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Ethan Pecko SP | HOU
Astros' Ethan Pecko: Strong in bulk relief
Pecko did not factor into the decision in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Rays, allowing one run on one hit and two walks with four strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
Pecko entered with one out in the third inning and delivered his best performance in five outings with the Astros. The 24-year-old threw only 44 of 75 pitches for strikes, but he's now yielded one earned run in consecutive outings. He owns a 4.30 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 15:12 K:BB across 23 major-league innings and lines up for a home matchup with the Royals next week.
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Dillon Dingler C | DET
Tigers' Dillon Dingler: Snaps power drought Friday
Dingler went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-2 win over the Rockies.
Dingler recorded his 27th home run of the season in the sixth inning, which snapped a 28-game streak without a long ball. During that power drought, the Detroit catcher slashed just .123/.174/.151 with seven RBI and 29 strikeouts. Even with that slump, Dingler still leads the Tigers in homers and is second in the majors in long balls among backstops, which is a testament to just how well he was playing earlier in the year.
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Sonny Gray SP | BOS
Red Sox's Sonny Gray: Takes loss against Kansas City
Gray (17-5) was tagged with the loss in Friday's game against the Royals, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five across six innings.
All three of the runs Gray allowed came over the first three innings of Friday's start. The veteran right-hander was able to get through six innings on 90 pitches (60 strikes) for his 18th quality start of the season, tied for sixth-most in the majors, but he didn't receive enough run support from his Red Sox teammates to avoid the loss. It was Gray's second loss in three starts, but it has still been a strong season for the 37-year-old, whose 17 wins are tied with Cristopher Sanchez for most in the majors. Gray will take a 2.76 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 156.2 innings into his next start, tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Rangers.
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Drew Rasmussen SP | TB
Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Goes seven strong again Friday
Rasmussen did not factor into the decision in Friday's 3-1 win over the Astros, allowing one run on eight hits and no walks with four strikeouts over seven innings.
Rasmussen allowed a run in the fourth inning but was otherwise strong despite generating just seven swinging strikes on 92 pitches. It was the 31-year-old's fourth straight quality start and seventh overall in 10 second-half outings. He'll carry a 2.81 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 160:27 K:BB across a career-high 160.1 innings this season into a home matchup with the Athletics next week.
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Harry Ford C | WAS
Nationals' Harry Ford: Battling hand injury
Ford was removed from Friday's game against the Angels due to pain in his left hand/wrist, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Ford reportedly injured his hand during his final at-bat in the sixth inning, and he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the ninth. The Nationals have sent the 23-year-old for imaging to determine the severity of his injury, and an update on his status should come before Saturday's game.
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Steven Cruz RP | KC
Royals' Steven Cruz: Secures save at Fenway Park
Cruz earned the save in Friday's 3-2 win over Boston, striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.
With Nate Pearson holding firm in the eighth inning, the Royals turned to Cruz to close things out in the ninth, with the latter promptly doing so on only 10 pitches (six strikes) and ending the frame by striking out Roman Anthony. It was the seventh save of the season for Cruz, all of which have come since the All-Star break, and the 27-year-old right-hander has a 4.04 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 55.2 innings this season.
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Victor Mesa Jr. RF | TB
Rays' Victor Mesa: Stays hot in win
Mesa went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 3-1 win over the Astros.
Mesa got the Rays on the board with a solo shot in the fifth inning before adding a stolen base in the seventh. The 25-year-old is now riding a modest seven-game hitting streak, delivering three homers, six RBI, six runs scored and three stolen bases during that stretch. For the year, he's slashing .250/.316/.500 with 13 long balls, 28 RBI, 28 runs scored and nine steals across 214 plate appearances.
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Alex Bregman 3B | CHC
Cubs' Alex Bregman: Tallies three hits, 25th home run
Bregman went 3-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 12-2 win over the Pirates.
After a scorching-hot August in which he recorded 12 home runs and a 1.025 OPS, Bregman has kept things rolling in September with a 1.039 OPS and two long balls across 10 games. The veteran third baseman is now up to 25 home runs overall, and a hot finish to the season could give him his third 30-homer campaign of his career. Bregman has put a slow start to the year behind him and has emerged as an offensive force for the Cubs down the stretch.
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Carter Jensen C | KC
Royals' Carter Jensen: Cracks two doubles in Friday's win
Jensen went 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored during the Royals' 3-2 win over the Red Sox on Friday.
Jensen came around to score in the first inning on a Salvador Perez RBI single. The former added an RBI double of his own in the third before coming home to score later in the frame for what turned out to be the game-winning run. It was Jensen's fourth multi-hit game of September, and so far this month, he's gone 12-for-34 (.353) with 11 extra-base hits (including four home runs), nine RBI and 11 runs scored.
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Junior Caminero 3B | TB
Rays' Junior Caminero: Comes up clutch with 40th homer
Caminero went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 3-1 win over the Astros.
Caminero reached the 40-homer mark for the second straight season in dramatic fashion, launching a walk-off blast in the bottom of the ninth inning to clinch a playoff berth for the Rays. The 23-year-old slugger has now gone deep in three of his past six games, becoming the first player in the American League to reach 40 long balls this season. Overall, he's slashing .279/.365/.534 with 95 RBI, 90 runs scored and three steals across 643 plate appearances.