.
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Jeffrey Springs SP | ATH
Athletics' Jeffrey Springs: No-decision in return
Springs pitched 5.2 innings allowing two runs on five hits and three walks and had a no-decision in the 9-7 loss to the Royals on Wednesday. He struck out one.
Springs spent the minimum amount of days on the 15-day injured list for right hip discomfort and returned Wednesday with a solid 85-pitch effort. The left-hander surprisingly tossed his longest outing since May 22, even coming off the injury, but failed to break his 11-game losing streak. The 33-year-old is slated to pitch next week against Minnesota.
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Chase Burns SP | CIN
Reds' Chase Burns: Excellent campaign continues
Burns took a no-decision against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out eight.
Burns labored a bit Wednesday, needing 104 pitches to complete five innings, but he recorded at least six punchouts for a fourth consecutive start. The hard-throwing right-hander has been incredibly consistent to this point, working at least five frames in all 24 outings while conceding more than two runs just four times. Burns is set to take an outstanding 2.51 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 159:48 K:BB over 136 innings into a soft matchup with the lowly Giants.
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Ryan McMahon 3B | NYY
Yankees' Ryan McMahon: Getting X-rays on hand
Manager Aaron Boone said after Wednesday's win over Baltimore that McMahon is slated to undergo X-rays on his left thumb, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
McMahon injured his hand while sliding into second base in the second inning, and he was eventually pulled in favor of a pinch hitter in the eighth. The fact that he was able to remain in the game for several innings after injuring himself is encouraging, though the Yankees will presumably wait to see the results of the 31-year-old's X-rays before determining his availability for Thursday's series finale.
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David Bednar RP | NYY
Yankees' David Bednar: Slams door for 29th save
Bednar struck out one in a clean ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Orioles.
The 31-year-old closer continues to put his shaky start to the season in the rear-view mirror. Since the beginning of June, Bednar has a shiny 0.84 ERA and 0.56 WHIP to go with a 35:7 K:BB covering 32.1 innings. He's blown just one save during that span, now holding a 2.40 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 64:18 K:BB in 56.1 innings with 29 saves (32 chances) for the season.
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Sandy Alcantara SP | MIA
Marlins' Sandy Alcantara: Falls to Phillies
Alcantara (13-8) took the loss Wednesday against Philadelphia, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk across six innings. He struck out one.
Alcantara was solid overall Wednesday, logging a fifth straight quality start, though the Marlins mustered just one run against Aaron Nola in an eventual 4-1 defeat. Coming into the day, Alcantara had allowed only one run across 27 frames in his previous four outings. His ERA now sits at 3.46 with a 1.18 WHIP and 131:47 K:BB through 27 starts (176.2 innings) this season. Alcantara is currently in line to face the Red Sox at home his next time out.
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Chris Bassitt SP | BAL
Orioles' Chris Bassitt: Just misses quality start
Bassitt took a no-decision against the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing three runs on eight hits and one walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out six.
Bassitt fell one out short of qualifying for a quality start, but he still overcame plenty of traffic for a decent outing overall. The 37-year-old right-hander continues to get hit around, giving up at least six knocks in 10 of his 14 starts, but the six strikeouts Wednesday marked his second-highest total of the year. Bassitt will bring an uninspiring 5.08 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 46:26 K:BB over 67.1 innings into his next scheduled appearance in St. Louis.
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Jhoan Duran RP | PHI
Phillies' Jhoan Duran: Up to 28 saves
Duran earned the save in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Marlins, allowing a hit while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.
Duran worked around a leadoff single in the ninth to lock down his fourth consecutive save and 28th overall in 30 chances this season. Duran has held opponents to just one run over his last 10 innings, lowering his ERA to a sparkling 1.79 with a 1.04 WHIP and 63:8 K:BB across 45.1 innings this year.
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Will Warren SP | NYY
Yankees' Will Warren: Inefficient in no-decision
Warren took a no-decision against the Orioles on Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out five.
Warren threw just 50 of his 92 pitches for strikes Wednesday, so the lack of efficiency prevented him from working deeper into the outing. The 27-year-old right-hander continues to struggle since the start of June, posting a 5.77 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in his last 12 appearances (57.2 innings). Even though Carlos Rodon recently returned to New York's rotation, Max Fried's (elbow) stay on the injured list should buy Warren at least one more turn through the rotation next week against Houston.
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Kyle Freeland SP | COL
Rockies' Kyle Freeland: Exits with injury
Freeland was removed from Wednesday's game against the Dodgers due to an apparent injury, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.
Freeland gave up four earned runs on six hits and a walk while fanning five batters in 3.2 innings before an injury ended his start abruptly. It's unknown what exactly caused the 33-year-old lefty to come out of the game, but the Rockies should provide more details in the near future.