Every legendary figure in major-league history has produced signature moments, which become indelibly etched in the memory of baseball fans for generations to come. With iconic Fenway Park serving as the backdrop, Angels’ two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani delivered the first mythical moment of his blossoming career on Sunday afternoon, crushing a go-ahead, two-run homer off hard-throwing righty Matt Barnes with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, leading the Angels to a dramatic 6-5 comeback victory over the Red Sox.
With the Angels one out away from their fifth consecutive loss, mere seconds after living legend Mike Trout snapped a bizarre 0-for-18 slump at the plate with a bloop single to right field to keep the contest going, Ohtani capped off an improbable comeback with a towering shot to right field, which just snuck inside Pesky’s Pole. The 26-year-old burgeoning superstar, who is set to make his next start on the mound on Wednesday against the Indians, told reporters afterwards that it was the biggest home run of his career so far. He’s tied with Ronald Acuña Jr., Aaron Judge and Mitch Haniger for the major-league lead with 12 home runs through the first six weeks of the 2021 campaign and has compiled a robust 262/.304/.597 triple-slash line with 28 runs scored, 12 homers, 29 RBI and six stolen bases in 158 plate appearances. He’s rapidly evolved into the most exciting player in baseball, and he’s just getting started.[[ad:athena]]
Seager Expected To Miss A Month
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday afternoon that shortstop Corey Seager is expected to miss at least four weeks due to a fractured right hand. Roberts added that the 27-year-old reigning World Series MVP, who has already been placed on the 10-day injured list, will not require surgery after breaking the fifth metacarpal on his right hand. It will be former top prospect Gavin Lux taking over as the team’s primary shortstop in his absence. There isn’t an exact timetable for Seager’s return, but barring any setbacks, it sounds like he could potentially return at some point in mid-to-late June. It’s an extremely encouraging development given how serious the injury appeared to be on Saturday night after he was drilled on the hand by a pitch from Marlins’ lefty reliever Ross Detwiler.
Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Freddy Peralta vs. Braves
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
40% CSW, 21 swinging strikes
Peralta, arguably been the breakout star of the 2021 campaign from a pitching standpoint, authored one of his most dominant performances of the season, racking up a season-high 21 swinging strikes and finishing with an elite 40 percent CSW (called strikes plus whiffs). It was his highest percentage CSW in a single-start through eight appearances (seven starts) this year. The hard-throwing 24-year-old righty scattered two hits and a walk over six shutout frames and has now reeled off 13 consecutive scoreless innings over his last two starts. He’ll carry a 2.40 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 69/19 K/BB ratio across 45 innings into a road tilt against the Reds on Sunday.
Kyle Hendricks vs. Tigers
8.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
41% CSW, 12 swinging strikes
Hendricks delivered a vintage throwback performance versus a floundering Tigers’ lineup, recording a season-high eight strikeouts, and carrying a shutout bid into the ninth inning, before back-to-back singles by Harold Castro and Miguel Cabrera chased him from the contest after 105 pitches (76 strikes). He induced 12 swinging strikes and finished with an elite 41 percent CSW (called strikes plus whiffs). The soft-tossing 31-year-old righty has struggled to keep the ball in the yard, coughing up 11 homers over 42 2/3 innings this season, resulting in a bloated 5.06 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 38/10 K/BB ratio across eight starts. He’ll look to build off the strong performance when he faces off against the division-rival Cardinals in a road tilt on Friday.
Alex Wood vs. Pirates
6.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
32% CSW, 14 swinging strikes
Wood surrendered eight hits as Ka’ai Tom’s sacrifice fly in the fourth inning represented the lone tally against him in this one. He finished with six strikeouts and only issued one free pass. The 30-year-old southpaw has been on a roll to open the 2021 campaign, allowing two earned runs or fewer in six consecutive starts. Granted, he hasn’t faced any certifiable offensive juggernauts during that span, but he’s taken care of business every time out this season. He’ll carry a microscopic 1.75 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 35/9 K/BB ratio across 36 innings (six starts) into a challenging matchup against the Dodgers at home on Friday.
