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In a season filled with seemingly endless historic pitching performances, Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola indelibly etched his name into the record books in the opening game of Friday’s doubleheader against the Mets at Citi Field, recording 10 consecutive strikeouts, tying a 51-year-old major-league record established by Mets legend Tom Seaver on April 22, 1970. The 28-year-old righty became just the second pitcher in baseball history to accomplish the ultra-rare feat.
After allowing two consecutive hitters to reach in the opening frame, Nola proceeded to whiff each of the ensuing 10 Mets hitters he faced. He had a chance to break the record, getting to a two-strike count on Pete Alonso, who wound up smacking a double to right field to end the surreal streak. Nola tallied a career-high 12 strikeouts and scattered two hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He also drove in the Phillies’ lone run of the contest with an RBI double off righty Taijuan Walker in the fifth inning. It was a massive bounce-back effort for the 28-year-old righty, who finished with 18 swinging strikes and an elite 36 percent CSW (called strikes plus whiffs), after he was torched for a season-high six runs over 2 1/3 frames against the Giants in his previous start. He’ll carry a 3.97 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 107/22 K/BB ratio across 90 2/3 innings (16 starts) into a home matchup against the Marlins on Wednesday.
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Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Tony Gonsolin vs. Cubs
4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
33% CSW, 11 swinging strikes
It was an abbreviated outing, but Gonsolin looked outstanding on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, generating 11 swinging strikes and finishing with a robust 33 percent CSW. A solo homer by Kris Bryant in the opening frame represented the lone tally against him over four strong frames. The 27-year-old righty has been brought along slowly by the Dodgers in recent weeks, but he appears to be poised for a massive second-half. He’ll carry a sparkling 2.77 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 18/10 K/BB ratio across 13 innings (four starts) into a road tilt against the Nationals on Thursday.
Pablo Lopez vs. Nationals
6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
35% CSW, 16 swinging strikes
It’s unfair to call Lopez one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, but he’s been simply magnificent over the last two seasons. The 25-year-old righty matched a season-high with nine strikeouts against a loaded Nationals’ lineup on Friday evening and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 13 of his 16 starts this season. He’ll carry a pristine 2.87 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 94/22 K/BB ratio across 91 innings (16 starts) into a challenging road tilt against the Phillies on Thursday night.
Jon Gray vs. Brewers
5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
33% CSW, 17 swinging strikes
Gray authored his most dominant start of the season, tallying a season-high 10 punchouts over five scoreless innings, against the Brewers on Friday afternoon in his return from the injured list after missing three weeks due to a flexor strain in his right elbow. It was his first double-digit strikeout effort since June 13, 2019. The 29-year-old righty induced 17 swinging strikes and finished with a solid 33 percent CSW in this one. He scattered five hits and didn’t hand out a free pass as well. He’ll carry a solid 3.97 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 60/27 K/BB ratio across 68 innings (13 starts) into a home outing against the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon. He’s a viable option for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues moving forward.
Sean Manaea vs. Giants
6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
30% CSW, 11 swinging strikes
Johnny Cueto vs. Athletics
7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
29% CSW, 10 swinging strikes
Manaea was narrowly outdueled by veteran righty Johnny Cueto, who turned back the clock with a seven-inning masterpiece, in a throwback pitcher’s duel on Friday evening at Oracle Park. Neither pitcher was overpowering, but they managed to limit two solid lineups to just eight hits and four walks over 13 frames combined in this one. To his credit, Manaea also picked up a pair of hits at the plate in this one.
Hitters with an EDGE
Fernando Tatis Jr. vs. Diamondbacks
4-for-5, 4 R, 3 HR (25), 4 RBI
Tatis Jr. relentlessly battered the free-falling Diamondbacks’ pitching staff on Friday night at Petco Park, clobbering a career-high three homers in an epic four-hit performance. The electrifying 22-year-old shortstop is now tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the major league-lead with 25 round-trippers this season. We’ve run out of adjectives and superlatives to describe what we’re witnessing from the Padres’ franchise cornerstone this season. He owns a surreal .293/.373/.702 triple-slash line with 58 runs scored, 25 homers, 54 RBI and 15 steals across 249 plate appearances this season. His 64 homers over his first 202 games are the most by any player in major-league history to begin their career.
