Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras continued his strong season on Thursday in a nine-run victory versus his former team, the Atlanta Braves. Contreras went 3-for-5 with a walk, two-run home run and three RBI to add to his impressive 2024 campaign, one that has seen him become one of the top catchers in baseball. On the season, Contreras is now hitting .285 with 13 homers, 66 RBI and five stolen bases. A bonus for Contreras is that the Brewers rarely rest the backstop, using him as their designated hitter when he is not on the field. The backstop will look to keep the momentum going against the division rival Cincinnati Reds and starting pitcher Carson Spiers on Friday.

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar took another blown save and a loss on Thursday, allowing three runs to the San Diego Padres in what eventually was a 7-6 loss. Bednar just didn't have it tonight, as he allowed two hits and two walks while only recording two outs. Bednar had gotten back to form after a rough April, but he seems to have lost it again lately, allowing 6 runs in his last four appearances while blowing back-to-back save opportunities. With Aroldis Chapman rounding into form and the Pirates quickly falling out of playoff contention, the team could make a change to try and salvage their hopes. Chapman is worth a speculative add in deeper formats where saves are hard to come by.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo turned in a solid start on Thursday, allowing three runs over 6 IP against the Detroit Tigers. Woo allowed five hits and walked one while striking out a season-high seven. It was an encouraging start for Woo, who generated eight whiffs on his fastball and a 32% CSW overall. The 24-year-old has been rock solid when healthy this year, pitching to a 2.27 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. The problem has been the health, as he's had multiple injuries that keep popping up from start to start, making him hard to trust in fantasy. Still, if he can continue performing like he has in his past two starts, he will quickly become a good option.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman tossed a gem on Thursday, pitching eight innings of two-run ball in a 7-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Gausman allowed just three hits and three walks but only struck out two. It's been a bizarre season for the 33-year-old, who has an inflated ERA at 4.42 and WHIP at 1.27, but has had some magnificent starts where he has pitched deeper than he ever has into games. Some of that can probably be attributed to his decreased strikeout rate, as hitters have been putting the ball in play earlier in counts more often against Gausman this year. Either way, it's been a frustrating experience for fantasy managers who own Gausman, and it will likely continue to be that way until the end of the season.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Carlos Estevez grabbed his first save with the club on Thursday, working the ninth inning to preserve a 6-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Estevez did allow two hits and a run in this one, but he managed to escape without too much damage done. This was a very conventional save for Estevez, as the Phillies held a two-run lead in the seventh and eighth innings and used Jeff Hoffman and Jose Alvarado, the two relievers who had been battling for saves all year, and then turned to Estevez in the ninth. It's a great sign for his fantasy owners, as he appears to be the frontrunner for saves on a great Phillies team.