The Yankees stayed red-hot with an 8-2 victory over the A’s on Friday for their 13th consecutive win behind six shutout innings from Gerrit Cole. The 13-game winning streak is the longest for the franchise since 1961. New York has turned it on since the All-Star break with a 29-9 record in the second half and find themselves with a solid hold on a wild card spot and four games behind the division-leading Rays in the AL East.
Cole was excellent in Friday’s contest, scattering six hits and two walks over six scoreless innings on his way to his 13th win of the year. The 30-year-old right-hander tossed 70-of-104 pitches for strikes and generated 17 whiffs to strike out nine batters. Only two baserunners would reach scoring position for Oakland. And the Yankees’ ace went out with a statement inning, striking out the side in the sixth. Cole has pitched much better of late after hitting a rough patch, giving up just one run with 24 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings over his last three starts. It wasn’t until Cole was out of the game in the seventh inning when Matt Olson plated the only two runs for the A’s with a base hit.
While Cole kept the A’s at bay on the mound, the bats powered their way to eight runs. Giancarlo Stanton hit a mammoth 472-foot homer off Sean Manaea to put the Yankees on the board in the fourth inning. The slugger made the cavernous Oakland Coliseum look like a little-league park with his longest home run of the year. Luke Voit followed with a solo homer of his own later in the inning. Voit has now hit safely in each of his last eight starts, including four homers to give him eight on the year. Aaron Judge would end Manaea’s night with a three-run blast in the fifth. Kyle Higashioka added the fourth homer for New York with a two-run shot in the ninth before Judge knocked a run in with a base hit for his fourth RBI.
The Yankees will look to make it 14 wins on Saturday as they send Nestor Cortes to the mound against Frankie Montas and the A’s. The last time the Yankees won 14 consecutive games came in 1941 in the middle of Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak.
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Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Joe Musgrove vs. Angels
9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K - 42% CSW
Musgrove was phenomenal on Friday, going the distance against the Angels for a complete-game shutout. He scattered three hits and two walks while allowing just one baserunner to reach scoring position. The 28-year-old right-hander tossed 76-of-111 pitches for strikes and induced 21 whiffs to strike out nine batters and finish with an elite 42 percent CSW rate (called strikes plus whiffs). He’s in line for a start against the Astros in San Diego next week.
Wade Miley vs. Marlins
7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K - 26% CSW
Miley spun seven shutout innings against the Marlins on Friday, allowing six hits and walking one batter. The 34-year-old left-hander isn’t one to succeed with a lot of whiffs. Instead, Miley thrives on limiting hard contact. He did just that against Miami with an 82.5 mile per hour average exit velocity. Miley has had an excellent season for the Reds that includes a no-hitter in May. He’ll take a 2.74 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 112 strikeouts over 144 2/3 innings into his next start against the Cardinals in Cincinnati next week.
Hitters with an EDGE
Yasmani Grandal vs. Cubs
4-for-6, 2 HR (16), 2B, 2 R, 8 RBI
What a return for Grandal. The 32-year-old catcher had been out with a knee injury since July 5. He made up for the lost time in Friday’s 17-13 win over the Cubs with two home runs and eight RBI. After the Cubs took an early lead, Grandal tied it up with a three-run home run off of Adrian Sampson in the third inning. A two-run double later in the fifth gave the White Sox a seven-run lead. After knocking a base hit in the seventh, Grandal blasted his second three-run shot of the game off of Manuel Rodriguez in the eighth, his 16th round-tripper of the season.
Patrick Wisdom vs. White Sox
2-for-4, 2 HR(23), 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB
A 17-13 game is bound to have a standout on the other side. That standout for the Cubs was Wisdom, who matched Grandal with two homers of his own. He got the scoring started in the first inning with a three-run homer off of Dallas Keuchel to put the Cubs on the board. After drawing a leadoff walk in the eighth, Ian Happ brought him across the plate with a double. With the Cubs down by seven runs in the ninth, Wisdom blasted his 23rd home run of the season off of Craig Kimbrel.
Priority Pickup
Anthony Santander - OF, Baltimore Orioles (available in 57 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Santander has been red hot at the plate, going 11-for-25 over the last week with four home runs and three doubles. All that production has come in Camden Yards, where the 26-year-old outfielder is hitting .275 with a .897 OPS. It’s a stark contrast from the .649 OPS on the road. Fortunately for Santander and fantasy managers, the Orioles play 18-of-28 games at home in September. Pick him up and take advantage of the schedule for head-to-head playoffs or get a late boost in category leagues.
