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Eddie Rosario had himself quite the afternoon at the dish in Sunday’s victory over the Giants. He also etched his name into the history books.
In his first at-bat against Anthony DeSclafani in the second inning, Rosario smacked the second pitch of the at-bat for a double to right field. On his next trip to the plate in the fifth inning, Rosario ambushed the first pitch from DeSclafani, lacing it for a triple into right-center.
He would leave the yard in his next at-bat, launching the first pitch that Zack Littell threw for a 373-foot blast into the right field seats. That immediately followed a go-ahead two-run shot from Adam Duvall, suddenly giving the Braves a 3-0 lead in the game.
All that stood between Rosario and the cycle was the pesky single. It wouldn’t take him long to get that box checked off either. He led off the ninth inning by lining the first pitch that he saw from Kervin Castro into center field, and with a fist pump he checked in at first base.
In doing so, Rosario became just the fourth big league player to hit for the cycle this season, joining teammate Freddie Freeman, Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth and Dodgers (then Nationals) superstar Trea Turner.
What Rosario did that hadn’t been done before though, is hit for a cycle in so few pitches. According to Jeremy Frank of Baseball Reference, it’s the fewest pitches that any player has needed to hit for the cycle since at least 1990 (and likely before as well). The previous low for the fewest pitches (at least during that time span) was Neifi Perez who did so in eight pitches for the Rockies back in July of 1998.[[ad:athena]]
With his 4-for-4 effort on Sunday night, Rosario is now hitting .268/.307/.433 with 12 homers, 57 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 97 games this year.
Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Clayton Kershaw - 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 8 K, 43% CSW, 20 swinging strikes
Well, fantasy managers who managed to hang on to Kershaw through the injury issues for the past few months have been handsomely rewarded. He looked outstanding in Sunday’s victory over the Reds -- posting improved velocity and getting 15 of his 20 swings and misses on his slider. He’s set to make two more starts down the stretch, including an appetizing matchup against the Diamondbacks in Arizona on Friday.
Shohei Ohtani - 8 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 10 K, 34% CSW, 26 swinging strikes
The two-way superstar delivered another outstanding performance in a no-decision against the Athletics. All of the damage done against him came via the long ball, with Yan Gomes slugging a solo homer in the third inning and Matt Chapman taking him deep in the fourth. Ohtani generated a whopping 26 swings and misses in this one -- 17 of those on his splitter -- while registering a CSW of 34 percent. The obvious favorite for the American League MVP Award, Ohtani now sports a 3.28 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 146/43 K/BB ratio across 123 1/3 innings on the season to go along with his offensive prowess.
Max Fried - 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 25% CSW, 16 swinging strikes
In what turned out to be an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel with Anthony DeSclafani, the two hurlers traded zeroes heading into the seventh inning when the Braves finally broke through. Fried was outstanding in this one, allowing just three singles over his seven scoreless innings. Now 12-7 on the season, he’ll carry a 3.31 ERA and 1.16 WHIP into Friday’s showdown against the Padres in San Diego.
Hitters with an EDGE
Jarred Kelenic - 3-for-4, HR (13), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB
Alright, so it only took until the middle of September for the 22-year-old to show signs of life at the plate. Hopefully those that drafted him in redraft leagues held onto him all season just waiting on the eventual payoff. He has tallied multi-hit games in three of his last four contests and has now slugged five home runs in his last eight games. The Mariners start a juicy four-game set against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
Jose Ramirez - 4-for-4, HR (35), 3 RBI, 4 R, BB
The 29-year-old superstar was a menace to Yankees pitching in this one. He drew a walk off of Gerrit Cole in the opening inning and came around to score on a two-run single by Harold Ramirez. He then singled in the third inning and was once again driven in by Harold Ramirez. In the fourth, Ramirez took matters into his own hands with a solo shot off of Cole to increase the Indians lead to 6-1. He tacked on a two-run single for good measure in the eighth to make it 10-1. He’s now slashing .265/.357/.552 with 35 homers, 94 RBI and 24 stolen bases on the season. Expect to see him in the top half of the first round in all fantasy drafts next season.
Gavin Lux - 3-for-4, HR (7), 3 RBI, 1 R
The 23-year-old former top prospect appears to be kicking his offensive game into high gear over the last few weeks, as this was his fourth multi-hit effort over his last seven games. He smacked a two-run shot off of Wade Miley in the second inning, then added on an RBI single in the third. On the season though, he’s still slashing just .239/.323/.369 to go with seven long balls, 45 RBI and three stolen bases in 93 games.
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EDGE Priority Pickup
Chris Ellis, SP, Baltimore Orioles -- Available in 98% of Yahoo fantasy leagues
At this point in the season, good pitching performances -- and especially wins -- can mean the difference between securing a league title and falling just short. With that in mind, I bring to you an under-the-radar hurler who’s owned in just two percent of Yahoo leagues and is on tap for a pair of decent starts next week.
The 28-year-old hurler has made five starts since joining the Orioles, registering a 2.82 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 14/12 K/BB ratio over 22 1/3 innings. Sure, the strikeout numbers are underwhelming, and the walks are too high. Noted. In weekly leagues though, where he’s set to start twice, that lack of strikeouts is mitigated.
