Betting

It’s happening for Griffin. He ignited rallies in the fourth, sixth, and eighth innings by starting each with a single and scored a run in all three. Plus that, he had the hardest hit ball in this game at 111.2 mph on his second inning single. Again, it feels like it’s all coming together for the 20-year-old Griffin. He now has a hit in 18 of his last 20 games and raised his .213 batting average and .573 at the start of this stretch to a .278 BA and .738 OPS after this game. We’re still waiting on the power with just three home runs through 43 games played, but he looks like the budding star we expected to see.

Grisham will undergo imaging on Thursday to determine the severity of the issue. The 29-year-old outfielder doubled in his lone at-bat of the contest before being replaced by rookie Spencer Jones. There should be an update on his status leading into Thursday’s series finale.

Harrison’s magical season continued with possibly his best start to date. It was one strikeout off his season-high from last month, but was the first time he completed seven innings. He simply blitzed the Cubs with high fastball after high fastballs. That pitch forced 13 of his 19 total swings-and-misses, routinely sat around around 96 mph, and peaked at 98 mph. That is a slight velocity jump compared to his season averages and it beautifully set up his slurve. Funny enough, he only threw two total changeups, a pitch he’d used 17% of the time against right-handed batters heading into this start. It didn’t matter though as again, that fastball and slurve were more than enough. To this point in the season, his 1.77 ERA is the lowest in the National League and he has a 59:14 strikeout to walk ratio across 45 2/3 innings. We could have a league-winner on our hands, folks. Harrison is scheduled to face the Cardinals next time out.

Merrill was replaced in center field in the fourth inning after striking out in his lone at-bat of the game. He appeared to be in some discomfort after attempting to rob Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff home run earlier in the contest. There should be an update on his status shortly.

Sale is on another level right now. The Marlins squeaked out a run via a sac fly in the first inning and from that point forward he faced just two batters over the minimum. His slider was especially lethal, forcing 14 of his 18 swings-and-misses as the Marlins helplessly flailed at it low and below the zone. Apart from an odd blow-up against the Angels in early April, Sale has allowed two or fewer runs and completed at least six innings in every start this year. In total, he has a 1.89 ERA plus 72 strikeouts and just 14 walks in 62 innings this season. He’s still firmly one of the best few pitchers in the game and is scheduled for a two-start week coming up against the Red Sox and Reds with both starts coming on the road.

Smith coughed up a leadoff single to Zach McKinstry that brought the Manfred Man home from second base to open the frame. He settled in afterwards, striking out Hao-Yu Lee and getting pinch-hitter Spencer Torkelson to pop out in foul territory before getting Colt Keith to pop up to end it. The 27-year-old elite fantasy stopper has converted 16 of 18 save opportunities this season and has now pulled ahead of Padres stopper Mason Miller for the big-league lead this season.

Anderson went exactly two times through Cleveland’s lineup, throwing 38 of 63 pitches for strikes, and allowing just four baserunners. He generated an impressive 10 swinging strikes and finished with a strong 33 percent CSW. He consistently challenged the Guardians with high fastballs in two-strike counts, resulting in five of his seven punchouts. Not bad for a journeyman pitcher making his first start in the big leagues since August 7, 2021. It seems highly unlikely he’ll get another turn in Detroit’s rotation, especially with Troy Melton (elbow) seemingly ready to return from the injured list, but he took advantage of his opportunity in this one.

Abrams gave rookie Zach Thornton a taste of big league life in his debut with a loud three-run homer in the first inning. A strange but true stat courtesy of the Nationals’ TV booth, this was the fourth time Abrams hit a home run off a pitcher making their major league debut. Even more surreal, it was the third time he did so in the first inning! He chipped in another base hit to start the Nationals’ sixth inning rally and continued what appears to be a major breakout campaign for the 25-year-old shortstop. In total, he’s up 10 home runs with 42 RBI, seven stolen bases, a .300 batting average, and a .928 OPS. Those are star numbers as we’re nearly through one third of the season.

Cabrera drew a visit from Chicago’s training staff, and immediately left the contest, after throwing just one pitch at the outset of the fourth inning. The 28-year-old was charged with four runs (one earned) with two strikeouts and two walks over three innings of work. There should be an update on his status after the contest. He’s tentatively scheduled to start against the Pirates on Tuesday, but that’s obviously in jeopardy now.

Arozarena took hard-throwing Chicago reliever Jordan Hicks deep for a 396-foot moonshot to left-center field that gave Seattle a three-run lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. It was his fifth round-tripper of the season. The 31-year-old power/speed combo fantasy threat is hitting a robust .324/.413/.515 with 14 runs scored, three homers, 10 RBI and seven steals in 19 games since the start of May.