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Chase Meidroth 2B | CHW
White Sox's Chase Meidroth: Homers twice in extra-innings loss
Meidroth went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four total RBI in Thursday's 12-11 extra-innings loss to the Red Sox.
Meidroth opened the scoring in the third inning with a two-run shot off Ranger Suarez before putting Chicago ahead 9-7 in the 10th inning with another two-run blast, this time off Aroldis Chapman. Meidroth had gone seven games without a homer prior to Thursday, going just 4-for-21 (.190) in that span. Overall, the second baseman is slashing .275/.352/.405 this season with 11 homers, 67 runs scored, 44 RBI and two steals across 465 plate appearances.
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Kohl Drake SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Kohl Drake: Tagged for first MLB loss
Drake (0-1) took the loss against San Diego on Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one batter over 3.2 innings.
Though he walked only one batter, Drake threw just 46 of 82 pitches for strikes. Three of the six hits the rookie southpaw allowed were doubles, and he didn't miss many bats, recording only three whiffs and one strikeout. Drake logged five innings in his first MLB start July 21 against the A's, but since then each of his three outings has lasted four frames or less. Michael Soroka (glute) recently kicked off a rehab assignment, and Drake is currently the most likely Arizona hurler to be the odd man out of the rotation when Soroka is ready to return.
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Walker Buehler SP | SD
Padres' Walker Buehler: Logs another short start
Buehler allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out three batters over four innings in a no-decision against Arizona on Thursday.
Buehler put two runners on base in the first inning but escaped without giving up any runs. He dodged trouble again in the third, when he allowed four straight hits but surrendered only one run. All of that traffic resulted in Buehler needing 76 pitches to get through four frames, and he didn't come back out for the fifth inning. It was the second straight outing during which Buehler has completed less than four frames, though he's yielded a tolerable four runs across 8.1 innings during that span. He's managed to hang onto a rotation spot despite a 5.07 ERA through 23 starts on the season, but the looming returns of Nick Pivetta (forearm) and Joe Musgrove (elbow) -- each of whom recently began a minor-league rehab stint -- could spell the end of Buehler's time as a starter.
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Michael Wacha SP | KC
Royals' Michael Wacha: Just misses quality start
Wacha tossed 5.2 innings in a no-decision against Minnesota on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out one batter.
Wacha pitched well, giving up just one run on a Royce Lewis homer. The veteran hurler looked like he was on his way to a fourth straight quality start, but manager Matt Quatraro elected to pull him with two outs in the sixth inning (at 94 pitches) with Lewis coming up for another turn at the plate. Wacha has made it four straight outings with two or fewer earned runs, and he's lowered his season ERA to 3.44 with that effective stretch. He lines up for a tough next start in what's projected to be a road matchup versus the Dodgers.
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Yoendrys Gomez RP | MIN
Twins' Yoendrys Gomez: Secures save Thursday
Gomez picked up a save against the Royals on Thursday, issuing one walk and striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.
Gomez was summoned in the ninth inning with Minnesota clinging to a one-run lead. He walked the first batter he faced but then picked off pinch runner Tyler Tolbert at first base. With less pressure on him, Gomez then struck out Michael Massey and Isaac Collins to improve to 15-for-15 on save chances this season. Fantasy managers who roster Gomez are likely ecstatic about him being deployed for the save opportunity, as Minnesota's trade-deadline acquisition of Jeff Hoffman cast some doubt about whether Gomez would remain in the closer role. Hoffman hade his first appearance for the Twins on Wednesday, working a perfect eighth inning in a 2-1 loss, and he could still be a threat to Gomez's hold on the ninth-inning job.
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Bailey Ober SP | MIN
Twins' Bailey Ober: Posts second straight quality start
Ober completed six innings in a no-decision against Kansas City on Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and no walks with no strikeouts.
Ober allowed two runs in the third inning and another run in his sixth and final frame. He was far from overpowering, getting just six whiffs and finishing without a punchout for the first time this season, but his performance was nonetheless good enough to go in the books as a second consecutive quality start. Ober's 4.45 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 63:24 K:BB across 93 innings this season make him a fringe, at best, roster option in most fantasy leagues, but he's managed to scratch out a 7-3 record for the Twins. He's slated to make his next start at home against Baltimore.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Braves' Matt Olson: Clubs 32nd homer
Olson went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double, two walks and three total runs scored against the Marlins in an 11-3 victory Thursday.
Olson's homer was a 422-foot shot to center field in the sixth inning, and he added a single for his fourth two-hit effort across his past six games. The veteran first baseman is batting .429 (9-for-21) during that span with four homers and three doubles. The hot stretch has pushed Olson's season OPS to .896, which is ninth best in the majors and on pace for his highest regular-season mark since 2023. He also ranks fifth in MLB with 32 home runs.
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Mauricio Dubon LF | ATL
Braves' Mauricio Dubon: Reaches five times in win
Dubon went 4-for-4 with a double, a walk, a run, two RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's 11-3 victory versus Miami.
The Marlins were unable to stop Dubon from getting on base, as the utility man recorded his first four-hit performance of the season. He's collected three mutli-hit efforts across his past five games and is batting .529 (9-for-17) while scoring five times and logging three steals over that span. Dubon is getting regular playing time with six starts over Atlanta's past eight contests, and he's already set a career high with 58 RBI through 445 plate appearances.
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Ronald Acuna Jr. RF | ATL
Braves' Ronald Acuna: Logs two homers in victory
Acuna went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in an 11-3 win over the Marlins on Thursday.
Acuna's homers weren't exactly moonshots -- one was the result of two Marlins outfielders colliding and knocking the ball over the wall, and the other traveled an estimated 337 feet -- but they counted all the same. It was the second multi-homer game of the season for the star outfielder and the 16th time he's achieved the feat in his career. Acuna is slashing .244/.358/.436 with 11 home runs, 27 RBI, 39 runs and 15 stolen bases through 63 contests on the campaign.
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Janson Junk SP | MIA
Marlins' Janson Junk: Lifted after rain delay
Junk (5-7) took the loss against Atlanta on Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one batter over three innings.
Junk threw 47 pitches (26 strikes) before a rain delay held up the game for over an hour. That was enough for Marlins manager Clayton McCullough to decide not to put Junk at risk of an injury by sending him back out to the mound when play resumed. The two runs Junk gave up were on a home run by Ronald Acuna, though the homer was the result of two Marlins outfielders colliding while trying to make the catch and popping the ball over the wall. While this was Junk's shortest outing of the campaign, that obviously comes with an asterisk due to the impact of the weather. The right-hander's arm should at least be relatively fresh the next time he takes the mound, which is projected to be in a matchup versus Pittsburgh.