Betting

Alvarez is like an old school heavy-weight boxer. He leans on his opponents until he finds the opportunity to deliver the knockout blow. Then, he puts them to sleep. He and Sandy Alcantara had battled three times over the first seven innings of this game. Despite notching one hit, Alvarez put the ball on the ground three times, which is rare for him. He also swung at one of the first two pitches he saw in all three at-bats, also something he rarely does. In an increasingly odd fourth matchup with the same pitcher in the same game, Alvarez waited back until Alcantara’s third pitch and drove a fastball for an opposite field home run and a late lead the Astros wouldn’t give back. That brought him to 34 home runs and 77 RBI on the season, each now league-leading marks by just one. His .328 batting average is also best in the American League by a wide margin as he has the triple crown in his sights with just over two months of baseball left to play.

Working on a limit of about 60 pitches in his return from a bone bruise in his elbow, Fried got through five in 57, 37 of which were strikes, and averaged 96.2 mph with his fastball, which was 1.5 mph better than his season average. He left a scoreless game, so there was no win to be had. However, it was an awfully encouraging showing. He’ll get the White Sox next.

Being activated somewhat surprisingly and not playing in a single rehab game after breaking his hamate bone about six weeks ago, Ramírez wasted no time making an impact in his return from the injured list. He singled in the first inning, tagged to second base on a fly ball, and then came around to score. He also legged out an infield single in the second that pushed another run across. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though. Ramírez made a throwing error to start the eighth that opened the door for a big Twins rally and he grounded out with the bases loaded to end the bottom of that inning. Regardless, it’s great news for the Guardians and fantasy managers alike that Ramírez is back.

Mesa failed to go deep for the first time in three games, but he supplied plenty of fantasy goodness with a pair of run-scoring singles in addition to picking up his fourth stolen base of the season. The 24-year-old boasts strong plate skills and has been makes frequent hard contact, which is a recipe for sustained success. He’s making the most of his opportunity with Tampa Bay recently and is at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper fantasy leagues heading into the final two months.

Jax struck out five and only issued one walk. The lone run against him came on an RBI ground out by George Springer in the opening frame. It was a much-needed bounce-back effort after getting torched for seven runs over five innings by the Red Sox his last time out. The 31-year-old has made a flawless transition to Tampa Bay’s rotation, emerging as one of the better in-season waiver wire pickups for fantasy managers with a 3.89 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 82/27 K/BB ratio across 81 innings of work. He has a two-start week up next with matchups against the Rangers and White Sox.

Waldschmidt’s homer was sent 426 feet to left center. He also had the game’s hardest-hit ball with his 108.6-mph single in the eighth. That topped his previous high of 107.8 mph in 38 big-league games. Waldschmidt’s exit velocity numbers haven’t been great in Triple-A or the majors this season, and his 35 percent strikeout rate during his time in the majors is really discouraging. Still, his track record suggests that he will hit, and today seems like a step in the right direction.

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.

Wetherholt’s sixth-inning blast against Angels starter Reid Detmers was the lone run for either side during a low-scoring affair in Los Angeles that featured just 10 hits combined. The 23-year-old has gone deep twice in six games since last week’s All-Star break. He’s putting together a sensational rookie campaign, slashing .257/.352/.403 with 62 runs scored, 15 homers, 40 RBI and 10 steals through 96 games.

Mangum went 2-for-5 with an RBI and his 19th stolen base of the season during the front-end of the twin bill. He’ll undergo further evaluation and there should be an update on his status prior to Friday’s series opener against the Cubs. The 30-year-old has emerged as Pittsburgh’s primary leadoff hitter since rookie Konnor Griffin hit the injured list earlier this month. It’ll be Billy Cook taking over in center field with Nick Gonzales moving up to the leadoff spot.

The second-overall selection receives a whopping $9.75 million from Tampa Bay, which represents the second-highest signing bonus in draft history. It’s also a record for a high school player, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. The 18-year-old shortstop has a chance to evolve into the most impactful fantasy contributor from his draft class. He projects as a future five-category standout capable of hitting for both average and power while also chipping in some stolen bases. He’s several hyperspace jumps from the majors at this stage of his development, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he moved quickly through Tampa Bay’s system in the coming years.