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Pete Alonso 1B | BAL
Orioles' Pete Alonso: Belts homer No. 20
Alonso went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 9-7 loss to the Cubs.
The slugging first baseman gave Baltimore a brief lead in the fourth inning when he took Colin Rea deep. It was Alonso's first homer in July and his 20th of the season, and while he hasn't yet put together the kind of power surge with his new team that Mets fans grew accustomed to seeing, he's posted a .275/.382/.533 slash line with nine long balls and 26 RBI in 33 games since the beginning of June.
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Tyler O'Neill RF | BAL
Orioles' Tyler O'Neill: Swats two homers in loss
O'Neill went 2-for-2 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's 9-7 loss to the Cubs.
The two teams combined for nine long balls on the night, and O'Neill made his contributions even though he began the game on the bench -- after launching a pinch-hit homer off Drew Pomeranz in the seventh inning, he went yard again in the eighth off Caleb Thielbar as Baltimore tried to put together a late rally from a 9-3 deficit. O'Neill has five homers on the season in 55 contests, but three of them have come in his last 10 plate appearances. Over his last 16 games, the veteran outfielder has compiled a .273/.360/.591 slash line and pushed for consistent playing time, but his 34.0 percent strikeout rate during that stretch remains a red flag.
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Dean Kremer SP | MIN
Orioles' Dean Kremer: Can't keep ball in yard Wednesday
Kremer (1-2) took the loss Wednesday as the Orioles fell 9-7 to the Cubs, giving up four runs -- all on solo home runs -- on six total hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out four.
Pete Crow-Armstrong took Kremer deep twice, while Michael Conforto and Carson Kelly also went back-to-back in the fifth inning. Kremer left the mound after 92 pitches (55 strikes), and while his 24:9 K:B through 22 innings on the season is encouraging, the right-hander has also served up nine homers in his four big-league starts, leading to a 4.09 ERA despite a 1.00 WHIP. However, as long as he can stay healthy, Kremer seems locked into a rotation spot on the other side of the All-Star break, barring some major trade acquisitions by the O's.
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Pablo Reyes RF | SD
Angels' Pablo Reyes: Latches on with Halos
The Angels signed Reyes to a minor-league contract Wednesday.
Reyes recently opted out of his minor-league deal with the Padres after posting a .310/.408/.491 batting line with six home runs, 15 steals and a 35:36 BB:K in 56 games with Triple-A El Paso. The 32-year-old utility player will aim to eventually get a chance in the majors, but he'll report to Triple-A Salt Lake for now.
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Michael Massey 2B | KC
Royals' Michael Massey: Sitting versus southpaw
Massey is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Mets.
With the Mets starting southpaw Sean Manaea, the lefty-swinging Massey will begin Thursday's game on the bench. The hot-hitting Tyler Tolbert will handle second base in Massey's stead.
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Carter Jensen C | KC
Royals' Carter Jensen: Taking seat in Thursday's matinee
Jensen is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.
The left-handed-hitting Jensen started at catcher each of the last two days, so he'll get some rest during Thursday's matinee as the Mets send southpaw Sean Manaea to the bump. Luke Maile is doing the catching and Salvador Perez will play first base for the Royals.
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Max Scherzer SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Max Scherzer: Mixed bag in rehab start
Scherzer (back) was charged with five runs (four earned) on six hits and no walks over four innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday. He struck out five.
It wasn't a great outing from a run-prevention standpoint, but Scherzer picked up 16 whiffs on his 72 pitches, which is encouraging. He averaged 93.4 mph with his four-seamer, which is slightly up from what he's averaged during his time with the Blue Jays this season. Scherzer will pitch in the Florida Complex League on Tuesday and could be back in the majors following the All-Star break, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. Scherzer has a 10.23 ERA in six starts with the big club in 2026.
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Brayan Rocchio SS | CLE
Guardians' Brayan Rocchio: Starts scoring with homer
Rocchio went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Twins.
Rocchio smashed a two-run homer into the second deck in left field to give the Guardians a 2-0 lead. The everyday shortstop for Cleveland struggled in June with a .595 OPS, but he's off to a strong start in July with two homers and a .925 OPS in seven games.
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Alan Roden RF | MIN
Twins' Alan Roden: Walk-off in season debut
Roden went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Wednesday's 6-5 win against Cleveland.
Roden barreled a walk-off single off the wall in center field in his season debut for the Twins. The 26-year-old was promoted Tuesday when Byron Buxton (hip) was placed on the injured list and could help fill the open spot in the lineup. The lefty-batting Rodon hit well in the minors this season, slashing .272/.397/.512 with eight home runs and a 24:25 BB:K in 33 games with St. Paul.