Closing Time
Gregory Soto vs. Blue Jays
1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (16th save)
Soto tossed a clean ninth inning against the Blue Jays with one strikeout for his 16th save of the season. The 26-year-old left-hander has a 3.27 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 67 strikeouts over 55 innings while going 16-for-17 in save chances.
Kyle Finnegan vs. Mets
1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (6th save)
Finnegan was called on in ninth to close this one out against the Mets with a one-run lead. He issued a leadoff walk to Pete Alonso before getting Francisco Lindor to ground into a force out at second base. Javier Baez followed with ground ball double-play to end the game. Finnegan is up to six saves since the Nationals moved Brad Hand and Daniel Hudson at the trade deadline.
Adam Ottavino vs. Cleveland
1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (9th save)
After Matt Barnes pitched in three of the last four games, Ottavino got the call in the ninth for the save chance against Cleveland. He walked Franmil Reyes to lead off the frame before striking out the next two batters and ending the game on a groundout.
Chris Mazza vs. Orioles
3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K (1st save)
Mazza tossed the final three innings against the Orioles after six frames from starter Shane McClanahan. The 31-year-old right-hander entered the game in the seventh inning with a four-run lead. A solo home run by Cedric Mullins in the ninth inning would be the only damage done against Mazza, who picks up his first save of the season.
Alex Reyes vs. Pirates
1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (29th save)
Reyes was summoned in the ninth inning to close the game out with a one-run lead against the Pirates. Anthony Alford singled to lead off the inning before Reyes struck out Bryan Reynolds and Ben Gamel. He then got Ke’Bryan Hayes to ground out, securing the victory for St. Louis. The 26-year-old right-hander is now 29-of-32 in save chances with a 2.50 ERA and 71 strikeouts over 57 2/3 innings.
Will Smith vs. Giants
1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K (29th save)
Smith took the mound in the ninth with a two-run lead against his former team. He gave up a leadoff home run to Wilmer Flores to cut the lead by one. With two outs, Joc Pederson made an incredible catch in right field to end the game and secure the win for Atlanta.
Carlos Estevez vs. Dodgers
1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (3rd save)
After Daniel Bard pitched the eighth inning against the top of the order, Estevez was summoned to close things out in the ninth. He allowed a leadoff hit to Mookie Betts before striking out the next three batters to end the game.
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Matchup of the Day
Logan Webb (7-3, 2.84) vs Huascar Ynoa (4-3, 2.89)
The Giants and Braves play the second game of a three-game series in Atlanta on Saturday, with both teams looking to widen their lead in their respective divisions. Logan Webb takes the mound for the Giants. The 24-year-old right-hander has officially broken out this season and has been one of the best pitchers since the All-Star break with a 1.94 ERA over 46 1/3 innings. He’s given up no more than two runs over each of his last 12 starts. On the other side, Huascar Ynoa starts for Atlanta. The 23-year-old right-hander has picked up where he left off before hitting the injured list, giving up three runs with 13 strikeouts over his two starts back.
American League Quick Hits: George Springer participated in outfield drills and took batting practice on Friday... Kenta Maeda will undergo season-ending elbow surgery on Wednesday... Patrick Sandoval will miss the remainder of the season... The White Sox activated Yasmani Grandal from the 10-day injured list... Mitch Garver was placed on the 10-day injured list... The Rays activated Peter Fairbanks from the 10-day injured list... Zack Collins was optioned to Triple-A... Renato Nunez was released by the Tigers... Eric Haase was activated from the 10-day injured list... The Blue Jays claimed Jarrod Dyson off waivers from the Royals... Daulton Jefferies was recalled by the A’s... The Orioles released Maikel Franco... The Astros signed Marwin Gonzalez to a minor league contract... Seth Brown was placed on the COVID-19 injured list... Jose Urena will start for the Tigers on Saturday against the Blue Jays... Christian Arroyo was placed on the COVID-19 injured list...
National League Quick Hits: Trevor Bauer‘s administrative leave was extended to September 3... Buster Posey returned to the Giants lineup on Friday... Willy Adames remained out of the Brewers lineup on Friday... Tyler O’Neill returned to the Cardinals lineup on Friday... Zach Eflin was placed on the COVID-19 injured list... Pablo Lopez did not bake his second minor league rehab start... The Reds claimed Asdrubal Cabrera off waivers from the Diamondbacks... The Braves designated Abraham Almonte for assignment... Joe McCarthy was recalled by the Diamondbacks... David Bote was scratched from the Cubs lineup due to a lower leg injury... The Mets optioned Chance Cisco and activated Tomas Nido...