Robbie Ray vs. Phillies
5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
33% CSW, 25 swinging strikes
Ray recorded nine strikeouts and only issued one walk in this one. He generated an eye-popping 25 swinging strikes and finished with a solid 33 percent CSW (called strikes plus whiffs). He also gave up seven hits, including a trio of solo homers. The 29-year-old left-hander has seemingly corrected the persistent control issues that plagued him throughout his career by becoming more aggressive earlier in at-bats, throwing his fastball, slider and curveball for strikes with increased frequency. The results have been outstanding so far as he’s issued only two walks over his last five starts combined since April 24. He’s compiled a sparkling 3.79 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 48/11 K/BB ratio across 40 1/3 innings (seven starts) this season. He’ll face off against the Rays at home on Saturday in his next start.
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Hitters with an EDGE
Aaron Judge vs. Orioles
2-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB
Judge pulverized an 86 mph center-cut changeup from lefty Bruce Zimmerman, launching a towering 443-foot solo shot to left-center field in the third inning. The 29-year-old middle-of-the-order masher has homered in three consecutive games and gone deep seven times in 15 games since April 30. He’s played a key role in the Yankees’ recent hot streak -- especially with fellow slugger Giancarlo Stanton sidelined -- as they’ve won 11 of their last 15 games dating back to April 30. He owns a sublime .298/.399/.611 triple-slash line with 20 runs scored, 12 homers and 24 RBI across 153 plate appearances. He’s tied with Ronald Acuña Jr., Mitch Haniger and Shohei Ohtani for the major-league lead in the home run department through six weeks of the regular season.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. vs. Phillies
3-for-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI
Guerrero Jr. collected three hits and also homered for the third consecutive game, walloping a gargantuan solo homer -- his 11th round-tripper of the season -- off righty reliever Brandon Kintzler in the eighth inning. He also lifted an opposite-field RBI double against righty Chase Anderson back in the second inning of this one. The 22-year-old slugger is just one homer behind a quartet of hitters for the major league-lead this year. The long-awaited breakthrough has finally arrived as Guerrero Jr. owns a stellar 319/.440/.609 triple-slash line with 29 runs scored, 11 homers, 30 RBI and one stolen base across 168 plate appearances.
Rafael Devers vs. Angels
1-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI
Devers connected on a 93 mph fastball from righty reliever Aaron Slegers, tattooing a three-run blast into the right-field seats -- his 11th round-tripper of the season -- in the fifth inning. The 24-year-old third baseman has homered in back-to-back games and has left the yard four times in his last eight games. He owns a phenomenal 278/.354/.583 triple-slash line with 26 runs scored, 11 homers, 34 RBI and two steals in 164 plate appearances.
Ian Happ vs. Tigers
3-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI
Happ was officially off to a frosty start at the plate before being injured in a collision with teammate Nico Hoerner, which sidelined him for nearly two weeks earlier this month. Yet, he appeared to break out of his season-long slump in this one, drilling a pair of extra-base hits off lefty Matthew Boyd, including an RBI double in the fourth inning, and a solo homer in the sixth inning. Given his track record of power and speed production, Happ is worthy of a speculative stash for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. vs. Dodgers
2-for-5, R, SB
Chisholm Jr. made an immediate impact in his return to the Marlins’ lineup after missing nearly three weeks due to a hamstring injury in late-April. He tallied two hits, stole a base -- his eighth steal of the season -- and also scored a run in the low-scoring affair in Los Angeles. The electrifying 23-year-old middle infielder possesses a sublime power/speed combo and has rapidly become one of the most exciting players in the entire game. His persistent contact issues put a ceiling on his immediate fantasy potential, but he has a legitimate chance to lead the majors in steals this season.
Closing Time
Has there been a changing of the guard in San Francisco? It’s fair to speculate after submariner Tyler Rogers hurled a perfect ninth inning on Sunday afternoon, protecting a three-run lead against the Pirates to collect his fourth save of the season. It’s notable that Rogers was called upon to convert the save opportunity in the wake of a pair of meltdowns by veteran lefty Jake McGee on back-to-back days earlier in the four-game series. The 30-year-old righty has recorded a sparkling 0.76 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 12/4 K/BB ratio over 23 2/3 innings this season. Given McGee’s recent struggles, there’s a strong possibility that he takes over as the Giants’ primary closer moving forward. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues.
