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- Michael Pineda and Marco Estrada were both rough up as they faced each other on Wednesday. Pineda allowed 5 runs on 9 hits in just 3 innings of work. He had just 1 strikeout in the outing. Pineda has been rather inconsistent since June. He now has allowed atleast 5 runs in 4 of his past 7 starts. Estrada issued 4 walks and allowed 5 hits in route to surrendering 6 runs in 4.2 innings. Since June, Estrada has a 9.46 ERA in 7 starts.
- Blake Snell pitched around 4 hits and 4 BB to go 5 scoreless innings against the Cubs. This is a good sign for the high upside Rays starter, but the walks continue to be an issue for him. He will look to improve on this after the All Star break. For the Cubs, Ian Happ was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI in the win. He is hitting .467 with 2 HR and 6 RBI so far in July.
- Gerrit Cole pitched 6 innings of 2 run ball in a win against the Phillies. The Pirates starter had 8 Ks in the effort. He improves to 7-7 on the year with a season ERA of 4.43. Felipe Rivero got 3 strikeouts in the 9th to nail down his 5th save of the year. He appears to be in the drivers seat at closer for the forseeable future. His 0.78 ERA and 0.72 WHIP suggests he can hold the job with great results.
- Keon Broxton went 1 for 3 with a 2-run HR as the Brewers beat the Orioles 4-0. Broxton now has 14 HR and 47 runs scored on the year. For Baltimore, Zach Britton made his 1st appearance since being activated from the DL. He tossed a scoreless inning allowing a single and also walking a batter. The Orioles have said they plan to ease Britton back into the closers role so Brad Brach owners should hold tight for now. Brach pitched a scoreless inning of his own with 2 strikeouts.
- Hunter Pence was 1 for 5 with a triple and 3 RBI in a Giants win over the Tigers. Pence has 34 RBI on the season. Sam Dyson nailed down his 3rd save for the Giants tossing an uneventful 9th. Dyson was cut by the Rangers earlier in the season but has shown improvement since being picked up by San Francisco. Dyson is holding down the closers role while Mark Melancon is on the DL.