Shohei Ohtani vs. Rays
2-for-4, R, HR (24), RBI
Ohtani wasted zero time in his first appearance out of the Angels’ leadoff spot, walloping a colossal 453-foot solo shot to right-center field -- his 24th round-tripper of the season -- off Rays opener Andrew Kittredge to kick-off Friday evening’s low-scoring contest at Tropicana Field. The titanic blast left the bat with an exit velocity of 116.1 mph, according to Statcast, which puts him tied with Nelson Cruz, Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Zunino as the only hitters to record multiple homers with an exit velocity in excess of 116 mph. The 26-year-old two-way sensation has emerged as the clear front-runner for the American League MVP Award, hitting .269/.353/.643 with 49 runs scored, 24 home runs, 55 RBI and 10 stolen bases across 283 plate appearances. He’s also recorded a sparkling 2.58 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 82/31 K/BB ratio across 59 1/3 innings (11 starts) on the mound. Unreal.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. vs. Orioles
2-for-5, R, HR (25), RBI
Guerrero Jr. regained sole possession of the major leagues home run lead on Friday evening, thanks to a sizzling 406-foot line-drive to center field off righty Matt Harvey in the third inning. It was his 25th round-tripper of the season. The 22-year-old burgeoning fantasy superstar has a realistic shot at becoming just the fifth hitter in the last decade to eclipse the lofty 50-homer plateau.
Kyle Schwarber vs. Marlins
3-for-4, R, HR (22), RBI
Here’s an oversimplification: Schwarber is the hottest hitter in baseball. Period. The 28-year-old slugger’s surreal home run barrage out of the Nationals’ leadoff spot continued with a solo homer off righty Pablo Lopez on Friday evening. He’s gone deep an absurd 13 times, including four multi-homer performances, over his last 14 games since June 12.
Bobby Bradley vs. Twins
1-for-3, 2 R, HR (6), 2 RBI, BB
Bradley tattooed a mammoth 432-foot two-run homer to center field off lefty Danny Coulombe in the opening frame on Friday night against the Twins. The 25-year-old first baseman has been phenomenal, hitting .250/.333/.607 with 14 runs scored, six home runs and 15 RBI across 63 plate appearances since being promoted from Triple-A Columbus earlier this month. It’s difficult to draw any conclusions from an extremely small 17-game sample size, but it’s hard not to be impressed with what Bradley has done recently. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues.
Nolan Arenado vs. Pirates
2-for-2, R, HR (15), RBI, 3 BB
Arenado crushed a 399-foot solo homer to left field -- his 15th long ball of the season -- off righty Wil Crowe in the third inning and wound up reaching base safely in all five of his plate appearances on Friday night at Busch Stadium. The 30-year-old third baseman hasn’t exactly set the NL Central, but he’s been the Cardinals’ main offensive catalyst this season.
Luis Torrens vs. White Sox
2-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR (7), 4 RBI
Torrens’ out of nowhere power surge continued on Friday night as he recorded the first multi-homer effort of his career. The 25-year-old backstop has gone deep five times over his seven games since June 15.
Closing Time
Jose Alvarado vs. Mets
1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (2nd blown save)
Just a few hours after Phillies manager Joe Girardi said Friday that Alvarado would take over as the team’s primary closer, the left-hander responded by immediately blowing a save in the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets. The -year-old southpaw came on to record the final two outs of the sixth inning, preserving a one-run advantage, but immediately ran into trouble in the final frame. He committed a throwing error on a comebacker from Luis Guillorme to open the inning, and the light-hitting infielder eventually came around to score the tying run later in the frame. Despite the blown save, Alvarado remains the favorite to continue closing in Philadelphia moving forward, but this type of outing certainly doesn’t instill confidence.