Mark Melancon fired a scoreless frame against the Cardinals to collect his major league-leading 14th save on Sunday night. The 36-year-old righty was summoned to protect a two-run lead in the top of the ninth inning. He gave up a leadoff single to Harrison Bader before getting Lane Thomas to ground into a force out, Max Moroff to line out to center field, and a harmless grounder back to the mound from Tommy Edman to end the contest.
He wasn’t able to collect an official save, since he entered a tie ballgame to record the final out of the eighth inning, but Lou Trivino delivered for the Athletics on Sunday, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless frames in relief against the Twins to pick up his second win of the season. The 29-year-old righty appears to be the primary closer in Oakland, with lefty Jake Diekman -- who surrendered a game-tying, two-run homer to Andrelton Simmons in the eighth inning of this contest -- factoring into the mix occasionally in certain matchups. He’s recorded six saves to go along with a respectable 3.27 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 22/12 K/BB ratio across 22 innings this season.
Meanwhile, it was Twins’ lefty Taylor Rogers who allowed one run over an inning of work on Sunday and was ultimately saddled with a loss against the Athletics. The 30-year-old southpaw was called upon to work the top of the ninth inning of a tie ballgame and wound up allowing Ramon Laureano to cross the plate with the go-ahead run, thanks to a wild pitch on a strikeout of Matt Chapman with two outs in the frame. He’s allowed six runs over his last five appearances and it appears that Hansel Robles is the frontrunner for saves in Minnesota moving forward.
Josh Hader allowed one run on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts to earn his ninth save of the season against the Braves on Sunday. The 27-year-old southpaw managed to protect a two-run lead despite allowing plenty of traffic on the basepaths in this one. He’s recorded a sparkling 1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 28/7 K/BB ratio over 15 2/3 innings this season.
Matt Barnes served up a two-run homer in the ninth inning on Sunday and was charged with a blown save against the Angels. The 30-year-old righty was summoned to protect a slim one-run lead in the top of the ninth inning and failed to slam the door. He recorded two quick outs, before giving up a two-out single to Mike Trout, and a go-ahead, two-run homer to ensuing batter Shohei Ohtani. He’s been one of the most reliable closers in baseball over the first six weeks of the 2021 campaign, so there isn’t a major cause for concern after one poor outing. He’s recorded nine saves with a 2.66 ERA, 0.54 WHIP and 35/3 K/BB ratio over 20 1/3 innings this season.
After Rockies’ stopper Mychal Givens allowed two runs on a hit and a pair of walks in a blown save in the top of the ninth inning, Tejay Antone was called upon to protect a one-run lead for the Reds in the bottom of the frame. The hard-throwing 27-year-old righty gave up a leadoff double to Connor Joe and a one-out single to Ryan McMahon, but induced a game-ending double-play ball off the bat of speedster Garrett Hampson to preserve the one-run victory. It’s unclear exactly where the next save chance will go since Heath Hembree got a save in extra-innings on Saturday evening and Lucas Sims was likely unavailable for this contest after throwing two innings the prior night. This entire bullpen feels like a stay away situation, but Sims and Antone appear to be the most logical saves candidates moving forward.
With Josh Staumont unavailable after pitching in three of the last four games, veteran righty Wade Davis allowed two runs on three hits in an ugly blown save against the White Sox. The 35-year-old righty was called on to guard a one-run lead in the ninth inning and surrendered a leadoff double to Tim Anderson before Yoan Moncada brought home the tying run on an RBI single. He proceeded to hit Jose Abreu, putting two runners on-base before Moncada was thrown out at home on a base hit from Yermin Mercedes. He uncorked a wild pitch, which skipped away from catcher Cam Gallagher and allowed Abreu to scamper home with the winning run. Not ideal. There are better alternatives out there for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues.
