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Fernando Tatis Jr. Powers Padres to Sweep
Fernando Tatis Jr. had another absolutely monster day at the dish on Sunday, smacking a pair of home runs -- including a grand slam -- as he led the Padres to a 9-2 victory over the Mariners and a completion of the sweep of their weekend series.
Tatis got the Mariners on the board with a laser over the wall in left field off of Justin Dunn in the second inning. He then chipped in a go-ahead RBI single during a three-run uprising in the sixth to give the Padres the lead. He wasn’t finished though. Tatis broke the game wide open with his grand slam off of Robert Duggar in the seventh, extending the Padres lead to 7-1.
There aren’t enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe how awesome this player is -- and how great he is for the game of baseball. The 22-year-old superstar is now slashing .309/.384/.727 with 13 homers, 26 RBI and 10 stolen bases in only 30 games this season.
Since returning from the injured list on May 19, Tatis has gone 11-for-14 with four doubles, four homers, 12 RBI, three walks and three stolen bases. That’s absolutely absurd. According to STATS, he’s the first player to hit .750 or better with 12 or more RBI and three or more walks over any four-game span since Babe Ruth did so in July of 1932.
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So much for those who thought that trying to play though the shoulder injury was going to hamper his offensive production.
Folks, make sure to take in as many Padres games as you can because he’s just such a joy to watch play the game.
Austin Riley Continues Rampage
Austin Riley continued his rampage against National League pitching on Sunday, blasting another pair of home runs as the Braves demolished the Pirates 7-1 to win their third straight game.
After dropping the opener of their four-game set 6-4 in extra innings, the Braves outscored the Pirates by a jaw-dropping 30 runs over the next three games. You read that correctly. The combined scores from the final three games of their weekend series were 33-3. Yikes.
The Braves did most of their damage over the weekend with the long ball -- blasting seven home runs in a 20-1 romp on Friday, another three in Saturday’s 6-1 victory and three more in Sunday’s finale.
Austin Riley was front and center for much of that demolition -- with multi-homer games on Friday and Sunday. He got the Braves on the board on Sunday with a three-run blast off of JT Brubaker in the opening inning, then victimized the right-hander again for a two-run shot in the third inning.
A notoriously-streaky hitter, the 24-year-old is on quite a hot streak at the moment -- hitting .404 (21-for-52) with six homers and 14 RBI over his last 15 games. In fact, he has 10 extra-base hits, six homers and 11 RBI over his last seven games.
For the season, he’s now slashing a robust .320/.414/.549 with nine long balls and 21 RBI. He needs to be owned and started in even the shallowest of mixed leagues at this point -- at least until he shows some sign of cooling off.
Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Zack Wheeler - 7 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 12 K
38% CSW, 21 swinging strikes
Wheeler matched his career-high 12 strikeouts in a dominant victory over the Red Sox (minus J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts) on Sunday. He made the Red Sox hitters look foolish in this one with 21 whiffs and an elite 38% CSW. The only tally against him came on a solo homer off the bat of Franchy Cordero in the eighth inning. He has been extremely impressive for the Phillies in the early going, posting a 2.38 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 78/14 K/BB ratio over 68 innings.
Adam Wainwright - 8 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 K
36% CSW, 5 swinging strikes
Wainwright turned back the clock in a tough-luck no-decision against the Cubs on Sunday night, allowing just a first inning single to Kris Bryant and nothing more. Wainwright took full advantage of a large strike zone, expanding the corners to tally 31 called strikes in the game -- tied for the largest total of any pitcher this season. He needed the called strikes too, because he generated just five whiffs in the contest -- still leading to a terrific 36% CSW. The 39-year-old hurler now sports a 3.95 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 51/16 K/BB ratio across 54 2/3 innings on the season.
Cody Poteet - 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K
27% CSW, 9 swinging strikes
So far, so good for the 26-year-old right-hander through his first three big league starts. He did a nice job keeping the Mets hitters off-balance on Sunday, getting six whiffs on his changeup alone. He’s not a big strikeout guy, but he owns a dazzling 1.06 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 13/2 K/BB ratio through 17 innings to begin his big league career. He draws a tough test his next time out though -- taking on the Red Sox in Boston on Friday -- so fantasy managers may want to exercise some caution there.
Mike Foltynewicz - 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K
23% CSW, 5 swinging strikes
Foltynewicz wasn’t dominant from an advanced-metrics perspective in this one -- and he only struck out two batters in the contest -- but he managed to limit the hard-hitting Astros lineup to just three hits over seven shutout innings. He has been a borderline useful option in deeper mixed leagues this season and now owns a 4.53 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 42/15 K/BB ratio over 55 2/3 innings on the year.
