Willson Contreras gets seven-game suspension

Mikolas struck out two and walked one as the Nats went on to win 10-7. The right-hander has a 5.65 ERA this season and is well off the fantasy radar. He draws the Braves in Atlanta next time out.

Coors was no issue for Cavalli. Eddy Yean and Max Kranick finished up the six-hitter after Cavalli got through seven in 90 pitches. It’s Cavalli’s first scoreless start this year, and he’s up to 14th in the majors with 127 strikeouts in 110 2/3 innings. He’ll face the Blue Jays next week.

Carson Palmquist opened for the Nationals and tossed a scoreless first inning before giving up four in the second. He was chased with two outs in the inning at 36 pitches. Mikes Mikolas took over and recorded the final out, then gave up a run in the third on a double and two groundouts. Two hits in the fifth and a solo homer in the sixth brought two more runs in for Colorado before Mikolas departed with one out in the sixth inning. He struck out one. The 37-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 5.60 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and a 51/20 K/BB ratio across 98 innings. His next outing is scheduled for Monday at home against the Blue Jays.

Mikolas will be pitching for the first time since serving his five-game suspension for fighting Boston’s Nate Eaton.

Contreras’ home run was his 22nd of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Shane McClanahan in the fifth inning. Contreras has six home runs in his last 14 games. He’s hitting .283 with a .931 OPS and 64 RBI.

The Red Sox extended their winning streak to 11 consecutive games by sweeping Friday’s doubleheader against the division-leading Rays at Fenway Park. Contreras took Tampa Bay reliever Mason Englert deep in the opening frame of the nightcap affair, his first contest back following a five-game suspension for his on-field actions against the Nationals earlier this month. The 34-year-old has served as Boston’s primary offensive catalyst with 21 round-trippers through 89 games. He’s on pace to easily eclipse the 30-homer threshold for the first time in his career becoming the latest example of a veteran right-handed power hitting finding success immediately upon arrival at Fenway Park, much like J.D. Martinez did last decade.

Both runs came on Tyler Soderstrom’s homer in the fourth. Cavalli went without a walk for the sixth time in 21 starts this season and upped his K/BB ratio to 119/32 K/BB in 104 2/3 innings. He might start to run out of gas at some point — his career-high for innings is 123 1/3 — but things continue to look quite good for the short term. He’ll face the Rockies in Coors next week, and while that’s not necessarily a great ERA bet, he should have a pretty good chance at notching another win.

This will be the fifth and final game that Willson Contreras is suspended for. When Contreras returns, Gonzalez will likely play more DH at second base, but he should remain in the lineup. He’s hitting .231/.302/.385 in 11 games since returning from offseason shoulder surgery.

The Nationals will open the second half with Cavalli on the mound. He’ll be followed by Zack Littell (who has been opened for recently) on Saturday. and Foster Griffin on Sunday. Cavalli’s first half ended with a 3.83 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 98 2/3 innings. He’s been going deeper into starts lately and is a viable 12-team starter against West Sacramento on Friday.

Contreras added while speaking prior to the showcase in Philadelphia that he wants to finish his career in Boston. The 34-year-old first baseman put together an impressive 13-homer opening round during the Home Run Derby earlier this week and has been one of the main reasons that the Red Sox are within striking distance of a playoff spot coming out of the Midsummer Classic.