Kendall Graveman tossed a scoreless ninth inning, preserving a one-run lead against the Indians to collect his fifth save of the season. The 30-year-old righty has fired 16 2/3 scoreless frames with a 17/3 K/BB ratio to open the 2021 campaign. His dramatic metamorphosis into an elite closer is one of the most remarkable storylines in baseball this season.
Yimi Garcia allowed one hit and struck out one batter to earn the save against the Dodgers on Sunday. He entered the game against his former organization to protect a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning. He gave up a one-out single to Austin Barnes, but managed to retire the side without incident to net his seventh save of the year. The 30-year-old right-hander has been excellent as the Marlins’ primary closer, recording a 1.65 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 16/3 K/BB ratio over 16 1/3 innings this season.
Brad Hand struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth to record his fourth save of the year against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. It was a solid bounce-back performance for the veteran lefty after he had blown a pair of saves and allowed runs in each of his previous three appearances.
Mike Mayers struck out three batters in a scoreless ninth inning, protecting a one-run lead against the Red Sox to record his second save of the season. Raisel Iglesias tossed a perfect eighth inning, likely just to get some work in, with the Angels trailing by a run in the final game of the series at Fenway Park. Yet, the Angels wound up taking the lead of a Shohei Ohtani homer in the top of the ninth inning, which meant that Mayers was called upon to protect a lead in the bottom of the frame. He made things interesting by issuing a pair of walks, but struck out three batters to wriggle out of the jam unscathed. Iglesias remains the primary closer in Los Angeles, but Mayers is clearly the next in line at this point.
EDGE Priority Pickup
Hansel Robles, RP, Twins
In the wake of lefty Taylor Rogers’ recent struggles and veteran righty Alex Colome’s demotion to lower-leverage situations last month, Robles is the clear favorite to close in Minnesota moving forward. The 30-year-old righty has plenty of closing experience from his previous stop in Los Angeles, where he compiled 26 saves between 2018 and 2020, and has allowed just one earned run over his last eight appearances, dating back to April 26.
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Monday’s Matchup of the Day
Sam Hentges (Indians) vs. Patrick Sandoval (Angels) - 9:38 PM ET
Sandoval has always possessed intriguing swing-and-miss stuff, but he’s never put it all together at the major-league level on a consistent basis. He’ll get his first opportunity in the Angels’ starting rotation this season against a struggling Indians’ lineup at home. With only nine games on the slate, Sandoval is at least worth checking in on for fantasy managers in extremely deep mixed leagues. There could be something there if he corrects the control issues that have been the biggest impediment to success at the highest level.
American League Quick Hits: Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) will continue his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha next week … Yankees placed Aaron Hicks on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left wrist … Astros placed Jose Urquidy on the 10-day injured list with shoulder inflammation … Tim Anderson went 3-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored in the White Sox’ comeback victory over the Royals … Marcus Semien went 3-for-5 with a solo homer, two doubles and three RBI and Bo Bichette went 2-for-5 with a solo homer and two RBI in the Blue Jays’ win over the Phillies … Matt Chapman went 3-for-4 with four RBI in the Athletics’ win over the Twins … Max Kepler went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and four RBI before being lifted from the Twins’ loss to the Athletics after tweaking his hamstring in the late innings … Jared Walsh went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles in the Angels’ win over the Red Sox … Alex Bregman went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the Astros’ win over the Rangers … Manuel Margot went 2-for-4 with a two run homer and three RBI and Ji-Man Choi went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the Rays’ win over the Mets … David Dahl went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the Rangers’ loss to the Astros … Maikel Franco went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBI and Ryan Mountcastle went 2-for-4 with four RBI in the Orioles’ win over the Yankees … Harold Castro went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and a run scored in the Tigers’ loss to the Cubs … Gary Sánchez clubbed a two-run homer in the Yankees’ loss to the Orioles … Mitch Haniger and Kyle Lewis reached base safely in all four of their plate appearances and Jarred Kelenic went 0-for-5 in the Mariners’ win over the Indians … Shane Bieber allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Mariners … Josh Fleming recorded five strikeouts over five scoreless innings in a win over the Mets … Brady Singer struck out seven batters over 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball in a no-decision against the White Sox … Kyle Gibson yielded two runs over seven innings in a no-decision against the Astros … Lance McCullers Jr. scattered five hits and a pair of walks over six scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Rangers … Matthew Boyd was charged with five runs (four earned) over six innings in a loss to the Cubs … Chris Bassitt surrendered four runs over five innings in a no-decision against the Twins … Nathan Eovaldi allowed four runs over five innings in a no-decision against the Angels. José Quintana notched seven strikeouts and gave up three runs over 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Red Sox … Jordan Montgomery was lit up for a season-high five runs over three innings in a no-decision against the Orioles … Dylan Cease posted three strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Royals … Bruce Zimmerman registered six strikeouts and yielded one run over 5 2/3 innings to pick up a win in relief against the Yankees … Kenta Maeda was charged with five runs (three earned) over four innings on Sunday in a no-decision against the Athletics. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli noted afterwards that the 33-year-old righty was dealing with minor groin tightness during that outing … Marco Gonzales (forearm) will resume throwing off of a mound on Monday … Rays acquired infielder Wyatt Mathisen from the Diamondbacks for a player to be named or cash considerations.
