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Chandler Simpson LF | TB
Rays' Chandler Simpson: Exiting lineup Wednesday
Simpson is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Red Sox.
Simpson returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing three starts with left thumb soreness. He went hitless in that contest and the left-handed hitter will now sit out Wednesday's matinee versus Boston southpaw Jake Bennett. Ryan Vilade will cover left field for the Rays.
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Paul Skenes SP | PIT
Pirates' Paul Skenes: Settles for quality start Tuesday
Skenes didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 12-3 loss to the Dodgers, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out seven.
The 24-year-old ace tossed 103 pitches (62 strikes) en route to his first quality start since May 12 and his sixth of the season, but Skenes left the mound with the score tied 2-2 before watching the Pirates' bullpen implode in a 10-run seventh inning for the Dodgers. Skenes will take a 2.84 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 89:15 K:BB through 76 innings into his next outing, which is set to come at home this weekend against the Marlins.
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Patrick Bailey C | CLE
Guardians' Patrick Bailey: Idle for series finale
Bailey is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.
After a string of three straight starts behind the plate, Bailey will end up hitting the bench for a second consecutive game to close out the series with New York. Austin Hedges will get the nod at catcher over Bailey, who is batting .167/.196/.333 with one home run, four RBI and four runs in 17 games for Cleveland since being acquired from San Francisco on May 9.
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Chase DeLauter RF | CLE
Guardians' Chase DeLauter: Sitting against southpaw
DeLauter is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.
The Guardians will roll out a right-handed-heavy lineup to counter Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodon in the series finale, so DeLauter will take a seat Wednesday along with fellow lefty hitters Kyle Manzardo and Steven Kwan. Albeit in a small sample of 80 plate appearances, DeLauter has more than held his own against same-handed pitching this season, slashing .342/.388/.452 versus lefties.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Reaches 2,500 career hits
Freeman went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, two runs scored and an RBI in Tuesday's 12-3 rout of the Pirates.
The veteran first baseman's RBI single in the seventh inning gave Freeman a big personal milestone, as it was his 2,500th career hit, most among all active players. Freeman turns 37 in September, but he seems to have plenty left in the tank, slashing .284/.366/.481 through 64 games on the season with 10 home runs, two steals, 35 runs and 36 RBI. Freeman's current contract runs through 2027, but a realistic shot at becoming the first player since Miguel Cabrera to reach 3,000 hits might encourage the future Hall of Famer to stick around.
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Steven Kwan LF | CLE
Guardians' Steven Kwan: Held out against lefty
Kwan is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.
The Guardians will roll out a right-handed-heavy lineup to counter Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodon in the series finale, so Kwan will take a seat Wednesday along with fellow lefty hitters Chase DeLauter and Kyle Manzardo. Cleveland will go with David Fry in left field in Kwan's stead.
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Kyle Manzardo 1B | CLE
Guardians' Kyle Manzardo: Idle against southpaw
Manzardo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.
The Guardians will roll out a right-handed-heavy lineup to counter Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodon in the series finale, so Manzardo will take a seat Wednesday along with fellow lefty hitters Chase DeLauter and Steven Kwan. Cleveland will go with Rhys Hoskins at first base in Manzardo's stead.
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Andy Pages CF | LAD
Dodgers' Andy Pages: Slugs 15th homer
Pages went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's 12-3 rout of the Pirates.
The 25-year-old center fielder got two plate appearances in the Dodgers' 10-run seventh inning, belting a two-run homer off Wilber Dotel before adding a sacrifice fly when his spot came around again. Pages has gone yard in back-to-back games, although he sat out Sunday's contest in between, and on the season he's slashing .282/.326/.528 with 15 home runs, seven steals, 39 runs and 56 RBI in 66 games.
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Eric Lauer SP | LAD
Dodgers' Eric Lauer: Effective in no-decision Tuesday
Lauer didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 12-3 rout of the Pirates, allowing two runs on three hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.
Back-to-back solo homers by Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O'Hearn in the first inning put Lauer in danger of getting a quick hook, but the veteran southpaw kept his focus and stuck around until finally leaving the mound after 89 pitches (64 strikes) just shy of his second quality start of the season. Lauer has been outstanding since being scooped up by the Dodgers following a rough beginning to the year with the Blue Jays, delivering a 2.76 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB in 16.1 innings over three starts. As long as he remains effective, he'll give Los Angeles little reason to promote a prospect like River Ryan, but Lauer's leash is likely short. He lines up to make his next start at home early next week against the Rays.
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Jake Bennett SP | BOS
Red Sox's Jake Bennett: Joining rotation Wednesday
The Red Sox will recall Bennett from Triple-A Worcester to start Wednesday's game against the Rays at Tropicana Field, Andrew Mahoney of The Boston Globe reports.
As anticipated, Bennett will be stepping into the rotation spot vacated by Brayan Bello, who was optioned to Triple-A last week. Though he reached five innings in both of his first two big-league starts back in early May against the Astros and Rays, Bennett yielded five earned runs on 11 hits and four walks while striking out four across 10.1 frames. However, the 25-year-old lefty has performed as one of the top pitchers in the International League this season, running up a 1.49 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 41:9 K:BB in 42.1 innings over 10 starts for Worcester. With Bello now in the minors and Garrett Crochet (lat) weeks away from a return from the injured list, Bennett could have a pathway to an extended run in the big-league rotation if his performance warrants it.