Marlins send down Brzykcy

Valdez did it again, homering in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. This time, he put the Pirates on the board with a two-run blast off Shane Drohan in the fourth inning. It was his third home run of the day after mashing two in the first game and his 10th of the season in just 100 plate appearances while slashing .311/.370/.722.

After Gregory Soto converted a save in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Brewers, Montgomery got the chance in the second game with a one-run lead. He worked around a walk, striking out two batters to shut the door on Milwaukee for his first save as the Pirates swept the doubleheader.

Chandler quieted the Brewers’ bats through four innings before giving up two runs on three hits in the fifth. With three walks and six strikeouts, he drove his pitch count up to 97 with two outs in the inning before he was replaced on the mound. The 23-year-old right-hander ends the first half with a 4.77 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and an 85/55 K/BB ratio across 94 1/3 innings.

Drohan held the Pirates scoreless through three innings before Esmerlyn Valdez took him deep for a two-run blast in the fourth. Two hits in the sixth would bring a third run in for the Pirates. Drohan started the seventh inning, recording the first out before his day was over at 83 pitches. He struck out six. The 27-year-old left-hander holds a 3.09 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and a 67/20 K/BB ratio across 70 innings at the All-Star break.

Vilade entered the game as a pinch-hitter with two runners on and two outs in the seventh inning to face left-handed Gabe Speier. He came through for the Rays with a three-run blast to extend the lead with his seventh homer of the season. The 27-year-old has been limited to playing time against left-handed pitching, slashing .261/.323/.471 with 31 RBI across 156 plate appearances.

Williamson had a perfect day at the plate, collecting hits in all four at-bats. He started with a double to drive in a run in the second inning, then singled and stole a base in the fourth. After knocking a base hit in the sixth, he singled for his fourth hit and scored a run in the eighth. The 25-year-old infielder is hitting .253/.321/.338 with two homers, 26 runs scored, and 23 RBI across 219 plate appearances.

Jax stranded the bases loaded in the first inning with a pair of strikeouts, then gave up a run on a hit and sacrifice fly in the second. He tossed three more scoreless innings, ending his day with three strikeouts over five innings. The 31-year-old right-hander has done well in the rotation, posting a 2.80 ERA over 61 innings as a starter.

It seems like really weird timing, as Coulombe pitched two scoreless frames to finish off Boston’s 4-0 shutout of the Mets on Saturday. However, the appearance was his 29th, and he’s about to start collecting bonuses upon No. 30 of the year. The Red Sox might give Tyler Samaniego another look in his place.

Gilbert tossed a scoreless first inning, then gave up a run on a single and a double in the second. Back-to-back doubles to start the third brought a second run in for the Rays in the third inning. Gilbert, pitching into the seventh, gave up a double and a walk before leaving at 96 pitches with two outs in the frame. Both inherited runners would come in to score. The 29-year-old right-hander ends the first half with a 3.32 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 119/24 K/BB ratio across 114 innings.

Monasterio homered off Freddy Peralta in the fourth to start the scoring. That proved to be sufficient for Boston’s pitching staff, but the Red Sox did get some insurance in the form of another two-run homer from Masataka Yoshida in the eighth. Monasterio’s homer off Peralta was his fifth of the year but his first off of a righty; he was hitting just .195/.213/.253 in 89 plate appearances versus righties coming into the day. The triple was the second of his career and first since 2023.