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  • Bailey Ober strikes out eight in win over Tigers
    Bailey Ober worked six innings and allowed three runs — one earned — in a victory over the Tigers on Thursday.

    Advice: Ober struck out eight and walked none. He has a 27/3 K/BB ratio in his last three starts and a 100/23 K/BB ratio in 94 innings for the year. The 4.12 ERA still isn’t great, but everything else is exactly what one would expect from him. He’ll face the White Sox next. Rotoworld 20 minutes ago
     
  • Ruled out through All-Star break
    Astros manager Joe Espada said Thursday that Verlander (neck) will not return prior to the All-Star break, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: Verlander has resumed playing catch and appears to be making some progress as he works his way back from neck soreness. However, it's been about three weeks since he's thrown off a mound, and he'll surely need at least one rehab start before returning. The 41-year-old should be back before the end of July if he can avoid setbacks. Rotowire.com Today, 9:17 am
     
  • Moves up to No. 3 spot
    Merrill will start in center field and bat third in Thursday's game versus the Rangers.

    Advice: Merrill had one start out of the leadoff spot back in mid-April and batted fifth a couple times last month, but this will be his first-ever start from the third spot in the Padres' batting order. The rookie outfielder has earned the assignment by slashing a robust .352/.380/.727 with nine home runs, 21 RBI and two stolen bases over his last 23 games. Jake Cronenworth has typically hit third since Fernando Tatis (quad) went down and has a day off Thursday, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Merrill receive more opportunities from the middle of the San Diego batting order. Rotowire.com Today, 9:04 am
     
  • Jackson Merrill hitting 3rd for Padres
    Jackson Merrill is starting in center field and batting third for the Padres on Thursday.

    Advice: This is Merrill’s first start as a three-hole hitter and it’s certainly earned after he hit .320/.346/.650 in June with nine home runs, 17 runs, 20 RBI, and two steals in 28 games. If that power holds up and he continues to hit in the middle of the order, his fantasy stock will rise dramatically. Rotoworld Today, 9:02 am
     
  • Homers again in win
    Rooker went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in Wednesday's win over the Angels.

    Advice: Rooker singled in his second at-bat before adding a leadoff homer in the bottom of the sixth to extend Oakland's lead to four runs. The outfielder went on to reach three times in the contest, posting multiple hits for the third time in his last six games. Rooker has also homered in two straight and in four of his last seven games overall. Over that latter stretch he's batting .370 (10-for-27) with five RBI and four runs scored. Rotowire.com Today, 6:01 am
    Brent RookerOAK - OF
    W, 7-5 vs LAA
    New Player Note
     
  • Records 10th steal
    Merrill went 2-for-5 with one RBI and one stolen base in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Rangers.

    Advice: Merrill stole his first base since June 9. Over the 20 games between thefts, the rookie outfielder impressed, hitting .347 with nine home runs, 19 RBI and 14 runs scored. For the season, he's at a .293/.326/.458 slash line with 12 homers, 10 steals, 43 RBI and 39 runs scored over 86 contests while taking on a near-everyday role in center field. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 11:19 pm
     
  • Locks down 21st save
    Suarez struck out two over 1.1 perfect innings to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Rangers.

    Advice: Suarez went a week without an appearance, so he was fresh Wednesday. He needed just 14 pitches (10 strikes) to get the last four outs of this victory, which resulted in his 21st save in 22 chances this year. The Padres' closer has been dominant with a 1.05 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 32:6 K:BB over 34.1 innings. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 10:55 pm
     
  • Strikes out eight in quality start
    Imanaga allowed three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings in a no-decision versus the Phillies.

    Advice: Imanaga held his own versus a tough opponent, though he allowed home runs to Rafael Marchan and Alec Bohm. This was Imanaga's fourth quality start in his last five outings, the exception being a 10-run anomaly facing the Mets on June 21. The southpaw is now at a 3.16 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 92:15 K:BB through 91 innings over 16 starts this season. He's projected for another challenging opponent next week when he's lined up to for a road start in Baltimore. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:45 pm
     
  • Brent Rooker collects three hits, homers vs. Angels
    Brent Rooker went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in the Athletics’ 5-0 win over the Angels on Wednesday.

    Advice: Rooker knocked a base hit in the third inning, then led off the sixth with a solo blast off Davis Daniel. He added another single in the seventh for his third hit of the game. The 29-year-old slugger is hitting .269/.343/.530 with 17 homers, 49 RBI, and three steals across 300 plate appearances. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:04 pm
    Brent RookerOAK - OF
    W, 7-5 vs LAA
    New Player Note