Kelly allows five runs in loss to Guardians

Aranda had a big day at the plate, starting with a walk in the third. He then took Enyel De Los Santos deep for a solo homer in the fourth to extend the Tampa Bay lead. He went yard again in the seventh for a two-run blast to cap off the Rays’ blowout win. The 28-year-old first baseman is hitting .278/.362/.438 with 21 homers and 89 RBI across 630 plate appearances.

Cease’s average fastball velocity wasn’t any better than last time — checking in at 94.8 mph — but he struck out nine and managed to keep the Orioles off the board until an RBI single from Pete Alonso in the fifth. Perhaps most impressively, he worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning by striking out three straight batters. Cease has regained the AL strikeout lead (238 after today) and lowered his ERA to 2.38 today, but Cam Schlitter (1.95 ERA after today) isn’t going to be hard to beat for the AL Cy Young Award.

The Astros had been shut out through five innings until Paredes took Brody Hopkins deep for a two-run blast in the sixth. The 27-year-old third baseman has been hot of late, hitting a home run in three of his last five games. Paredes is up to 21 homers with 85 RBI while slashing .260/.359/.435 across 607 plate appearances.

Peralta was outstanding on Sunday, holding the Astros scoreless through five no-hit innings. He stranded three walks and collected four strikeouts. Peralta had no pressure in this one as he got 11 runs of support before departing at 86 pitches. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 4.67 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and a 146/58 K/BB ratio across 158 innings into a start against the Red Sox in Tampa Bay on Saturday.

The Rays got to Wesneski early, scoring three runs on three hits and a groundout in the first inning. He stranded a runner in the second, then gave up four unearned runs in the third following an error, three on a home run by Richie Palacios. Wesneski’s day would be done after three innings. He struck out two. The 28-year-old right-hander will take a 3.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 38/16 K/BB ratio across 48 2/3 innings into a start against the Braves in Houston on Saturday.

Outside of an RBI single from Andres Giménez in the second inning, Rogers was in control until he melted down by surrendering back-to-back-to-back homers to George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto in the fifth inning. The southpaw struck out five and walked just one in the loss. This was the second time since the end of July that Rogers had allowed more than three earned runs. The impending free agent will attempt to rebound in an interesting assignment against the Brewers next time out.

Springer put the Jays ahead with the a solo blast off Trevor Rogers in the fifth inning before breaking the game open with a bases-clearing double in the eighth. After struggling to begin the month, he’s now posted three straight two-hit games. His health warrants monitoring, but he should be started with confidence in fantasy leagues in the coming week when he’s in the lineup.

Yes, that is a real thing. Coming into Sunday’s action, Guerrero was without a home run in Toronto through 286 plate appearances this season. He finally snapped the incredible streak as part of back-to-back-back blasts with George Springer and Kazuma Okamoto in the fifth inning. The season has been a frustrating one, but his bat has perked up a bit in September.

Okamoto followed George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in taking Trevor Rogers deep in the fifth inning. He’s now up to 32 homers on the year, with four of them coming in his last six games. The 30-year-old has been a productive fantasy option in his first season stateside, and he’s thriving at exactly the right time during fantasy baseball playoffs.

Rice put the Yankees on the board right away, taking Christian Scott deep for a solo homer to lead off the first inning, providing one of two runs the Yankees would score in their 2-0 win. The 27-year-old slugger is hitting .260/.356/.528 with 38 homers, 95 runs scored, and 90 RBI across 612 plate appearances.