Hector Neris vs. Mets
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (11th save)
Just a few hours after being removed as the Phillies’ closer, Neris became the only Phillies’ reliever to convert a save chance on Friday evening. Baseball. The 32-year-old righty was called upon to preserve a one-run margin in the eighth inning after Archie Bradley coughed up the lead in the previous frame. Based on manager Joe Girardi’s comments, and Neris’s recent struggles, it would be surprising to see him reclaim the closing gig anytime soon, but he could wind up vulturing the occasional save moving forward. He’s still worthy of a roster spot for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues.
Daniel Bard vs. Brewers
1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (5th blown save)
Bard was summoned to protect a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning and failed to record an out before surrendering a game-tying two-run homer to Willy Adames. He managed to preserve the tie and sent the contest to extra-innings, but it wasn’t the desired outcome for fantasy managers. The 36-year-old righty has given up at least one run in four of his last seven appearances. There aren’t exactly any superior alternatives in Colorado, so he’ll likely continue to receive the majority of the team’s save chances, despite his recent struggles, moving forward.
Cole Sulser vs. Blue Jays
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (2nd save)
Sulser was called upon to guard the Orioles’ narrow one-run advantage in the 10th inning and managed to work around a leadoff walk to Bo Bichette by coaxing a double-play ball off the bat of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and whiffing Teoscar Hernandez. There won’t be a ton of saves in Baltimore over the final three months of the 2021 campaign, but Sulser has emerged as the front-runner in that bullpen moving forward. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues and AL-only formats.
Diego Castillo vs. Angels
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (12th save)
Castillo struck out the side in the ninth inning on Friday evening, preserving a one-run lead against the Angels to net his first save since June 12. The hard-throwing 27-year-old righty remains the Rays’ primary stopper moving forward.
Will Smith vs. Reds
1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (16th save)
Smith was charged with protecting a narrow one-run cushion against the Reds on Friday night and managed to work around a two-out double from Kyle Farmer to collect his 16th save. The 31-year-old veteran southpaw has morphed into one of the most reliable closers in the game this season. He’s reeled off seven consecutive scoreless appearances over the last two weeks.
Hansel Robles vs. Indians
1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (7th save)
The Twins’ closer situation remains a fairly even split between Robles and lefty Taylor Rogers, who tossed a scoreless eighth inning in this one. The 30-year-old righty got the call to protect a two-run lead against the Indians on Friday night and wound up surrendering a solo shot to Josh Naylor, but managed to hang on to record the save. There isn’t a ton of fantasy upside here, given the split between Robles and Rogers, but both are worthy of roster spots in deeper mixed leagues and AL-only formats.
Richard Rodriguez vs. Cardinals
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (10th save)
Rodriguez has been one of the premier closers on the senior circuit this season, posting a microscopic 1.78 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 27/3 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings of work. The 31-year-old righty should be one of the most highly-sought relievers at next month’s trade deadline.
Jake McGee vs. Athletics
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (15th save)
McGee came on to finish off the Giants’ six-hit shutout against the Athletics on Friday night, tossing a perfect frame to slam the door. The 34-year-old veteran left-hander has been phenomenal over the last few weeks, allowing just five runs (three earned) with a 19/3 K/BB ratio across 18 1/3 innings, dating back to May 7. He’s re-established himself as the Giants’ primary closer and should be rostered in all fantasy formats.
Matt Barnes vs. Yankees
1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (16th save)
Barnes surrendered back-to-back singles to open the ninth inning on Friday night at Fenway Park, but struck out Clint Frazier and induced a game-ending double play from DJ LeMahieu to secure the Red Sox’ two-run victory. The 31-year-old righty hasn’t been quite as dominant as he was earlier in the year, but he remains an upper-echelon fantasy closer moving forward.
