Dalton Varsho takes a seat amid ice cold stretch

Stewart’s homer was a three-run shot off Matthew Liberatore in the bottom of the sixth. The hit gave him 94 RBI this season, which leads MLB. He’s also hitting .259 with 27 homers, 12 stolen bases, and 69 runs scored. He’ll enter 2027 with dual eligibility at first and third base, and he’ll even add second base on sites with a minimum of five games started for position eligibility.

Burns needed 104 pitches to record his 15 outs, allowing six hits and two walks along the way. He’s up to 136 innings this year after totaling 109 1/3 last season between the minors and majors. Burns has had some lower-velocity outings lately but continues to pitch effectively and pile up the strikeouts. He draws a favorable matchup on the road against the Giants next time out.

Pagán allowed a two-run homer to Jordan Walker before ending the comeback attempt. It marked the first runs he’s given up since July 19 as the veteran reliever has performed admirably since returning from injury. The Reds’ offense could limit save chances down the stretch, but Pagán remains Terry Francona’s go-to option in the ninth.

Liberatore finished with a quality start as he struck out nine without walking anyone. All three runs he surrendered came via a Sal Stewart homer in the bottom of the sixth. The left-hander has been inconsistent with a 5.04 ERA on the season, but Wednesday’s outing was one of his better performances despite the late stumble. He’s scheduled for a home start against the Orioles next time out.

The steal was McLain’s 15th of the season as he’s pacing to top last year’s career-best of 18. The high-pedigree infielder hasn’t had a breakout season by any means, but he has enough of a power-speed foundation to warrant interest in deeper fantasy formats, though the batting average below .200 severely hurts his value. McLain has started every game for the Reds since coming off the IL on July 30th, but he’s exclusively hitting in the bottom of the order.

Báez was on the bench for this one as he was 0-for-18 following his three-homer debut. He singled and walked while stealing two bases. Báez swiped 54 in the minors last year and had 21 at Triple-A this season before he was called up this past weekend. The strikeout rate will lead to a volatile performance from here on out, but expect the homers and steals to trickle in.

Freeland left abruptly with two outs in the fourth inning after giving up a pair of homers earlier in the frame. The 33-year-old lefty was charged with four runs over 3 2/3 innings of work. He struck out five and issued one walk. There should be an update on his status and availability for his next start following the contest.

Pasquantino was a key force for the Royals in this come-from-behind victory. He scored their first run in the fourth, homered for their next in the sixth, then drove in the first one in what became a seven-run eighth to take the lead. Just a few days off his most recent trip to the injured list, he has one extra-base hit in all three games and could desperately use a solid finish to what’s otherwise felt like a lost season.

The good news is that the Royals opted to use Cruz with a four-run lead in the ninth inning. Given that he’s earned four of the team’s last five saves, it feels like he has a strong hold on the closer’s role. Yet, Max Muncy hit a long two-run homer off him in this ninth inning to make his night a bit more stressful than it needed to be.

After letting up two runs in the first inning before recording an out, Lugo appeared to settle in nicely afterwards. Following three straight hits to start the game, he retired 12 of the next 13 hitters he faced and he picked-off the only one who reached. Then, the floodgates opened back up in the fifth when four straight singles turned into three more runs. Such is life for a pitcher like Lugo who doesn’t miss many bats anymore. On the season, he has a 4.71 ERA, 111 strikeouts, and 46 walks through 145 1/3 innings pitched. Next up, he’s scheduled for a two-start week against the Blue Jays and Guardians with both starts on the road.