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Hitters with an EDGE
Nick Castellanos - 3-for-4, HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI, BB
Castellanos had himself quite the afternoon in a losing effort against the Brewers on Sunday, notching three extra-base hits and driving in three runs. He has been sizzling at the plate through the first two months of the season, slashing .356/.417/.669 with 12 homers and 30 RBI.
Jesse Winker - 2-for-5, HR, 2 R
Winker left the yard again on Sunday, wrapping up a three-game weekend set against the Brewers in which he bashed five home runs. He has been outstanding out of the leadoff spot for the Reds this season, slashing a robust .355/.412/.684 with a team-leading 13 homers and 28 RBI.
Odubel Herrera - 3-for-4, 2 2B, R, RBI, SB
Herrera struggled initially upon his promotion from Triple-A on April 26, hitting .083 (2-for-24) with six strikeouts through his first nine games. Since that day? He’s hitting.368 (21-for-57) with a pair of homers, eight RBI and three stolen bases in 17 games. That’ll certainly play in mixed leagues.
Teoscar Hernandez - 3-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI
Hernandez blasted a game-tying solo homer off of Josh Fleming in the fourth inning, then tied it again with a run-scoring single in the fifth. He has been on an absolute tear since returning from the COVID-19 injured list, hitting .345 (30-for-87) with five homers, 22 RBI and a pair of stolen bases over 22 games.
EDGE Priority Pickup
Josh Bell, 1B, Washington Nationals -- Available in 42% of Yahoo fantasy leagues.
It amazes me that I even have to recommend a player of Bell’s caliber in this space, but as he languishes on the waiver wire in 42% of Yahoo leagues, here we are. Bell demolished the baseball during the spring -- hitting .383/.456/.872 with six homers and 15 RBI in 47 at-bats -- but he missed the first few weeks of the regular season after being diagnosed with COVID-19. When he eventually returned, he wasn’t the same hitter -- slashing a woeful .133/.198/.289 with three homers, 10 RBI and a 28/6 K/BB ratio in 91 plate appearances through May 12. Since then, his bat has shown signs of life, hitting (11-for-31) with two homers, seven RBI and a 7/3 K/BB mark over his last 10 games. This is a guy that was a top-125 pick in fantasy drafts in March, so there’s massive upside to be had if this recent hot streak continues. Now is the time to pounce.
Closing Time
Staying true to his word that manager Kevin Cash will utilize anyone in his bullpen in the ninth inning, recent trade acquisition J.P. Feyereisen struck out a pair in a scoreless ninth inning against the Blue Jays on Sunday, protecting a two-run lead to earn his first career save. Diego Castillo recorded a save on Saturday night and a victory the night before, so Cash likely didn’t want to go back to him for a third consecutive game. Feyereisen remains just another cog in the Rays bullpen and doesn’t make for an advised addition if speculating on saves.
Brad Hand allowed a leadoff single in the ninth inning -- and walked Trey Mancini intentionally -- but managed to strike out Anthony Santander to protect a one-run advantage and earn his seventh save of the season. It hasn’t always been pretty, but the 31-year-old southpaw remains entrenched in the closer’s gig for now.
Hansel Robles suffered his second brown save of the season as the Indians strung together a walk, infield single, fly ball and squeeze bunt to push the tying run across in the ninth. He has still recorded each of the team’s last two save chances (and still earned a victory on Sunday( and looks like the leader of the committee there for the time being. Tyler Duffey closed out the 10th inning to earn his first save of the season.
James Karinchak had a miserable 10th inning on the other side of that game, issuing a leadoff walk to Josh Donaldson, then a three-run homer to Kyle Garlick. He then issued a four-pitch walk to Miguel Sano before exiting without recording an out. He and Emmanuel Clase have been sharing the ninth inning for the Indians, so ths poor outing should help Clase’s security.
Aroldis Chapman allowed his first run of the season -- and along with it was saddled with his first blown save -- as Andrew Vaughn blasted a game-tying solo homer in the ninth inning. Vaughn tagged a 98.6 mph fastball for a mammoth 432 foot blast with an exit velocity of 109.8 mph. The left-hander still walked away with a victory in this one, after the Yankees answered in the ninth. Obviously, Chapman remains a truly elite closer and one blown save isn’t going to remove him from his pedestal as the top stopper in the game.
Liam Hendriks struggled in another non-save situation on Sunday, as he was summoned to face Aaron Judge with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning. Hendriks missed the zone with four of his five pitches, walking in the game-winning run.
Michael Fulmer was handed his first blown save of the season, surrendering an infield single to Whit Merrifield and a two-run blast to Carlos Santana to begin the ninth inning on Sunday. Despite the poor outing, the former starter should continue to share save chances with Gregory Soto in the Tigers bullpen.
Stefan Crichton entered in a tied game in the ninth inning -- the spot where a manager on the road typically uses his closer -- and he responded by serving up a walk-off solo homer to Trevor Story. His hold on the ninth-inning gig seems to get more tenuous by the day.
