Giants vs. Dodgers. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Cubs vs. Cardinals. These are some of the biggest rivalries in baseball and fans got a double dose in the friendly confines of Wrigley on Saturday. The day started with Matt Swarmer getting the second start of his professional career against Johan Oviedo and the Cardinals. Swarmer pitched very well, allowing only two hits, and earned his first career win, mostly on the back of his wicked slider. The Cardinals whiffed 13 times on that pitch alone and he retired nine batters in a row at one point. Frank Schwindel came up big for the Cubs, he smacked his eighth homer of the season and added an RBI single in the sixth inning that put the game away for good. Since being optioned and then recalled on May 9, the 29-year-old is hitting .269/.324/.505 with six homers and 28 RBI. Christopher Morel had his first three-game of his career and has reached base in every single major league game he has played in. The Cubs would take the first game, 6-1.
In the second game, Caleb Kilian made his major league debut and would retire the first nine batters before walking Tommy Edman and then allowing a run to score on a single off Paul Goldschmidt’s white-hot bat. Kilian was acquired by the Cubs last year in the Kris Bryant trade with the Giants and had a 2.06 ERA in his nine starts for Triple-A Iowa. He finished the night with nine whiffs, three runs allowed, and a respectable 28 CSW% in his five innings of work. The game got interesting in the bottom of the sixth after Jason Heyward drove in Rafael Ortega with a single to right and Christopher Morel doubled to left to tie the game at three runs a piece. No more runs would score until Brendon Donovan’s double in the top of the 10th would drive in Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. Two more runs would score before the half-inning ended and the Cardinals went on to take the nightcap, 7-4.
Hitters with an EDGE
Juan Soto vs. Reds
2-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR (11, 12), 4 RBI
Juan Soto has not been himself this year but filled up the stat sheet on Saturday night against the Reds. He blasted two homers, one in the 4th inning off of Tyler Mahle and another in the 7th inning off reliever Alexis Diaz in the 7th inning which put the Nationals within one run of the Reds. Washington would go on to win the game off a Luis Garcia 2-run single in the ninth but it was great to see Soto do it all on Saturday.
Brandon Drury vs. Nationals
2-for-4, 3 R, 1 HR (9), 1 RBI, 1 SB (1)
Brandon Drury collected his first combo meal of the season in a back and forth affair against the Nationals on Saturday night. He swiped his first stolen base against Erik Fedde in the second inning and then his ninth homer off Tanner Rainey in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull the Reds within one run but the Reds would fall to the Nationals in regulation. The 29-year-old has been an excellent addition to the rebuilding Reds and is hitting .245/.309/.459 with nine homers and one stolen base in 175 plate appearances.
Pete Alonso vs. Dodgers
3-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR (15, 16), 5 RBI
The Polar Bear was the catalyst of the Mets’ offense against Walker Buehler and the Dodgers on Saturday. Alonso smashed two baseballs over the fence and both had an exit velocity of 109 MPH. The 27-year-old first baseman has been a man on a mission and is sitting third in the league with 16 homers. With offense starting to pick up as the weather is getting warmer, fantasy managers should expect many more games like this from good ol’ Pete.
Pitchers with an EDGE
José Berríos vs. Twins
7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 13 K
39% CSW, 19 swinging strikes
Berríos’ season has been a roller coaster and this game was the epitome of that. Berríos started off the game by walking Luis Arraz before giving up a two-run bomb to Jorge Polanco in the first inning. He would then settle down and picked up 13 strikeouts, which is a career-high and also matches Eric Lauer and Clayton Kershaw for the most in a game this season. Berríos has been a frustrating player to roster but showed fantasy managers he is still worth hanging onto.
Luis Severino vs. Tigers
7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
34% CSW, 20 swinging strikes
The Yankees served up a one-hitter against the Tigers on Saturday and Luis Severino picked up his fourth win of the season. Severino was masterful as he struck out 10 while only walking one in 92 pitches thrown. This was Sevy’s 11th career double-digit strikeout game and his first since 2018. The 28-year-old looks like his pre-Tommy John self this year and is sporting a 2.95 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 61/14 K/BB ratio across 55 innings.
MacKenzie Gore vs. Brewers
6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K
31% CSW, 14 swinging strikes
Remember when MacKenzie Gore was struggling with command last year and the Padres had him working on a new delivery? My oh my, how things are different. The 23-year-old southpaw is looking like the first-round pick and top prospect we loved. Gore has relied heavily on his four-seam fastball and this outing was no different. He threw 62% fastballs and was able to generate nine whiffs on the pitch alone. He threw a career-high 108 pitches en route to his fourth win of the season.
Priority Pickup
Garrett Cooper (Marlins) 1B, OF - Available in 92% of Yahoo leagues
Sure, the Marlins are not an offensive juggernaut but there are still gems on the squad. Garrett Cooper has slashed .429/.479/.643 over the past 14 days and is hitting second pretty much every day. Anyone who is hitting at the top of the lineup deserves to be rostered and his 8% roster rate is laughable. The Marlins only have two off-days during the next two weeks, so there should be plenty of playing time in Cooper’s future, as long as he can stay on the field.
Closing Time
Clay Holmes vs. Tigers
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (8th save)
Clay Holmes shut the Tigers down as the Yankees pitching staff threw a combined one-hitter against the Tigers in the Bronx on Saturday. This was Holmes’ eighth save of the year and he extended his scoreless streak to 26 innings. Holmes has been lights out for the Yankees while filling in for the injured Aroldis Chapman. Manager Aaron Boone might have a tough decision on his hands when the 34-year-old is ready to return from the injured list.
