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    Zac Thornton gives up three runs in loss to Padres

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    NYM Starting Pitcher
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    Zac Thornton surrendered three runs in five innings Tuesday in a loss to the Padres.

    Two of the runs came in the fifth, an inning that featured two incidents of gloves flying off the hands of Mets fielders. The first of those was on Jake Cronenworth’s fly to left to start the inning. A.J. Ewing caught the ball on a dive, only for his glove to be dislodged when he hit the ground. That resulted in a single. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with a homer. Luis Rengifo then grounded down the third base line. Bo Bichette got to the ball but made a bad throw, and Christopher Morel had his glove come off while trying and failing to make a swipe tag at first. No runs followed after that, but it was still funny. Thornton dropped to 3-4 with a 3.04 ERA. He’ll face the Brewers next Tuesday.
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    Thornton is a bit of a throwback as a cutter-heavy lefty who pitches to contact and lets his defense make plays behind him. It got a little dicey early in this start though when the Braves were hitting laser beams all over the park and putting consistent traffic on the bases. Yet, Thornton forced a timely double play to subdue a threat in the third inning and benefited from a baserunning blunder by Ronald Acuña Jr. in the fifth to limit the damage. Without forcing many whiffs or generating many strikeouts, his start-by-start consistency will be determined by batted ball luck and how much he can grit his teeth to get through those jams. On the season, he has a 2.78 ERA, 29 strikeouts, and 13 walks through 45 1/3 innings. Next up, he’s scheduled to face the Padres at home.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher
    The left-handed rookie Thornton continues to cruise. He was forced to sit for an hour during a rain delay in this one and did not miss a beat. Most of the hard contact he allowed was on the ground and his cutter jammed more than a few of the Pirates’ right-handed hitters. He is not flashy and won’t miss many bats, but Thornton now has a 2.52 ERA across 39 1/3 innings this season. Also, he likely left this game with just 63 pitches because of the hour he sat during the delay. Next up, he’s scheduled to face the Braves in Atlanta.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher
    Thornton didn’t give up much hard contact today, but he did allow a two-run homer to Javier Sanoja in the second. The other runs came following an error from Francisco Lindor to start the first and a HBP to open the fourth. Thornton dropped to 2-2 with a 2.88 ERA through six starts. He’ll pitch in Pittsburgh next weekend.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher
    Thornton gave up six hits, walked one and struck out five. He improved to 2-1 in five starts. Thornton allowed four runs in his first MLB start, but has since put up four consecutive quality starts. That’ll do. Thornton’s 3.83 xFIP shows he’s not as good as his 2.43 ERA, but he’s displayed enough skills to be interesting to fantasy managers. Thornton’s lined up to face the Marlins at home on Saturday.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher
    As we’ve come to expect from Thornton in his last three outings, he threw plenty of strikes with a deep pitch mix and didn’t miss many bats, but also didn’t allow a lot of hard contact. The rookie threw 65 percent of his pitches for strikes but had just a seven percent swinging strike rate, the lowest of any of his games this season. He actually got into plenty of two-strike counts but was simply unable to put Brewers’ hitters away. Thornton has good command and a deep arsenal, which makes some of what he’s doing feel realistic, but his lack of strikeout upside makes him more of a deeper league fantasy play.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher
    This should have been Thornton’s first big-league victory, but Francisco Lindor botched a game-ending double play in the ninth and Devin Williams couldn’t pick him up afterwards. Thornton allowed just two hits, walked two and struck out five, using only 82 pitches to get his 21 outs. He definitely made a good case for sticking around as the Mets’ fifth starter, and interim manager Andy Green confirmed after the game that he’d keep the spot following the break. He’s an option in NL-only and deep mixed leagues.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher
    Thornton will start for the Mets in Sunday’s first half finale against the Red Sox. The 24-year-old southpaw has made two starts for the big league club this season, registering a 4.35 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 10/3 K/BB ratio over 10 1/3 innings. He could be worth a look as a streaming option on Sunday and is likely to get a real shot to stick in the team’s rotation at some point in the second half.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher
    Thorton figures to draw the starting assignment instead of Kodai Senga and should factor into New York’s rotation plans down the home stretch, especially if they decide to move some pitching talent at the trade deadline in a couple weeks.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher
    Thornton earns a ticket back to the minors with Christian Scott coming off the injured list. The 24-year-old rookie struck out seven and allowed one run over six innings during a no-decision against the Phillies on Friday night. He figures to get an extended opportunity in New York’s rotation in the second half, especially if they remain out of playoff contention, but he’s going to have to wait for now.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher
    Things did not start out well for Thornton here. Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper greeted him rudely with three consecutive hits to score a run. Then, first baseman Jared Young bailed him out with an excellent diving play to save multiple runs. From there, it was smooth sailing. He allowed just three more baserunners after the Phillies’ initial flurry and forced 13 swings-and-misses. His cutter was the star of the show as his primary pitch to both righties and lefties and he commanded it quite well. This successful audition likely puts him in position to remain in the Mets’ rotation. If so, he’s in for a tough test against the Braves in Atlanta.

