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Yandy Díaz went 1-for-3 with a RBI on Friday against the Padres.
Díaz drove home the only run in what turned out to be an excellent pitchers’ duel between Shane Baz and Michael King with a sac fly. Between both teams, there was just one extra-base hit and very little offense to speak of. Nevertheless, Díaz has done well of late to put a slow first few weeks of the season behind him. He’s reached base in six of his last seven games with two three-hit efforts mixed in that run.
Josh Jung smacked a pair of homers and drove in four runs on Tuesday, leading the Rangers to a 4-1 victory over the Rockies.
Jung opened the scoring before an out had been recorded in the home half of the first inning, crushing a first-pitch fastball from Kyle Freeland for a 396-foot (106.1 mph EV) three-run shot. He added a 392-foot (99.4 mph EV) solo shot off of Zach Agnos in the eighth inning to cap off the scoring in the ballgame. Jung finished the day 3-for-4 and is now hitting .282/.315/.492 with six homers and 16 RBI on the season.
Wyatt Langford went 1-for-4 with a single and a run scored as the Rangers dispatched of the Rockies on Tuesday night.
Langford smacked a single into right field off of Kyle Freeland in the opening inning and then rode home on Josh Jung’s three-run blast. That would be his only hit in the ballgame. The 23-year-old phenom is off to a strong start at the plate this season, slashing .262/.348/.484 with seven homers, 16 RBI and seven stolen bases through his first 33 ballgames.
Shawn Armstrong picked up his first save of the season on Tuesday night, striking out the side in a perfect inning of work against the Rockies.
The Rangers were already down Luke Jackson, who was hit in the hand by a line drive on Monday, and Chris Martin had been removed from the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game due to tightness in his elbow. That left Armstrong with a golden opportunity to protect a three-run advantage in the ninth inning with runners at the corners and nobody out. He made it look awfully easy, needing 17 pitches (11 strikes) to punch out Michael Toglia, Sean Bouchard and Owen Miller in succession. If Jackson and Martin are forced to miss any significant time, Armstrong could find himself in line for more save chances and would be worth a speculative add in deeper mixed leagues.
Jack Leiter picked up his third victory of the season on Tuesday evening, limiting the Rockies to just one run on two hits over six strong frames.
The 25-year-old hurler walked three batters while striking out five on the night. The only blemish on his day came on a two-out RBI single by Hunter Goodman in the opening inning after Jordan Beck had singled and swiped second base. Leiter didn’t allow another hit from that point on. He got 14 whiffs on 89 pitches on the evening, registering a strong CSW of 33 percent. He’ll attempt to replicate this fine performance as he totes a 4.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a 23/14 K/BB ratio (29 innings) into Sunday’s showdown against the Astros.
Hunter Goodman went 2-for-4 and plated the Rockies’ only run in Tuesday night’s loss to the Rangers.
The 25-year-old backstop got the Rockies on the board first as he ripped an RBI single off of Jack Leiter in the top of the first inning. That would wind up being the extent of their offense in the ballgame though. As a team, the Rockies had just five hits on the night, with Goodman the only player on his club to collect more than one. With his two-hit attack, he’s now slashing a terrific .299/.354/.497 to go with six long balls and 25 RBI.
Kyle Freeland logged a quality start in a losing effort against the Rangers on Tuesday night, allowing three runs on six hits across his six frames.
The 31-year-old southpaw piled up five strikeouts on the night while allowing only one base on balls. All of the damage done against him came on one mighty swing of the bat by Josh Jung in the opening inning. Freeland settled in to blank the Rangers over his final five innings, but the Rockies couldn’t overcome the early deficit. Freeland got 13 swings and misses on 84 pitches on the evening, registering a CSW of 30 percent. Now 0-6 on the season, he’ll bring a 6.15 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and a 35/8 K/BB ratio (45 1/3 innings) into Monday’s matchup against the Phillies.