Raisel Iglesias rebounded from Friday’s blow-up, as he got the final four outs against the Athletics on Sunday. He entered in a tied game in the eighth inning though, so the right-hander walked away with a victory instead of a save. The ERA hasn’t been pretty (5.19), but he remains entrenched in the closer’s role
Monday’s Matchup of the Day
Brandon Woodruff (MIL) vs. Blake Snell (SD)
There are only eight games on the slate for Monday, so the pickings are a bit slim. This is one of the matchups that intrigues me the most though (along with Lance Lynn vs. Kwang Hyun Kim in St. Louis).
While he has been a bit overshadowed by rotation-mate Corbin Burnes this season, Woodruff has been pretty dominant in his own right. The 28-year-old owns a minuscule 1.58 ERA and 0.73 WHIP (both marks the best in baseball among qualified pitchers) to go along with a 65/14 K/BB ratio over 57 innings. He’ll look to continue that dominance against a loaded Padres lineup that has been on fire since Fernando Tatis Jr. returned from the COVID-19 IL.
On the other side of the diamond, Blake Snell was supposed to be a stud on the level of Woodruff this season -- at least that’s how they were selected in fantasy drafts in March. The 28-year-old southpaw has struggled in his first season away from Tampa Bay though, going 1-0 with a 3.79 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 60/25 K/BB ratio across 40 1/3 innings. He’s coming off his best start of the season however, where he completed six innings for the first time of the year while striking out 11 and allowing just one run against the Rockies.
American League Quick Hits: Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor strain. It’s an issue that bothered Maeda in each of his last two starts, and now will sideline him for at least a couple of weeks. … Nelson Cruz (wrist) missed his fourth straight game on Sunday. Be sure to check his status on Monday, as he could land on the injured list if he’s unable to give it a go. … Indians slugger Franmil Reyes landed on the 10-day injured list with an abdominal strain. Owen Miller was promoted from Triple-A Columbus to take his place on the active roster. … Alex Verdugo sat out his second straight game after exiting Friday’s contest with hamstring tightness. … Adam Engel (hamstring) is set to begin his minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte on Monday. … Ty France (wrist) could be activated from the injured list as early as Monday. … Michael Pineda (thigh) is expected to return from the injured list to start on Wednesday against the Orioles. … The Tigers optioned JaCoby Jones to Triple-A Toledo and plan to recall Victor Reyes prior to Monday’s game against the Indians. … Manuel Margot went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs as the Rays rallied to complete a four-game sweep of the Blue Jays. … Kyle Garlick swatted a go-ahead three-run homer off of James Karinchak in the 10th inning as the Twins rallied to beat the Indians. … Adolis Garcia delivered a walk-off RBI single to beat the Astros in the 10th inning… Jared Walsh swatted his 10th home run as the Angels defeated the Athletics. … Matt Olson clubbed his 12th long ball in a losing effort there.
National League Quick Hits: Jacob deGrom (side) will return from the injured list to start against the Rockies on Tuesday. … Willson Contreras will be monitored closely over the next couple of days after taking an errant 99 mph fastball from Craig Kimbrel off his wrist in the 10th inning on Sunday night. … The Nationals placed Victor Robles on the 10-day injured list with a right ankle sprain. … The Braves optioned Bryse Wilson back to Triple-A Gwinnett after Saturday’s gem against the Pirates. He’ll get another chance the next time the Braves need an extra starter. … The Phillies claimed Brady Lail off of waivers from the Mariners. … The Cardinals placed Miles Mikolas on the 10-day injured list with right forearm tightness after he exited his season debut on Friday. … Jordan Yamamoto was removed from Sunday’s start against the Marlins due to shoulder soreness. … Dylan Carlson sat out his second straight game due to back tightness. … J.D. Davis was held out of the lineup at Triple-A Syracuse due to neck tightness. He still needs a couple more rehab games, so don’t expect him to rejoin the Mets until the weekend. … Tyler Widener was removed from Sunday’s start after only 1 2/3 innings due to right groin discomfort. He may be headed back to the injured list. … Luis Castillo was torched for five runs over five innings in a loss to the Brewers. … Avisail Garcia homered and stole a base as the Brewers crushed the Reds… Christian Yelich launched his first home run of the season in that victory. … Trevor Story blasted a walk-off homer to sink the Diamondbacks in the ninth inning. … Yu Darvish punched out five over seven innings of one-run ball in a victory over the Mariners. … Julio Urias struck out 10 over six innings of two-run ball as the Dodgers bested the Giants. … Anthony DeSclafani was torched for 10 runs on nine hits and three walks over just 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the Dodgers. … Gavin Lux clobbered a grand slam to help lead the Dodgers offense in that victory. … Javier Baez blasted a two-run homer in the 10th inning to power the Cubs to victory over the Cardinals on Sunday night.
