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Brycen Mautz RP | STL
Cardinals' Brycen Mautz: Pitching in relief at Memphis
Mautz's last two appearances at Triple-A Memphis have come in relief. He's tossed four scoreless frames with a 4:0 K:BB in those outings.
The lefty's two relief outings came after a five-start stretch that saw him post a 4.58 ERA and 16:22 K:BB over 19.2 innings. It's unclear whether Mautz's shift to the bullpen is permanent, but if it is, it could lead to a quicker big-league promotion. Righties have slashed .222/.361/.349 off Mautz this season, while lefties have hit only .189/.324/.267.
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Nick Gonzales 3B | PIT
Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Big day in twin bill
Gonzales went 4-for-8 with a solo home run and two additional runs scored across both games of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Yankees.
The infielder took Gerrit Cole deep in the matinee before accounting for two of the Pirates' three hits in the nightcap. Gonzales has six homers on the season, and three of them have come in July as he's compiled a dazzling .397/.461/.618 slash line through 17 games on the month with six doubles, 11 RBI and 14 runs.
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Bubba Chandler SP | PIT
Pirates' Bubba Chandler: Quality start wasted in twin bill
Chandler didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Yankees, allowing two hits and a walk over 6.1 scoreless innings. He struck out five.
The right-hander put together arguably his best outing of the season, firing 57 of 84 pitches for strikes in his third quality start of 2026, but he left the mound with the score tied 0-0 in an eventual 2-0 victory for New York. Chandler has given up two earned runs of fewer in five of his last seven trips to the mound, posting a 3.76 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 28:16 K:BB over 38.1 innings during that stretch. He'll look for his first win in July in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Diamondbacks.
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Gregory Soto RP | PIT
Pirates' Gregory Soto: Collects 13th save
Soto recorded his 13th save of the season in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Yankees, striking out one in a perfect 10th inning.
The southpaw did send the phantom runner to third base on a wild pitch as he looked to protect a 5-3 lead, but Soto left him stranded thanks to two popups and a strikeout of Cody Bellinger. Soto has been struggling over the summer, blowing three of nine save chances since the beginning of June, but he may be turning things around in July, getting scored upon just once in six appearances while posting a 1.35 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 6:3 K:BB over 6.2 innings.
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Mitch Keller SP | PIT
Pirates' Mitch Keller: Blanks Yanks in no-decision
Keller didn't factor into the decision in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Yankees, allowing three hits and two walks over five scoreless innings. He struck out six.
The Pirates needed 10 innings to win the matinee, denying Keller his seventh win of the season despite a strong performance. The veteran righty has given up three earned runs or fewer in five of his last six outings, posting a 4.31 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB in 31.1 innings over that stretch. He'll look to get back in the win column in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Diamondbacks.
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Casey Schmitt LF | SF
Giants' Casey Schmitt: Belts homer No. 20
Schmitt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Royals.
The infielder took Steven Cruz deep with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Giants couldn't find an equalizer afterward. Schmitt is up to 20 homers on the season, including four in 17 contests in July, but his .229/.280/.429 slash line on the month is less appealing.
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Jackson Merrill CF | SD
Padres' Jackson Merrill: Not starting versus Sale
Merrill is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Atlanta.
Southpaw ace Chris Sale is on the bump for Atlanta, so the left-handed-hitting Merrill will begin the contest on the bench. Jase Bowen will grab a start in center field in the series finale.
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Landen Roupp SP | SF
Giants' Landen Roupp: Fans seven in no-decision
Roupp didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Royals, allowing two runs on four hits over six-plus innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.
The right-hander took a shutout into the seventh inning, but manager Tony Vitello left Roupp in a little too long as he surrendered a double to Vinnie Pasquantino and a homer to Salvador Perez before being lifted. Roupp had to settle for his 10th quality start of the season and his third straight in July -- over 21 innings this month he's produced a 1.29 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Brewers.
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Griffin Canning RP | SD
Padres' Griffin Canning: Following opener Thursday
Canning will be used as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Kyle Hart for Thursday's contest in Atlanta, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The Atlanta lineup features three left-handers in its top four spots (Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Michael Harris), so San Diego will have the left-handed Hart cover the first inning or two before the right-handed Canning takes over. Righties have posted a .628 OPS against Canning this season, while lefties have pummeled him for a .939 OPS.