National League Quick Hits: Jacob deGrom (side) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday … Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters Sunday that Ronald Acuña Jr. (ankle) could return to the team’s starting lineup on Monday … Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Ke’Bryan Hayes (wrist) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment “some time in the next several days” … Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto exited Sunday’s game versus the Rays due to hamstring tightness. Both will undergo precautionary MRI’s on Monday … Tyler O’Neill exited Sunday’s game against the Padres with left hand/finger discomfort … Nolan Arenado went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the Cardinals’ loss to the Padres … Trea Turner went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the Nationals’ victory over the Diamondbacks … Freddie Freeman clobbered a grand slam -- his 11th round-tripper of the season -- and Austin Riley reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances in the Braves’ loss to the Brewers in a high-scoring slugfest … Mike Yastrzemski slugged a two-run homer and Buster Posey went 3-for-4 with a walk in the Giants’ win over the Pirates … Avisail Garcia hit a two-run homer in the Brewers’ win over the Braves … Nick Maton drilled a pair of solo homers and finished with four RBI in the Phillies’ loss to the Blue Jays … Adam Duvall swatted a three-run homer to lead the Marlins past the Dodgers … Patrick Mazeika slugged a solo homer in the Mets’ loss to the Rays … Mookie Betts went 2-for-5 with an RBI in the Dodgers’ loss to the Marlins … Shogo Akiyama went 3-for-4 with two RBI in the Reds’ win over the Rockies … Josh Fuentes went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored in the Rockies’ loss to the Reds … Pablo Lopez surrendered two runs over five innings in a win over the Dodgers … Mitch Keller posted a season-high eight strikeouts over five innings in a loss to the Giants … Huascar Ynoa allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Brewers … Marcus Stroman was lit up for five runs over six innings in a loss to the Rays … Antonio Senzatela yielded one run over seven innings in a no-decision against the Reds … Jeff Hoffman was charged with five runs (two earned) over four innings in a no-decision against the Rockies … Charlie Blackmon was absent from the Rockies’ starting lineup for the third consecutive game Sunday due to a minor groin strain. He did make a late-inning appearance as a pinch-hitter in the team’s loss to the Reds … Chris Taylor was scratched from the Dodgers’ starting lineup for Sunday’s game against the Marlins due to right wrist soreness … Brandon Belt was scratched from the Giants’ lineup Sunday with side tightness … Nick Senzel (heel) returned to the Reds’ starting lineup, but Mike Moustakas (hand) remained sidelined on Sunday … Jacob Stallings was removed from Sunday’s game against the Giants with a left quad contusion … Luke Weaver was pulled from Sunday’s start against the Nationals after four innings due to right shoulder discomfort … David Price (hamstring) is expected to be activated on Monday … Brandon Nimmo had his minor-league rehab assignment shut down due to continued finger pain … Ketel Marte (hamstring) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment Monday with Triple-A Reno.