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    Adley Rutschman is getting the day off Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

    Rutschman DH’d when he didn’t catch Sunday, but this one will be a full day off. The Red Sox have Connor Wong behind the plate and Mickey Gasper DHing.
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    Even though the Twins are facing a righty, Trevor Larnach has been dropped to sixth in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Braves.

    Larnach was replaced by Luke Keaschall in the leadoff spot Tuesday, but he still hit second then because Byron Buxton was resting. With Buxton back today, Larnach is hitting in the bottom half of the order against a righty for the first time since June 9. Larnach is 5-for-32 with just one walk and one run scored in his last nine games, and he’s definitely a weaker option in mixed leagues while batting lower in the lineup.
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    Gavin Sheets is on the bench against a right-hander Wednesday versus the Mets.

    Sheets homered Sunday and singled and scored Monday, but he didn’t play Tuesday against a lefty and now he’s sitting in favor of Sung-Mun Song versus Robert Stock. The Padres have Manny Machado DHing today, but they could have used Sheets in left and Luis Regnifo in third. Instead, if’s Rengifo in left and Song at third.
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    Robert Murray of FanSided reports that the Phillies are signing Nestor Cortes (arm) to a one-year deal.

    Cortes will get an MLB deal, which makes sense considering the deal will be prorated and there’s not much season left. The southpaw has not pitched since 2025 after undergoing surgery in the middle of October that year. While he has a starting background, there isn’t much time for to build into that role. A muti-inning option out of the bullpen for the remainder of 2026.
    - Christopher Crawford
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    Mets interim manager Andy Green told reporters that Jorge Polanco is likely to undergo surgery on his ankle.

    Polanco was placed on the injured list before Wednesday’s game against the Padres with ankle bursitis. The 33-year-old has had a disastrous first season with the Mets that has seen him deal with injuries and ineffectiveness when available. If he does undergo the operation, it will all but assuredly mean he’s played his last game in 2026. That may be true, either way.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • NYY Left Fielder #35
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    Cody Bellinger (hamstring) could return to the lineup for the Yankees by Sunday.

    Bellinger will play Thursday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. If that game — and likely at least one more contest — goes well, the 31-year-old could be back for the series finale Sunday against the Blue Jays. Even Bellinger needs a day or two more in the minors, it’s a positive development for the Yankees and fantasy managers.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • NYM Center Fielder #88
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    Luis Robert Jr. is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s tilt against the Padres.

    Robert will get a break for the series finale against San Diego. Brett Baty will play in left field with Robert out, and A.J. Ewing will get the start in center.
    - Christopher Crawford
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    Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that the Phillies are currently discussing a potential deal with Nestor Cortes (biceps).

    Cortes has been out for all of 2026 while recovering from surgery on his left arm. There’s no guarantee that the 31-year-old will be able to pitch in 2026, but he could be a potential multi-inning option for the final month — and potentially the postseason — for Philadelphia.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • NYM Starting Pitcher #43
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    Mets recalled RHP Chayce McDermott from Triple-A Syracuse.

    McDermott gives the Mets a multi-inning option out of the bullpen. He takes the roster spot of Jack Weisenburger, who was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding transaction.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • NYM 1st Baseman #39
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    Mets recalled INF Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse.

    Wagaman is up with Jorge Polanco (ankle) once again being placed on the injured list due to his ankle issue. Wagaman will likely see some time over the final month-plus, but it’s hard to see much fantasy significance in his profile.
    - Christopher Crawford