EDGE Priority Pickup
Lars Nootbaar, OF, Cardinals
Nootbaar isn’t a character from the new season of The Mandalorian. Seriously. The 23-year-old outfielder has started four consecutive games for the Cardinals, going 4-for-15 with three RBI since being promoted from Triple-A Memphis earlier this week. He was tearing the cover off the ball in the upper minors, slashing .329/.430/.557 with five homers and one steal in 22 games to earn a promotion to the big leagues. An extremely favorable upcoming schedule is the central reason why fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats should strongly consider adding him to their roster. The Cardinals have a pair of home games remaining against the rebuilding Pirates, and a trio against the free-falling Diamondbacks, before embarking on a 10-game road trip to close out the first half of the regular season. They’re lined up for a four-game set versus the Rockies in Coors Field, and three-game series against the Giants and Cubs, respectively, before hitting the All-Star break. Those are extremely favorable opponents in hitter-friendly environments. If Nootbaar is playing everyday, he could do some serious damage over the next few weeks.
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Saturday’s Matchup of the Day
Logan Gilbert (2-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. Lance Lynn (7-3, 2.14 ERA) - 2:10 PM ET
Mariners’ rookie right-hander Logan Gilbert has shown flashes of immense fantasy potential since being called up to join the team’s starting rotation last month, and he’ll face an extremely tough test against the White Sox on a sizzling-hot afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. He’ll square off against veteran righty Lance Lynn, who will be looking to rebound after being shelled for a season-high six runs over four frames in a loss to the red-hot Astros last weekend.
American League Quick Hits: Friday’s scheduled game between the Tigers and Astros was postponed due to inclement weather. It will be made up as a doubleheader on Saturday … Athletics placed Mark Canha on the 10-day injured list with a right hip strain … Marcus Semien scorched a two-run double and George Springer walloped a solo homer in the Blue Jays’ loss to the Orioles in extra-innings … Austin Meadows went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI, powering the Rays to a win over the Angels … Nate Lowe went 3-for-4 with a two-run triple in the Rangers’ blowout victory over the Royals … Luis Arraez went 3-for-4 with three RBI and Alex Kirilloff blasted a two-run homer in the Twins’ victory over the Indians … Austin Hays blistered a game-tying two-run double and Cedric Mullins went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk in the Orioles’ win over the Blue Jays in an extra-inning affair … Anthony Rendon slugged his fifth homer of the season in the Angels’ loss to the Rays … Whit Merrifield went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple in the Royals’ lopsided defeat at the hands of the Rangers … Jake Fraley slugged a two-run homer in the Mariners’ win over the White Sox … Amed Rosario, Eddie Rosario and Josh Naylor went deep in the Indians’ loss to the Twins … Yasmani Grandal hit a solo homer and Yoan Moncada went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and a walk in the White Sox’ loss to the Mariners … Xander Bogaerts delivered a two-run double in the Red Sox’ narrow victory over the Yankees … DJ LeMahieu hit a two-run single in the Yankees’ loss to the Red Sox … Yusei Kikurchi struck out six batters and yielded one run over 5 2/3 innings in a win over the White Sox … Carlos Rodon recorded eight strikeouts and allowed three runs over five innings in a loss to the Mariners … Alek Manoah notched six strikeouts over six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision against the Orioles … Dane Dunning yielded two runs over five frames in a win over the Royals … Mike Minor was torched for nine runs over five innings in a loss to the Rangers … Martin Perez was charged with three runs (zero earned) over 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Yankees … Domingo German was lit up for four runs (three earned) over four innings in a loss to the Red Sox … Griffin Canning was charged with three runs (two earned) over five innings in a no-decision against the Rays … Matt Harvey was tagged for three runs over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Blue Jays … Cal Quantrill was obliterated for six runs over 4 1/3 frames in a no-decision against the Twins … Danny Coulombe was charged with three runs (one earned) over 1 2/3 innings in a spot start against the Indians … Danny Duffy tossed a scoreless frame in a relief appearance against the Rangers … Angels placed Justin Upton on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain … Gio Urshela (shin) returned to the Yankees’ lineup on Friday … Orioles optioned Dean Kremer to Triple-A Norfolk … Indians signed free agent reliever Brad Peacock to a minor-league contract.
