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Donovan Walton 2B | ATH
Athletics' Donovan Walton: Makes early impact Wednesday
Walton went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Angels.
Walton has gone 11-for-38 (.289) with four homers and 10 RBI over his last 13 games. While he's still not playing on a full-time basis, he's put together a strong finish to the campaign. The utility man is batting .269 with an .834 OPS, nine homers, 32 RBI, 36 runs scored, 14 doubles, one triple and three stolen bases over 255 plate appearances this season.
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Jeffrey Springs SP | ATH
Athletics' Jeffrey Springs: Short start Wednesday
Springs allowed three runs on five hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out three over 4.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Wednesday.
Springs threw 53 of 84 pitches for strikes in this outing, but he was tagged for two home runs. He hadn't given up a long ball over his first three starts in September, though he surrendered a total of 11 runs over 19.2 innings this month. The southpaw is likely done for the season after this outing, having gone 4-14 with a 6.18 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 112:57 K:BB over 142.2 innings across 29 starts.
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Maikel Garcia 3B | KC
Royals' Maikel Garcia: Three hits, three RBI in win
Garcia went 3-for-3 with three RBI, a run, and a double in Wednesday's 5-4 win against the White Sox.
Garcia drove home the first two runs of the game and then got the go-ahead RBI in the seventh inning with a double off of Hagen Smith to score Bobby Witt Jr. The 26-year-old has missed a lot of time in the past three months because of two IL stints due to hand and hamstring injuries, so this is the first time Garcia has had three or more RBI since June 14. When he has played, Garcia is slashing .263/.325/.378 with 38 RBI, 20 doubles, five stolen bases and three homers in 80 games.
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Steven Cruz RP | KC
Royals' Steven Cruz: Shuts door for eighth save
Cruz picked up the save Wednesday against the White Sox, striking out two and allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.
Cruz bounced back from the loss in his last outing to earn his eighth save of the year. The 27-year-old put down two straight White Sox before Braden Montgomery hit a single, but Cruz locked down Sam Antonacci and got him to fly out to give the Royals the 5-4 win. The righty has gotten all his saves since the All-Star break, and has pitched a 3.62 ERA with an impressive 25:2 K:BB over 27.1 innings in that time.
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Erick Fedde RP | CHW
White Sox's Erick Fedde: No-decision in bulk-relief role
Fedde took a no-decision against the Royals on Wednesday, allowing one run (none earned) on four hits and two walks in 2.2 relief innings. He struck out two.
Fedde took over for Bryan Hudson after Hudson allowed three runs to score and only registering one out. The right-hander was probably not meant to enter the game this early, but was able to provide clean innings so the White Sox could come back. The 33-year-old Fedde has posted a 3.83 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 99:52 K:BB in 141 innings and 15 starts this season. The veteran may appear again out of the bullpen as the White Sox have still not clinched a playoff spot.
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Seth Lugo SP | KC
Royals' Seth Lugo: Rough third inning in no-decision
Lugo allowed four runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out three batters over 3.1 innings in a no-decision against the White Sox on Wednesday.
Lugo got six straight outs to start the game, but allowed all of the games' damage in the third inning when the White Sox got four runs off of five hits and 2 hit-by-pitches. The 36-year-old leaves this start allowing the most hits (200) and second most earned runs (99) in the American League. This is likely Lugo's last outing of the 2026 season.
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Daniel Espino RP | CLE
Guardians' Daniel Espino: Opening again Thursday
Espino will serve as the opening pitcher during Thursday's game against the Red Sox, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Espino gave up three earned runs in one inning during his most recent appearance while working as an opener last Friday against the A's, but Cleveland will give him an opportunity to redeem himself Thursday. He'll likely remain in the game for an inning or two before handing the ball over to bulk reliever Joey Cantillo.
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Ryan McMahon 3B | NYY
Yankees' Ryan McMahon: Five RBI in win
McMahon went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 9-2 win over Tampa Bay.
McMahon extended New York's lead to 2-0 in the second inning with a two-out RBI single before breaking the game open with a grand slam off Mason Englert in the third. It was a much-needed performance for McMahon, who'd gone just 1-for-17 in six games prior to Wednesday. Overall, he's slashing .210/.276/.352 across 356 plate appearances this year with 11 homers, 40 RBI and 32 runs scored.
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Ben Rice DH | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Launches 40th, 41st homers
Rice went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in Wednesday's 9-2 win over Tampa Bay.
Rice led off the game with a 379-foot blast off Mason Englert, his 40th homer this season, before adding his 41st in the fourth, tying Yordan Alvarez and Junior Caminero for the AL lead. Overall, the 27-year-old Rice is slashing .263/.362/.537 with 97 RBI, 103 runs scored and three steals across 654 plate appearances in a breakout campaign.
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Gerrit Cole SP | NYY
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Strikes out eight in 10th win
Cole (10-9) earned the win Wednesday over the Rays, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out eight.
Cole ended his regular season on a high note, allowing just four runs over 11.2 innings while striking out 17 in his last two starts -- he had struggled to a 5.96 ERA in his previous four outings. The right-hander held Tampa Bay scoreless Wednesday until Jonny DeLuca's two-out RBI double in the fourth inning before Cedric Mullins added a solo home run in the fifth. Cole will finish the regular season with a 3.61 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 131:25 K:BB across 22 starts (127 innings).