He’ll also get you two shots at a victory. His first will come on Tuesday against the Phillies in Philadelphia. The Phillies haven’t announced who will oppose him in that start yet, but it won’t be Ranger Suarez, Aaron Nola or Zack Wheeler, and I’ll take my chances against anyone else. He’ll then draw the offensive juggernaut of the Texas Rangers behind Dane Dunning on Sunday.
Everything lines up well for Ellis to be a mixed league asset this week, and he’s practically free in all formats.
Closing Time
Kyle Funkhouser vs. Rays - 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K (1st save)
With Gregory Soto (finger) placed on the injured list on Sunday, the ninth inning is once again open for the Tigers. Funkhouser staked his claim on Sunday, protecting a two-run lead against the Rays to earn his first career save. The 27-year-old hurler isn’t likely to keep the closer’s gig to himself though, as Michael Fulmer remains in the mix at the back end of manager A.J. Hinch’s bullpen as well.
Kyle Finnegan vs. Rockies - 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K (10th save)
After a pair of brutal disastrous outings in each of his last two appearances, Finnegan was able to right the ship on Sunday, working a scoreless ninth inning to protect a three-run lead against the Rockies. It’s good to see that manager Dave Martinez still has the faith to go back to him in the ninth inning, which means he should still be the one to see any save chances that pop up over the final two weeks of the season. Finnegan now carries a 3.34 ERA and 1.45 WHIP to go along with his 10 saves on the season.
Garrett Richards vs. Orioles - 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (3rd save)
Astonishingly, Richards has excelled since returning to the bullpen and has now worked his way into a high-leverage role. He needed just eight pitches (seven strikes) to retire the Orioles in order on Sunday, protecting a two-run lead. If you’re desperate for saves over the final two weeks of the season, you could do a lot worse than Richards at this point.
Monday’s Matchup of the Day
Shane Baz (TB) vs. Robbie Ray (TOR)
The one matchup that immediately pops off the page on Monday’s slate of MLB action is this inter-division tilt in Tampa Bay.
On the visiting side, you have perhaps the front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award after Gerrit Cole’s disastrous outing against the Indians on Sunday. Ray enters the game with an outstanding 12-5 record, 2.64 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 233/43 K/BB ratio across 177 1/3 innings in 29 starts on the year.
He’s got some familiarity with the Rays too, as he has already faced them five times this season. In those starts, he boasts a 2-1 record, 1.85 WHIP, 0.71 WHIP and 46/3 K/BB ratio across 34 innings. Pretty impressive.
For the home team, 22-year-old right-hander Shane Baz will make his highly-anticipated big league debut. The third piece of the legendary trade that sent Chris Archer to the Pirates (joining Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow as the return package), Baz owns a tremendous 2.06 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 113/13 K/BB ratio over 78 2/3 innings between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham this season.
He draws as difficult of a matchup as he’s going to see -- going up against the vaunted Blue Jays offense in his big league debut -- but Baz has the talent to compete with anyone. He’s certainly worth streaming in leagues where he’s available to add.
American League Quick Hits: Kyle Tucker was pulled from Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks due to right shoulder discomfort. … Tigers closer Gregory Soto was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured left ring finger. … Joey Gallo was held out of the Yankees lineup on Sunday due to neck tightness. He’s considered day-to-day. … The Rangers designated Kohei Arihara for assignment. … The Blue Jays placed ace southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu on the 10-day IL with a neck strain. … Harold Ramirez was pulled from Sunday’s game against the Yankees with a right shoulder injury. … Garrett Whitlock was pulled from Sunday’s appearance against the Orioles due to right pectoral tightness. … J.D. Martinez smacked his 27th home run in a victory over the Orioles. … Shane McClanahan struck out seven over five innings of one-run ball in his return to the Rays on Sunday. … Wily Peralta struck out three over seven shutout innings in a win over the Rays. … Jose Berrios punched out six in an easy victory over the Twins. … Vladimir Guerrero went 3-for-4 and drove in a run as the Jays topped the Twins. … Logan Gilbert fired seven innings of one-run ball to beat the Royals. … Chas McCormick swatted a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning to lead the Astros past the Diamondbacks. … Isiah Kiner-Falefa swiped a pair of bags in a losing effort against the White Sox. … Yasmani Grandal socked his 22nd dinger to lead the White Sox past the Rangers. … Lucas Giolito picked up his 10th victory there. … Frankie Montas struck out seven over seven shutout frames in a tough-luck no-decision against the Angels. … Gerrit Cole was crushed to the tune of seven runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings in a loss to the Indians.
National League Quick Hits: The Pirates placed Bryse Wilson on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain. … Alex Avila is expected to hang up his cleats following the 2021 season. … Paolo Espino struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball in a victory over the Rockies. … Joey Votto socked a pinch-hit home run -- his 31st long ball of the year -- in a loss to the Dodgers. … Corey Seager homered and drove in three to lead the Dodgers offensive attack in that one. … Hoy Park crushed a go-ahead two-run homer off of Dylan Floro in the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Marlins. … Lewin Diaz delivered a walk-off two-run bomb to beat the Pirates in the 10th inning. … Tyler O’Neill singled, stole a base and scored three runs as the Cardinals beat the Padres. … Trayce Thompson homered and stole a base in a win over the Brewers… Adam Duvall blasted his 36th home run as the Braves edged out the Giants. … Jeff McNeil smacked a go-ahead solo shot off of Kyle Gibson in the seventh inning to lead the Mets past the Phillies. … Tommy Pham homered and drove in three runs in a loss to the Cardinals.
