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Zac Gallen SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen: Goes five innings in no-decision
Gallen did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Rangers, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out one.
It's the first time in five starts that Gallen's failed to make it through six innings -- the right-hander had won his previous two outings, giving up just three runs over 12 innings in that span. Overall, Gallen's ERA sits at 5.31 with a 1.35 WHIP and 131:52 K:BB across 25 starts (144 innings) this season. He's currently lined up to face the Guardians at home his next time out.
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Merrill Kelly SP | ARI
Rangers' Merrill Kelly: Solid vs. former team
Kelly did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Diamondbacks. He gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out five across six innings.
Facing his former team, Kelly turned in a solid bounce-back effort after giving up four runs in just 4.1 frames in his previous outing against the Phillies. The 36-year-old Kelly has held opponents to two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts. His ERA sits at 3.36 with a 1.09 WHIP and 136:44 K:BB across 25 starts (144.2 innings) between Texas and Arizona. Kelly is currently lined up to face the Royals on the road in his next start.
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Ketel Marte 2B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Powers D-Backs to win
Marte went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Rangers.
Marte's fourth hit Wednesday proved to be the decisive blow in Arizona's victory. With two outs in the ninth inning, the second baseman launched a 413-foot homer off Phil Maton to put the D-Backs ahead for good. Marte has now homered in back-to-back games after hitting just one home run in his previous 15 contests. He's gone 10-for-22 (.455) in his last five games, boosting his slash line to .297/.398/.558 with 23 long balls, 54 RBI and 66 runs scored across 387 plate appearances this season.
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Vinnie Pasquantino 1B | KC
Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino: Stays hot in Wednesday's loss
Pasquantino went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and four RBI in Wednesday's 8-7 loss to the Nationals.
The first baseman did his best to get the Royals back into the game after they fell behind 5-0 in the top of the first inning, driving in Kansas City's first run with a groundout in the bottom of the first and then adding a three-run shot off Jake Irvin in the fourth. Pasquantino has three homers and 11 RBI in the last four games, and over 19 contests since his last day off July 22, he's batting .240 (18-for-75) with seven of his 22 long balls on the season, plus 23 of his 80 RBI.
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Phil Maton RP | CHC
Rangers' Phil Maton: Takes loss, blown save
Maton (2-4) was stuck with the loss and a blown save in Wednesday's 6-4 defeat against Arizona. He allowed four runs on two hits and a walk while striking out three over 1.1 innings.
With the Rangers protecting a one-run lead, Maton managed to strike out Tyler Locklear for the final out in the eighth inning. However, it was a different story in the ninth -- after striking out the first two batters in the frame, Maton gave up a solo home run to James McCann. He'd proceed to hit a batter and issue a walk before Ketel Marte launched a go-ahead, three-run blast. Maton had allowed just one home run this season before Wednesday and had given up one run on two hits in his first five innings with the Rangers. Despite the hiccup, Maton figures to share closing duties with Robert Garcia down the stretch. His ERA sits at 3.02 with a 1.10 WHIP and 55 strikeouts across 44.2 innings between Texas and St. Louis this year.
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Carlos Estevez RP | KC
Royals' Carlos Estevez: Tagged with fifth loss
Estevez (4-5) took the loss Wednesday, giving up one run on two hits and one walk in the ninth inning as the Royals fell 8-7 to the Nationals. He struck out one.
The Kansas City closer entered a tie game in the top of the ninth and couldn't hold the visitors at bay, serving up a one-out double to Luis Garcia and an RBI single to Daylen Lile. Estevez has 30 saves on the season, one shy of the career high he set with the Angels in 2023, but he's struggled to find consistency since the beginning of July -- over his last 17.2 innings, he's posted a 4.58 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB while blowing three of his 11 save chances.
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Gustavo Campero LF | LAA
Angels' Gustavo Campero: Facing extended absence
Campero was diagnosed with a high left ankle sprain Wednesday and is expected to miss a significant amount of time, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
It's unclear if Campero's injury will force him to miss the rest of the season, but the Angels likely won't be in a hurry to rush him back given their unfavorable position in the race for a postseason spot. With the 27-year-old out, Taylor Ward, Bryce Teodosio and Jo Adell will presumably work as the Angels' primary outfield trio until Jorge Soler (back) returns from the IL.
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Seth Lugo SP | KC
Royals' Seth Lugo: Mashed by Nats in no-decision
Lugo came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 8-7 loss to the Nationals, coughing up seven runs (six earned) on six hits and four walks over four innings. He struck out two.
The veteran righty served up two homers, including a first-inning grand slam to Nathaniel Lowe, before getting the hook after 92 pitches (53 strikes), but Lugo escaped a loss when Kansas City was able to tie the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the eighth. Lugo's two worst outings of the season have been his last two, as he's been tagged for 13 earned runs in just eight innings. Over 30.1 innings since the All-Star break he's labored to a 7.42 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and 22:16 K:BB. The Royals have a day off Thursday and have some options if they want to give Lugo extra rest, but he currently lines up to make his next start at home early next week against the Rangers.
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Max Muncy 3B | LAD
Dodgers' Max Muncy: Battling side injury
Muncy was scratched from the lineup ahead of Wednesday's game versus the Angels due to right side soreness, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Muncy's side began bothering him while he was hitting in the cages prior to Wednesday's contest, so the Dodgers decided to sit him down as a precaution. The 34-year-old is being considered day-to-day for now, and he'll benefit from an additional day off Thursday to recover before Los Angeles begins a three-game series against San Diego.
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Andrew Saalfrank RP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Andrew Saalfrank: Earns first big-league save
Saalfrank delivered a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record the save in a 6-4 victory over the Rangers.
With Jalen Beeks unavailable after pitching Tuesday and Kyle Backhus working in the seventh inning, it was Saalfrank who got the call for the save after Arizona took the lead with four runs in the top half of the ninth inning. The left-hander got the job done, setting down the top of the Rangers order to earn his first major-league save. The 27-year-old Saalfrank has been impressive since rejoining the Diamondbacks in early July. He's allowed just one run while striking out nine in his first 14 MLB innings this year, establishing himself as a high-leverage option down the stretch.