Jorge López vs. Guardians
1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (7th save)
Lopez came in in the eighth inning after the Orioles intentionally walked white-hot Jose Ramirez. Lopez hit Owen Miller with a pitch before getting Josh Naylor to fly out to end the threat. He would then get two groundballs and a strikeout on his way to his seventh save of the season. After not getting a save for the most of May, López has collected three since May 23 and is the Orioles’ go-to guy in the ninth.
Joe Barlow vs. Mariners
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (10th save)
After blowing his first save of the season on Friday, Barlow locked it down for the Rangers on Saturday. The 26-year-old was perfect in the ninth, struck out one, and picked up his tenth save of the season. He has a 2.45 ERA, .98 WHIP, and 17/6 K/BB ratio in 18 ⅓ innings. Seeing manager Chris Woodward go back the right-hander after a blown save the night before shows trust and fantasy managers should feel confident in rostering him week after week.
Liam Hendriks vs. Rays
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (15th save)
Hendriks entered the ninth with a one-run lead and struck out two batters en route to his 15th save of the season. It has been a bit rocky for the 33-year-old Aussie but 33 punchies to go along with 15 saves in 21 ⅔ innings of work is nothing to sneeze at. The White Sox have struggled to score runs this season so Hendriks should have plenty of save chances going forward.
Tanner Rainey vs. Reds
1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (7th save)
It was a back-and-forth affair in Great American Ballpark. Rainey entered the ninth, gave up a solo homer to Brandon Drury and a single to Tommy Pham before getting Joey Votto to fly out to left, and struck out Tyler Stephenson to end the threat of a blown save. The 29-year-old has been much more reliable this year. He has a 2.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 18/6 K/BB ratio over his 16 ⅓ innings of work. While the threat of a trade is always looming, especially with the Nationals being one of the worst teams in the league, fantasy managers can expect Rainey to pick up saves while in the nation’s capital.
Mark Melancon vs. Pirates
0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (2nd blown save)
Mark Melancon blew the save on Saturday after giving up a two-run bomb to rookie Jack Suwinski and it was the second blown save for the 37-year-old veteran. While he has 11 saves on the season, his 6.87 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, and 11/5 K/BB% have fantasy managers holding their noses. Joe Mantiply or Ian Kennedy might be a sneaky pickup if you want to speculate on saves in Arizona.
Sunday’s Matchup of the Day
Mike Clevinger (Padres) vs. Eric Lauer (Brewers)
Mike Clevinger makes his return to the mound in almost a month to face the Brewers on Sunday. The 31-year-old has been on the injured list since May 17 with a triceps injury. The has a 3.21 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and 4/3 K/BB across 14 innings and three games. The Brewers are a ‘softer’ landing spot for Clevinger as they are tied for sixth in the league with a 24 K%. Eric Lauer looks to build on his breakout season. In 50 ⅔ innings, the southpaw has a 2.49 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 61/15 K/BB ratio. He faces a tough test in the Padres as they have a 112 wRC+ when facing left-handers this season.
American League Quick Hits: Zack Grienke (forearm) begins a throwing program…Miguel Andújar has requested a trade from the Yankees…RHP Michael Pineda (fractured right middle finger) threw a bullpen session Saturday. … LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (ribcage) will throw a bullpen session Sunday and could begin a rehab stint if it goes well…Giancarlo Stanton went 1 for 4 after being activated off the injured list following a brief absence with a sprained right ankle…OF Gilberto Celestino was activated off the COVID-IL and RHP Chi Chi González was returned to Triple-A St. Paul…George Springer fouled a ball off his foot in the seventh inning and Bradley Zimmer replaced him defensively in the eighth…Triston McKenzie allowed five runs on three hits and has given up eight homers over his past four starts…Ken Giles (finger) still has “got a few more outings ahead of him” in his rehab before making his season debut with the Mariners. ... RF Mitch Haniger (ankle), who has been out since the end of April, has started slowly doing some baseball activity…Josh Smith (shoulder) received an injection on Saturday…Rangers called up prospect Ezequiel Duran from Double-A…Chris Sale (ribcage) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session and should face hitters next week…Matt Barnes’ (shoulder) MRI showed fluid in his shoulder but “nothing out of the ordinary”... Taylor Ward was missing from the Angels lineup on Saturday.
National League Quick Hits: Max Scherzer was bitten by a dog on his non-pitching hand…Elieser Hernández was optioned to Triple-A…Ketel Marte went 2-for-4 and is hitting .362 since April 30…Luis Urías was out of the lineup on Saturday and is dealing with a bruised thumb…Willy Adames (quad) has joined the Brewers and should return to the lineup for the start of the series against the Phillies on Tuesday…Austin Slater was activated off the injured list…Luis González left Friday’s game after being hit by a pitch and was absent from Saturday’s game…J.T. Realmuto went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI against the Angels…Tyler O’Neill (shoulder) will head to Triple-A Memphis for a rehabilitation assignment...Dylan Carlson (hamstring) is going to Double-A Springfield for his rehab assignment…Jake Cronenworth went 2-for-4 and hit his fourth homer of the year against the Brewers...Travis Swaggerty will be promoted by the Pirates on Sunday...Eddie Rosario (eye) has starting hitting in a batting gage...Jacob deGrom throws off mound on Saturday..
