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Ronald Acuna Jr. RF | ATL
Braves' Ronald Acuna: Logs two homers in victory
Acuna went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in an 11-3 win over the Marlins on Thursday.
Acuna's homers weren't exactly moonshots -- one was the result of two Marlins outfielders colliding and knocking the ball over the wall, and the other traveled an estimated 337 feet -- but they counted all the same. It was the second multi-homer game of the season for the star outfielder and the 16th time he's achieved the feat in his career. Acuna is slashing .244/.358/.436 with 11 home runs, 27 RBI, 39 runs and 15 stolen bases through 63 contests on the campaign.
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Janson Junk SP | MIA
Marlins' Janson Junk: Lifted after rain delay
Junk (5-7) took the loss against Atlanta on Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one batter over three innings.
Junk threw 47 pitches (26 strikes) before a rain delay held up the game for over an hour. That was enough for Marlins manager Clayton McCullough to decide not to put Junk at risk of an injury by sending him back out to the mound when play resumed. The two runs Junk gave up were on a home run by Ronald Acuna, though the homer was the result of two Marlins outfielders colliding while trying to make the catch and popping the ball over the wall. While this was Junk's shortest outing of the campaign, that obviously comes with an asterisk due to the impact of the weather. The right-hander's arm should at least be relatively fresh the next time he takes the mound, which is projected to be in a matchup versus Pittsburgh.
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Martin Perez SP | ATL
Braves' Martin Perez: Strong start shortened by rain
Perez tossed three scoreless and hitless innings in a no-decision against Miami on Thursday, issuing one walk and striking out three batters.
Perez cruised through three frames, throwing 22 of 35 pitches for strikes and limiting the Marlins to one baserunner (on a second-inning walk that was quickly wiped out by a double play). However, inclement weather delayed the game for over an hour, and Atlanta manager Walt Weiss elected to not send Perez back to the mound after play resumed. Perez nonetheless made another strong impression, improving his season ERA to 3.14. He's now given up just one hit and zero runs across 10 innings over his past two starts. Perez is now projected to next take the mound -- presumably with a pretty fresh arm -- at home versus the Mets early next week.
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Francisco Lindor SS | NYM
Mets' Francisco Lindor: Socks three-run homer
Lindor went 3-for-6 with a three-run home run in Thursday's win over the Guardians.
The star shortstop continues to swing a better bat as of late. Since the All-Star break, Lindor is batting .260 with five homers, three doubles, one triple and 16 RBI covering 77 at-bats. He's now slashing .230/.311/.422 with 10 long balls, 28 RBI, two stolen bases and 30 runs scored over 257 plate appearances in 2026. so Lindor still has a ways to go to climb back toward his career norms.
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Gary Sanchez C | MIL
Brewers' Gary Sanchez: Delivers homer in win
Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Pirates.
After sitting six straight games, Sanchez got the start Thursday while William Contreras received a day of rest. The veteran catcher snapped a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning by taking Braxton Ashcraft deep for a solo home run. Sanchez added a single an inning later for his sixth multi-hit effort of the season. Since the beginning of July, he is batting 7-for-29 (.241) across 11 games. On the year, he owns a .223 batting average with an .818 OPS over 196 plate appearances.
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Jackson Chourio LF | MIL
Brewers' Jackson Chourio: Homers again in win
Chourio went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Pirates.
Chourio wasted little time getting Milwaukee on the board, taking Braxton Ashcraft deep in the first inning to open the scoring. The blast was his second homer of the series and his 15th on the season. Chourio has started August on a solid note, batting 7-for-21 (.333) through six games, with his two home runs accounting for all three of his RBI during that stretch.
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Gregory Soto RP | PIT
Pirates' Gregory Soto: Looks to be out of mix for saves
Soto allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out three across one inning Thursday against the Brewers.
Soto made his second appearance since the trade deadline and entered in the sixth inning on each occasion. He managed to turn in a scoreless inning Monday, but he allowed a double and a single to the first two batters he faced Thursday to surrender an earned run. Soto has turned things around lately by allowing only two earned runs across his last 10.2 innings, but his usage in Pittsburgh's revamped bullpen suggests he's no longer in the mix for saves.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Pirates' Brandon Lowe: Tallies 24th homer
Lowe went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Thursday against the Brewers.
Lowe led off the fourth inning with a home run, his 24th of the season. He's been one of the few bright spots in the Pirates' offense of late, going 18-for-51 (.353) with three home runs, seven RBI and nine runs scored across his last 12 contests. Lowe continues to have an impressive season and is on pace to surpass both 80 runs and RBI in a season for the first time since 2021.
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David Peterson SP | CHC
Cubs' David Peterson: Limits Blue Jays in no-decision
Peterson did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on seven hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings.
Peterson held his own Thursday in a pitching duel with Dylan Cease, who fired seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. His only run allowed came in the first inning on a disengagement violation, which was an unfortunate sequence given that he ended the frame just two pitches later. Peterson then blanked Toronto over his final four innings despite consistently pitching through traffic. Over his last five starts, the left-hander has surrendered just six runs (five earned) across 28.2 innings, lowering his ERA from 6.75 to 5.35 during that stretch. He also owns a 1.50 WHIP and 88:43 K:BB across 106 innings this season.
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Chad Patrick RP | MIL
Brewers' Chad Patrick: Locks down fifth save
Patrick recorded his fifth save Thursday against the Pirates, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning in a 5-2 win.
With Trevor Megill having worked each of the previous two days, Patrick was called upon to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning. He worked around a walk and a single before inducing a game-ending double play to secure his fifth save of the season. Patrick has been dominant to begin August, allowing just two hits across five scoreless innings while piling up 10 strikeouts in four appearances. On the year, he owns a 3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 78:32 K:BB across 85.1 innings.