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It's Wednesday, July 9 and the Pirates (38-55) are in Kansas City to take on the Royals (45-48). Bailey Falter is slated to take the mound for Pittsburgh against Kris Bubic for Kansas City. Kansas City took game 2 versus Pittsburgh,

The Pirates (+158 underdog on the moneyline to win) visit the Royals (-190). The scheduled starters are Kris Bubic (7-6) for the Kansas City Royals, and Bailey Falter (6-4) for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cruz, 26, will join Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. as the latest participants in the annual slugging contest.

His .402 slugging percentage ranks No. 47 in the National League, down from .449 in 2024 and his career mark of .438.The 26-year-old has averaged 27 home runs per 162 games in his career, which got off to a hot start in 2021 and 2022 before injuries knocked him out for most of 2023.

The Detroit Tigers enter the trade deadline looking to make an upgrade in their infield, and the Pittsburgh could have the perfect player.

The New York Yankees have been struggling a bit as of late. They watched a 6 1/2-game lead in the American League East disappear and turn into a 3 1/2-game deficit. A recent six-game losing skid took them out of first place in the division.

The New York Yankees may have to cross off one of the names on their list of potential trade deadline targets after it emerged Bryan Reynolds does not want to move to the Big Apple

Rookie Jac Caglianone homered for the Royals, a 421-foot drive leading off the second inning that was his first extra-base hit in 14 games at Kauffman Stadium. He had been 5 for 46 at home before Tuesday.

Nick Loftin’s walk-off RBI single lifts the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 win over the Pirates, keeping them in AL Wild Card contention.