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Sousa was a key component of Houston’s high-leverage mix last year and appears to be getting close to returning after opening the season on the shelf with an oblique strain. The 30-year-old southpaw should be cleared for a minor league rehab assignment at some point soon.

Up until the eighth inning, the Orioles had only scratched one run across in this game and it came via three consecutive walks in the third inning. Their pitching kept them in the game and Ward turned this game on its head with a two-run shot that pushed them to victory. It was a key fifth straight win for them as they try to claw back into the playoff race and Ward finding some power could really help their chances. This was just his seventh home run of the season after hitting 36 last year as one of the league’s leaders. He’s held up his value somewhat with a sky-high .388 on-base percentage that’s mostly been fueled by his ultra-passive approach, but fantasy managers and the Orioles alike would love to see more of that power return.

It got a little stressful, but Wells found a way to dig deep and secure this save. First, Yordan Alvarez came up with the tying run on base and Wells forced him to hit a comically high pop-up. Afterwards, he walked Isaac Paredes to push the tying run into scoring position, but struck Christian Walker out after a seven-pitch battle to end it. Wells has been excellent in relief this season with a 2.96 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 26% strikeout rate, and a true four-pitch mix that’s stuck with him since he was a starter. He’s a capable closer, just be advised that Andrew Kittredge has saved a handful of games as well and it’s likely these two share this job moving forward.

Kremer was inefficient in this short start and struggled to find the zone with any pitch besides his sinker. Something interesting though, he practically threw all five of his pitches the exact same amount: 18 sinkers, 17 splitters, 17 four-seam fastballs, 16 cutters, and 15 curveballs. It made sense to bounce around so evenly too because again, he couldn’t really command any of them. He’ll look to have a better start next time out against the Red Sox in Boston.

Peña started this game with a leadoff walk and came around to score immediately after when Yordan Alvarez doubled him home. He then singled to start the third and quickly came around to score again. He’d work his way into scoring position again in both the seventh and ninth, but wound up stranded both times. A couple of injuries have overshadowed a solid year from Peña so far with a .293/.357/.429 slash line, six home runs, and eight stolen bases across 52 games.

Lambert leaned on his fastball for a dominant start here. He located it well at the letters all night and the Orioles hitters couldn’t help but swing under it. In all, it forced nine of his 14 total swings-and-misses and seven called strikes as well. That helped the pitch turn in an elite 77% strike rate. From there, he mixed his bevy of secondaries to keep the Orioles. His three walks were a blemish on his ledger and came in three consecutive plate appearances which forced home the only run he allowed. He’s become a breakout star this season with a 3.03 ERA, 91 strikeouts, and 36 walks through 92 innings as a steadying force in the Astros’ otherwise chaotic rotation. He’s scheduled to face the Marlins at home next time out.

Wetherholt, who really ought to have gone to the All-Star Game as a rookie, homered off Merrill Kelly in the fifth and also singled during a ninth-inning rally in which the Cardinals scored the go-ahead run on an Iván Herrera sac fly. He has 14 homers on the season, and he leads all rookies with 59 runs scored.

Pitching on eight days’ rest, McGreevy averaged 92.7 mph with his fastball, matching his season high. He still gave up 11 hard-hit balls, including a homer to Tim Tawa and a 420-foot double to Gabriel Moreno that would have been out of 25 ballparks, but he walked just one and never gave up a hit with a runner in scoring position. It’s his 13th quality start in 19 tries this season, but after another no-decision, he still has just a 4-7 record to show for it. He’ll face the Angels on Wednesday.

O’Brien walked Nolan Arenado to open the bottom of the ninth, only to pick off pinch-runner Jorge Barrosa afterwards. He later gave up a double to Tim Tawa with two outs, but it proved harmless. It goes as O’Brien’s eighth straight scoreless appearance.

The two runs in the first came after a Ketel Marte error, making them unearned. Kelly struck out three and walked two on the night. He gave up 10 hard-hit balls but only four hits. It’s just the second time in 17 starts this year that he hasn’t been involved in the decision. He remains 7-8 with a 5.20 ERA ahead of a start next week against the A’s.

The rally started because Sewald couldn’t handle a little grounder right back to him, resulting a single. He went on to walk a batter, give up another single and surrender a go-ahead sac fly before being lifted. The hook came after only 17 pitches, so he should be available to close Saturday if a save situation arises. He fell to 2-5 tonight, but he’s still 22-for-23 in his save chances.