Alcantara opens up second half for Marlins

Chisholm put on an epic power display in this one, capping a four-run opening frame with a no-doubter to right field off Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft. He added an additional two-run shot in the third that just stayed inside the foul pole in right field. It was his first multi-homer performance of the year. He’s on pace to deliver top-10 fantasy value at both second and third base this season with 16 round-trippers and 26 stolen bases through 95 games.

Valdez put Pittsburgh ahead with an opposite-field 431-foot tater into the right-field seats against Yankees starter Ryan Weathers. The 22-year-old rookie sensation is up to 13 homers in 32 games at the highest level. The massive over-the-fence pop is very real. However, there are several underlying indicators, most notably his literal .400 BABIP along with a staggering 37.7 percent strikeout rate, that suggest he’s overdue for some regression.

Cruz picked up his second save of the season with David Bednar presumably unavailable to pitch against his former club following a 32-pitch effort during Sunday’s doubleheader against the Dodgers. The 36-year-old will continue to vulture the occasional save chance when the opportunity arises.

Weathers looked like he was going to be on the hook for a loss after giving up a go-ahead homer to rookie slugger Esmerlyn Valdez in the third inning. Fortunately, New York’s offense rose to the occasion and backed him with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to overcome the early deficit. He posted five strikeouts and issued two walks. He’s worked past the fifth inning just once in his last four starts and has allowed 15 runs over 15 2/3 innings during that span. He’ll face a tough test with a challenging road matchup against the Phillies on Saturday to close out a two-start week.

Ashcraft had zero answers for Jazz Chisholm Jr., who took him deep for a three-run shot in the opening frame and a two-run blast in the third inning. He finished with two strikeouts and only issued one walk. It was a real dud for Ashcraft after a strong first half where he was selected to his first All-Star Game. He’ll attempt to rebound with a home outing against the Cubs on Sunday.

Suarez draws the starting assignment at Fenway Park for his first outing since July 5 as Boston looks to extend their unbelievable winning streak to 15 consecutive games. The 30-year-old southpaw got off to a rocky start in his Red Sox debut, but finished the first half with a strong 3.15 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 97/26 K/BB ratio across 91 1/3 innings to earn an All-Star Game selection.

Durbin was 0-for-3 before putting a Tyler Wells offering over the Green Monster for his 10th homer of the year. He’s hit nine in his last 33 games after collecting just one in 59 games through June 9. The Red Sox are now one win away from matching their franchise-long winning streak of 15 games from 1946.

Tolle didn’t have luck on his side tonight; he gave up eight hits but just five hard-hit balls and only one ball with an xBA over .500. It’s just the third time this year that he’s allowed more than three runs. He wasn’t involved in the decision, so he stays 5-6 with a 3.31 ERA. He’ll face the Blue Jays on Sunday.

Chapman walked Colton Cowser to start the inning and gave up a double to Gunnar Henderson with two outs. Cowser, though, didn’t try to score on the hit off, and Tyler O’Neill lined out to shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng to end the game afterwards. It was Chapman’s 22nd save of the year. He’s one away from tying Dennis Eckersley at 390 for ninth place on the all-time list.

Baz struck out six and walked none. He’d walked at least one batter in 17 consecutive starts until last week, but now he’s posted a 15/0 K/BB in his last two starts, putting him at 105/42 in 117 2/3 innings overall. So, that’s rather encouraging. He’ll take a 4-9 record and a 4.13 ERA into his next start at home against the Braves.