National League Quick Hits: Ronald Acuña Jr. (back) returned to the Braves’ lineup on Friday evening against the Reds … Mets manager Luis Rojas said Friday that he expects Marcus Stroman (hip) to make his next scheduled start on Monday against the Nationals … Rockies manager Bud Black said Friday that Austin Gomber (forearm) is “still a ways away” from returning to the team’s rotation … Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Daniel Vogelbach (hamstring) will be out for the next six weeks … Buster Posey was a late scratch from the Giants’ lineup due to lower back tightness … Ketel Marte (hamstring) remained out of the Diamondbacks’ starting lineup on Friday … Giants placed Brandon Belt on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation … Francisco Lindor delivered a game-tying RBI single off of Jose Alvarado in the seventh inning on Friday as the Mets rallied to win the first game of a doubleheader against the Phillies … Bryce Harper slugged a solo homer, powering the Phillies to a narrow win over the Mets in the second game of Friday’s twin-billing … Garrett Cooper went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and four runs scored in his return from the 10-day injured list and Miguel Rojas went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer and four RBI in the Marlins’ lopsided victory over the Nationals … Dansby Swanson and Guillermo Heredia went deep in the Braves’ win over the Reds … Ke’Bryan Hayes went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk in the Pirates’ win over the Cardinals … Keston Hiura clobbered a solo homer and also delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 11th inning, lifting the Brewers to a comeback victory over the Rockies. Kolten Wong and Willy Adames also went deep in the extra-inning marathon … Tommy Pham and Jake Cronenworth homered in the Padres’ lopsided win over the Diamondbacks … AJ Pollock hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the Dodgers’ win over the Cubs … Jonathan India went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in the Reds’ loss to the Braves … Dylan Carlson went deep in the Cardinals’ loss to the Pirates … Josh Fuentes hit a two-run homer in the Rockies’ loss to the Brewers in extra-innings … Curt Casali belted a solo homer in the Giants’ win over the Athletics … Corbin Burnes recorded seven strikeouts over six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision against the Rockies … Taijuan Walker notched five strikeouts over five innings of one-run ball in a no-decision against the Phillies … Matt Moore scattered three hits over five scoreless frames in a no-decision against the Mets … David Peterson allowed one run over six innings in a no-decision against the Phillies … Drew Smyly gave up one run over six innings in a win over the Reds … Vladimir Gutierrez yielded three runs over six innings in a loss to the Braves … Wil Crowe allowed four runs over five innings in a win over the Cardinals … Kwang-Hyun Kim gave up four runs over 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Pirates … Chris Paddack surrendered five runs over 2 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Diamondbacks … Jake Arrieta allowed two runs over five innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers … Jon Lester was torched for seven runs over 2 1/3 innings in a loss to the Marlins … Josh Bell (side) remained out of the Nationals’ lineup on Friday night, but is expected to return on Saturday … Ryan McMahon returned to the Rockies’ starting lineup on Friday evening after missing a handful of games due to a forearm issue … Spencer Howard will start for the Phillies on Monday against the Reds … Nick Senzel (knee) isn’t expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment until after the All-Star break … Phillies purchased the contract of RHP Neftali Feliz from Triple-A Lehigh Valley … Brewers acquired Troy Stokes Jr. and Jandel Gustave from the Pirates for minor-league catcher Samuel Escudero … Mets claimed Chance Sisco off waivers from the Orioles … Diamondbacks claimed Brett de Geus off waivers from the Rangers.
