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Jesse Chavez RP | ATL
Braves' Jesse Chavez: Serves up game-winning homer
Chavez (1-2) took the loss and was charged with his first blown save of the season Monday against Milwaukee, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk over one inning of relief. He failed to strike out a batter.
The 40-year-old righty entered the game in the sixth inning with Atlanta ahead 2-1, but a Willy Adames three-run homer put the Brewers in the lead for good. Chavez has served up eight long balls in 46.1 innings this season, but he's still managed to post a sharp 2.33 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 39:14 K:BB in a lower-leverage role.
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Spencer Steer 1B | CIN
Reds' Spencer Steer: Expected to move to LF
Steer is expected to move to left field once Ty France joins the Reds, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
Cincinnati acquired France on Monday, but he's not yet with the club. He is expected to be the team's primary first baseman. Collectively, the Reds' first basemen are batting .216 (24th in MLB) with a .631 OPS (28th), although that isn't the fault of Steer, who has played 53 games there in 2024; underperforming players like Christian Encarnacion-Strand (wrist, 60-day IL) and Jeimer Candelario are the main culprits. Bringing in France allows manager David Bell to deploy Steer in left field, which has been another unproductive spot in the lineup.
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Slade Cecconi SP | CLE
Diamondbacks' Slade Cecconi: Fires two scoreless relief innings
Cecconi struck out three over two hitless and scoreless relief innings in Monday's 9-8 win over the Nationals.
Cecconi was called up Monday from Triple-A Reno, where he had been shifted from starter to the bullpen. The Diamondbacks like that his velocity jumped in shorter stints, so it's likely he remains in the bullpen. While a starter with Arizona earlier this season, Cecconi had trouble getting deep into games and facing lineups a third time.
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Kevin Newman 3B | LAA
Diamondbacks' Kevin Newman: Fills in at first base
Newman entered Monday's game after Christian Walker (oblique) was removed following the third inning and went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in a 9-8 win over Washington.
Walker is set to undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury, which could lead to steadier playing time for Newman. The utility infielder was a common feature in Arizona's lineup earlier in the season, but his playing time dried up when Geraldo Perdomo came off the injured list in June. If Walker's injury requires significant downtime, the Diamondbacks could make a move to add a player with more familiarity at first base than Newman, who has 10 games of experience at the position during his MLB career.
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Brandon Marsh LF | PHI
Phillies' Brandon Marsh: Homers in loss
Marsh went 2-for-4 with a soo home run and an additional RBI in a loss to the Yankees on Monday.
Marsh hit a solo homer in the fourth inning and added an RBI single in the sixth. The outfielder has gone deep twice in his past three games and is batting .417 (5-for-12) over that stretch. With Monday's long ball, Marsh is up to 11 homers on the campaign, one short of the career-high mark he established last season.
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Zack Wheeler SP | PHI
Phillies' Zack Wheeler: Stumbles against Yankees
Wheeler (10-5) took the loss against the Yankees on Monday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out six batters over five innings.
Wheeler fell behind early, giving up three runs on a trio of solo homers over the first two frames. He got through the following two innings without additional damage but then collapsed in the fifth, surrendering four runs on four hits, including a double and a triple. The seven runs were the second-most Wheeler has given up this season, as were the three long balls. He took his first loss since June 16 versus Baltimore, which was also the game in which he gave up season highs with eight runs and four homers.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Hits third homer
Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Rangers.
Carpenter has essentially been a bench bat throughout July, and with the Cardinals looking to buy ahead of the trade deadline, his role may be further reduced down the stretch. The 38-year-old is slashing just .255/.322/.377 with three homers, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and four doubles across 118 plate appearances this season. Alec Burleson and Willson Contreras continue to see most of the playing time at designated hitter, and Carpenter's in no position to challenge Paul Goldschmidt for first base.
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C.J. Abrams SS | WAS
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Reaches 20-steal mark
Abrams went 1-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 9-8 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Abrams has had an inconsistent July, batting .170 (16-for-94) while logging six steals over 24 contests this month. The 23-year-old's still regularly hitting leadoff and that's unlikely to change with the Nationals focusing on the future for the remainder of the campaign. The shortstop has a .256/.331/.457 slash line, 15 home runs, 20 steals, 51 RBI and 64 runs scored over 99 contests this season.
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Alex Call LF | LAD
Nationals' Alex Call: Clubs homer in win
Call went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and two walks in Monday's 9-8 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Call got the start in right field following the trades of Jesse Winker and Lane Thomas over the last few days. The outfielder previously went 5-for-16 (.313) over his first seven games of the season, but he was sent down to Triple-A Rochester in early May. He'll have a chance to carve out a starting role, though it's expected Call will have to compete with Travis Blankenhorn -- who is expected to be recalled from Rochester on Tuesday -- for playing time in right field. Top prospect Dylan Crews will also likely be called up at some point in the second half, further crowding the Nationals' outfield.
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Mitchell Parker RP | WAS
Nationals' Mitchell Parker: No-decision versus Arizona
Parker allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three over five innings in a no-decision versus the Diamondbacks.
Parker was unlucky to take the loss, as the Nationals had an 8-2 lead when he was relieved by Jacob Barnes. This was an improvement for Parker, who had given up at least five runs in three of his four previous starts. The southpaw is now at a 4.31 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 84:26 K:BB through 100.1 innings over 19 starts. He'll look to snap a seven-start winless skid in his next outing, which is projected to come at home versus the Brewers this weekend.