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Joey Wentz SP | ATL
Braves' Joey Wentz: Clean outing in no-decision
Wentz did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two hits and one walk over four scoreless innings in a 12-9 loss against the Yankees. He struck out two.
Wentz pitched well with four shutout frames, though the Atlanta bullpen followed with a disastrous performance. The southpaw has bounced between three teams this season with mixed results, but he's off to a strong start in Atlanta, posting seven scoreless innings across two appearances. Saturday marked his first start of the year, so it remains to be seen whether he sticks in the rotation or shifts back to a bullpen role.
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Kyle Finnegan RP | DET
Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Rebounds for 19th save
Finnegan earned the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Padres, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Finnegan was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning and needed just 10 pitches to do so. It was a strong rebound for the 33-year-old after surrendering eight runs over his previous two appearances, including a five-run loss Friday. He's now 19-for-25 in save chances this season with a 4.25 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 29:13 K:BB across 36 innings.
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Otto Lopez SS | MIA
Marlins' Otto Lopez: Carries offense in Saturday's win
Lopez went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Royals.
After bringing home Xavier Edwards with an RBI grounder in the first inning, Lopez broke open a 1-1 tie in the eighth with his 11th double of the season, and second in as many games coming out of the All-Star break. Clutch hitting has become the 26-year-old infielder's forte over the last month -- Lopez has driven in an astonishing 27 runs in his last 21 games, a stretch in which he's batting .282 (24-for-85) with five homers, two steals and 15 runs scored.
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Ketel Marte 2B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Expected back Sunday
Marte (personal) is in Arizona and is likely to return to the Diamondbacks' lineup Sunday versus St. Louis, per SI.com.
Marte was placed on the restricted list Friday while dealing with a personal matter. The All-Star second baseman missed Arizona's first two games of the second half as a result, but it appears he'll be back in action Sunday. Blaze Alexander has started at the keystone for the Diamondbacks in each of the two contests that Marte has been absent for.
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Anthony Bender RP | MIA
Marlins' Anthony Bender: Collects third save
Bender struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his third save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Royals.
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough continues to mix and match his high-leverage options, as none of them have really stepped up to seize the closing job. Calvin Faucher blew a save chance in the ninth inning Friday, while Ronny Henriquez worked the eighth inning both Friday and Saturday, leaving the ninth to Bender in the latter contest. Two of Bender's saves on the season have come since July 7, and he's riding an 11-appearance shutout streak in which he's posted a 0.62 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB over 11.1 innings with two wins and five holds. That impressive stretch could earn him more save chances, but it could also make him a prime candidate to get moved at the trade deadline.
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Michael Burrows SP | HOU
Pirates' Mike Burrows: Strikes out six in no-decision
Burrows did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 10-4 loss to the White Sox, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts over five innings.
Burrows opened with four scoreless innings before allowing two runs in the fifth and exiting with a lead the bullpen quickly squandered. It was a solid rebound after he surrendered six runs in his previous start, but the 25-year-old was limited to just 76 pitches and has yet to complete six frames in any of his 10 starts this season. He'll carry a 4.70 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 48:19 K:BB across 46 innings into a challenging matchup with the Diamondbacks next weekend.
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Cal Quantrill RP | TEX
Marlins' Cal Quantrill: Blanks KC in quality start
Quantrill came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Royals, scattering two hits over six scoreless innings. he struck out three without walking a batter.
The right-hander produced his best performance of the season, retiring the last 10 batters he faced and not letting a runner get into scoring position in his first quality start of the year. Quantrill got denied his first win since May 18 when Ronny Henriquez served up a game-tying homer to Salvador Perez in the eighth inning, however. While Saturday's outing was the first time in 2025 he'd lasted six innings, Quantrill has given up three earned runs or fewer in seven of eight starts since the beginning of June. posting a 4.46 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 32:8 K:BB over 38.1 innings during that stretch. He'll look to keep rolling in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come next weekend on the road in Milwaukee.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Homers again in win
Harper went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and an additional run scored in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Angels.
Harper followed up a two-homer performance Friday with a two-run blast in the eighth inning to extend the Phillies' lead to four. While the slugger's six-game hitting streak is modest, it includes a whopping 11 extra-base hits, seven RBI, nine runs scored and a steal. For the year, he's slashing .272/.383/.498 with 13 long balls, 41 RBI, 42 runs scored, and nine stolen bases across 311 plate appearances.
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Clay Holmes SP | CHC
Mets' Clay Holmes: Tough stretch continues
Holmes (8-5) took the loss Saturday, coughing up five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings as the Mets fell 5-2 to the Reds. He struck out three.
The right-hander got staked to an early 2-0 lead, but Holmes couldn't make it hold up as he had trouble putting away hitters when he needed to. The converted reliever may be wearing down -- Holmes has been tagged for five runs in two of his last three starts and hasn't struck out more than five batters in any of his last seven, stumbling to a 4.59 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 21:20 K:BB through 35.1 innings over the latter stretch. Holmes will try to right the ship in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend in San Francisco.
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Emilio Pagan RP | CIN
Reds' Emilio Pagan: Sets new career high in saves
Pagan allowed a hit and a run while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his 21st save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Mets.
The 34-year-old righty established a career high in saves, surpassing the 20 he collected in 2019 -- the only other time he's reached double digits in his big-league career. Pagan is doing his best to improve his trade value as the deadline approaches, and over his last 10 appearances he's posted a 0.96 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB in 9.1 innings while converting all four of his save chances.