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Alec Burleson 1B | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Three-hit showing in win
Burleson went 3-for-5 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Sunday's 10-8 win over the Rockies.
Burleson's bat had gone a little cold to start September -- he went 2-for-21 over his first five games of the month before breaking out of the funk Sunday. For the season, the first baseman is hitting .283 with an .809 OPS, 21 home runs, 103 RBI, 79 runs scored, 34 doubles, one triple and four stolen bases. He ranks second in the majors in RBI and is tied for first in doubles.
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Nolan Gorman 3B | STL
Cardinals' Nolan Gorman: Goes deep Sunday
Gorman went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 10-8 win over the Rockies.
Gorman went 3-for-12 with four RBI during the three-game series in Colorado. The infielder provided a blast as part of the Cardinals' six-run fifth inning, giving them their first lead of the contest. Gorman is batting .186 with a .590 OPS, nine homers, 31 RBI, 22 runs scored, six doubles and no stolen bases over 73 games this season. He is working on the strong side of a platoon at third base, sharing the position with Ramon Urias.
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George Soriano RP | STL
Cardinals' George Soriano: Snags third save
Soriano allowed a hit and struck out one without being charged with a run over one-third of an inning to earn the save in Sunday's 10-8 win over the Rockies.
Ryne Stanek wasn't able to keep things under control in a non-save situation, prompting Soriano to come in for damage control. While a Jake McCarthy single plated two inherited runners, Soriano was able to strike out Troy Johnston to preserve the lead. Soriano is up to three saves this year while adding 21 holds and seven blown saves as part of the Cardinals' setup crew. He's maintained a 4.26 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 62:30 K:BB across 61.1 innings, though he's been charged with 11 runs over his last 13.1 frames.
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Nick Pivetta SP | SD
Padres' Nick Pivetta: Starting Monday against Nats
Pivetta (forearm) will be activated from the 60-day injured list to start Monday's game against the Nationals, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Pivetta has been cleared to take the mound in a big-league game for the first time since April 12 after throwing 4.1 scoreless innings and punching out seven in a rehab start with Triple-A El Paso on Aug. 30. Last month, it looked like Pivetta's season might be over when he removed himself from a minor-league game in the middle of an at-bat, but he has progressed without setbacks since. He built up to 64 pitches in his final rehab outing last Sunday.
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Cooper Hjerpe RP | STL
Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Stellar out of bullpen in debut
Hjerpe (1-0) struck out six over four perfect innings of relief to earn the win over the Rockies on Sunday.
Hjerpe entered the contest in the fourth inning and set down 12 straight Rockies on a total of 54 pitches (41 strikes). Big-league debuts don't get much better than that. Across four levels of the minors this season, Hjerpe posted a 3.00 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 61:32 K:BB over 42 innings as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery. Hjerpe is poised to serve as a piggyback option as the Cardinals cut Kyle Leahy's innings back down the stretch. The duo could work as a tandem for likely three more turns through the rotation, with the next one tentatively projected to be at home versus the White Sox next weekend.
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Kyle Leahy SP | STL
Cardinals' Kyle Leahy: Surrenders five runs
Leahy allowed five runs on six hits and struck out six without walking a batter over 2.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Rockies on Sunday.
Leahy has seen a planned workload reduction since mid-August, but this was the first time he's had a truly bad outing in a while. Prior to Sunday, he hadn't given up more than two runs in any game since June 17 versus the Padres. Leahy is now at a 3.41 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 124:38 K:BB through 132 innings over 27 starts. The right-hander will be tough to trust in fantasy if he continues to work as a starter, which will reduce his chances to pick up wins in September. His next appearance is projected to be at home versus the White Sox.
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Chandler Simpson LF | TB
Rays' Chandler Simpson: Approaching 40-steal mark
Simpson went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's 8-6 loss to the Rangers.
Simpson logged his first steal of September in the seventh inning of this contest. He's been putting bat to ball fairly well lately, logging eight multi-hit efforts over his last 14 games. The light-hitting speedster is 39-for-53 on the basepaths this season while batting .308 with a .696 OPS, 31 RBI, 57 runs scored, 14 doubles, six triples and no home runs over 135 games.
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Kyle Schwarber DH | PHI
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber: Homers again in loss
Schwarber went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-4 loss to Atlanta.
Schwarber gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead with a solo blast in the seventh inning. The slugger entered Saturday's contest in an 0-for-14 skid but has now homered in back-to-back games and leads the majors with 42 long balls. In addition to his power, he's slashing .241/.357/.524 with 86 RBI, 85 runs scored and three steals across 614 plate appearances this season.
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Ian Seymour RP | TB
Rays' Ian Seymour: Chased in fourth inning
Seymour allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out two over three-plus innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Sunday.
Seymour has now given up at least three runs in each of his last five games, though he had covered at least five frames in each of those outings prior to Sunday. The southpaw had particular trouble with Jake Burger, who tagged him for a pair of home runs, accounting for three of the runs he surrendered. Seymour is at a 4.33 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 140:33 K:BB through 116.1 innings over 43 games (13 starts) this year. He is tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Astros.
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Ezequiel Duran 3B | TEX
Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Supplies three hits in win
Duran went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Rays.
Duran has collected seven multi-hit efforts over his last 17 games, going 24-for-63 (.381) in that span. The utility man continues to be a consistent bat for the Rangers while picking up steady playing time between center field and second base. For the year, he's hitting .277 with a .794 OPS, 17 home runs, 78 RBI, 65 runs scored, 26 doubles, four triples and 11 stolen bases over 135 games. He has already set or matched career highs in nearly every offensive category.