Braxton Ashcraft struggles in first-half finale

Neto opened the scoring in the top half of the first inning with an RBI single off of Peter Lambert. He then chipped in an RBI single in the fourth inning that extended the Halos’ lead to 6-2. Neto broke the game wide open with a 428-foot (107.6-mph EV) three-run blast off of Bryan King in the fifth inning that made it a 14-2 ballgame. Just for fun, he added on a two-run double in the seventh inning and a single off of LaMonte Wade Jr. in the ninth. The only thing he did wrong on the night was getting caught stealing for the 11th time on the season. With his impressive five-hit night, the 25-year-old shortstop is now slashing .231/.314/.422 with 21 homers, 61 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

Grissom delivered an RBI single in the second inning that tied the game at 2-2, then came around to score the go-ahead run on a bunt by Tyler Heineman. He then added a two-run double in the fourth that pushed their advantage to 10-2. The 25-year-old has at least held his own at the MLB level this season, slashing .249/.308/.377 with seven long balls and 50 RBI in 329 plate appearances.

The 22-year-old backstop served as the Angels’ designated hitter in this one. He sparked a three-run rally with a leadoff double in the second inning and scored on an RBI knock by Vaughn Grissom. He then added a two-run single in the fourth that increased their lead to 8-2 before scoring on Grissom’s two-run double. It has been a rough year overall at the plate for Ballesteros, slashing .208/.280/.325 with six homers and 25 RBI in 236 plate appearances between the Cubs and Angels.

Rodriguez struck out six batters on the night while issuing a pair of walks. It looked like it was going to be another rough outing for Rodriguez as he walked the first two batters to start the game and allowed a single to Isaac Paredes to load the bases with nobody out. He rallied to escape that threat with only a pair of unearned runs allowed and went on to allow just one hit over the next six innings. The 26-year-old hurler got 12 swings and misses on 99 offerings on the night, posting a solid CSW of 31 percent. He’ll try to keep the good times rolling and further improve upon his unsightly 6.41 ERA and 1.53 WHIP when he does battle against the Guardians on Tuesday.

Alvarez drew a walk in the home half of the first inning and scored on a wild pitch. He then blooped a double down the left field line to start the third inning, but never advanced past second base. He was then pulled in the fifth inning to give him a bit of a rest, finishing the night 1-for-1 officially. He’s having an unbelievable season at the dish, slashing a monstrous .319/.432/.613 with 36 homers and 88 RBI in 553 plate appearances.

Yikes. Lambert also issued a pair of walks while striking out three batters in the ballgame. The Halos got to him early and often in this one, striking for one in the first, three in the second, and five more while chasing him in the fourth — all without the benefit of a home run. Lambert got nine whiffs on 79 pitches in the forgettable outing, posting a CSW of only 24 percent. This wipes away a lot of the good work that he had done this season, as Lambert now sports a 3.68 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 120/48 K/BB ratio over 122 1/3 innings through his first 22 starts. He’ll try to turn the page as he does battle against the Yankees in New York on Wednesday. Fantasy managers should probably want to sit that one out after this miserable performance.

Seager swatted a 2-2 fastball from Andrew Alvarez for an opposite-field 382-foot (103.4-mph EV) solo shot in the third inning that gave the Rangers an early 1-0 advantage that they wouldn’t relinquish. The 32-year-old shortstop also doubled in the ballgame, finishing the night 2-for-4. He’s now slashing .218/.315/.415 with 13 long balls and 31 RBI on the season.

Langford worked Clayton Beeter for a one-out walk in the seventh inning and promptly swiped second base to get himself into scoring position, but the Rangers couldn’t cash him in from there. He’s having a solid all-around season at the dish, slashing .251/.318/.454 with 14 homers, 33 RBI and 10 stolen bases in his first 324 plate appearances.

The task became a bit easier for Latz after the Rangers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning, giving him an extra run to work with. He did issue a one-out walk to Harry Ford, but nothing came of it as Latz struck out each of the other three hitters that he faced. The 30-year-old southpaw has now converted 25 of his first 28 save chances on the season while posting a minuscule 1.75 ERA and a 61/15 K/BB ratio across 57 innings of work. He has been an absolute gold mine for fantasy managers who picked him up early in the season.

The 38-year-old right-hander allowed just one hit in the contest — a one-out single by Brady House in the second inning — while issuing one base on balls. The Rangers only gave him one run of support in this one and deGrom made sure that it stood up, as no Nationals’ hitter advanced past second base against him in the ballgame. He generated 17 swings and misses on 94 offerings — nine on his slider — while registering a strong CSW of 34 percent. Now 9-8 on the season, he’ll look to further improve upon his 3.78 ERA and 1.13 WHIP when he takes on the White Sox in Chicago on Tuesday.