During a day which featured some rough outings by starting pitchers, Trevor Bauer (nine earned runs in 4.1 innings) and Cole Hamels (eight earned runs against in two innings), boring old Clayton Kershaw turned in his 21st consecutive start of at least six innings. Kershaw started the game striking out the first seven batters he faced and his 10 strikeouts can be seen here:

Kershaw finished with seven shutout innings giving up only two hits for his 12th win and 18th quality start of the season. His win moved him into a tie for fifth all-time in Dodgers history (165) and tied for the most by a left-handed starter in team history with Sandy Koufax. Plus, this outing also featured Kershaw reaching this milestone:

It’s a volatile environment this year, but a healthy Kershaw still translates to productivity in fantasy. As for this game, Kershaw also recorded 17 swinging strikes and 19 called of his 90 pitches for a robust 40 called plus swinging strike (CSW) percentage. 

Here’s the other notable starting pitcher performances from Wednesday:

  • Aaron Nola , Philadelphia: 105 pitches, 11 swinging strikes, 28 called, 37.1 CSW%. Nola surged to his 11th win allowing three hits, one earned run and a walk over seven innings with seven strikeouts. His last 11 starts yields a 2.09 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 83 strikeouts over 73.1 innings. 

  • Dallas Keuchel , Atlanta: 98 pitches, 16 swinging strikes, 15 called, 31.6 CSW%. Keuchel fired six shutout innings giving up five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts but he did not factor in the decision. 

  • Steven Matz , New York Mets: 79 pitches, 13 swinging strikes, 10 called, 29.1 CSW%. Opposing Keuchel, Matz did not figure into the decision either with the bullpens determining the final outcome. But, Matz only ceded two hits, an earned run and a walk with five strikeouts over six innings. 

  • Dillon Peters , Los Angeles Angels: 94 pitches, 14 swinging strikes, 15 called, 30.8 CSW%. Although Peters did not get a two-start week as projected, he notched his third win allowing four hits, two earned runs and a walk with six strikeouts in six innings. He’s an intriguing add for the last six weeks of the season. 

Bullpen Notes: A wild Wednesday…

As referenced above, the Mets and Braves game came down to the bullpens. New York deployed Seth Lugo in the seventh inning but he imploded. Lugo only recorded one out giving up five hits and a walk leading to five earned runs. He entered this outing with a 2-0 record, two saves and a 0.51 ERA his previous 16 appearances. Atlanta turned to Mark Melancon to record the save in consecutive days, but Melancon yielded four hits and two earned runs leaving the bases loaded for Jerry Blevins with two outs. Blevins struck out Michael Conforto ending the game for his first save of the season. Johan Carmago did not help out in the ninth inning with a missed catch error on a fielder’s choice in the ninth, but it feels like avoiding the Braves bullpen for fantasy purposes going forward makes sense due to the volatility within it. 

Here’s the rest of the high leverage events from Wednesday: 

  • Aroldis Chapman notched his 33rd save giving up a hit with two strikeouts. He’s recorded a save in seven straight appearances. 

  • Red Sox reliever Nathan Eovaldi gets his first win of the season working two scoreless innings allowing a hit and striking out two.

  • Blown save number two for Sergio Romo allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits with a strikeout. A go ahead home run by Trent Grisham led to Romo’s first loss this year. Matt Albers held on for his fourth save but issued three walks over two-thirds of an inning. Less than optimal. 

  • During a tied game, Ryan Pressly yielded a grand slam to James McCann leading to his third loss. Alex Colomé garnered his fourth win working 1.2 scoreless giving up two walks with two strikeouts. 

  • Colorado and Arizona closers traded runs allowed in a tumultuous ninth inning. Scott Oberg allowed the Diamondbacks to tie the game on a two out walk to Jake Lamb then a double by Ketel Marte . However, Archie Bradley ’s scoreless streak came to a halt after he hit Trevor Story with a pitch prior to a walk-off home run by Nolan Arenado . Oberg gets his sixth win and Bradley his third blown save. 

  • Liam Hendriks fired 1.1 scoreless allowing a hit with three strikeouts for his 13th save. 

  • Washington’s Javy Guerra gets an ugly three inning save giving up five hits and three earned runs. But, it’s in the rules if you get the last nine outs with a lead. 

  • Save number two for Joe Jiménez tossing a clean ninth with a strikeout. 

Hitter Highlights: Devers and Bogaerts shine again

Boston’s left side of the infield continues to surge with Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts once again pacing the offense in a win on Wednesday. Bogaerts went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. His first home run marked the 100th of his career. Since May 10th, Bogaerts owns a .331/.404/.603 slash with 70 runs, 20 home runs, 69 RBI and four stolen bases in 83 contests. Devers went two-for-four scoring two runs and hitting his 25th home run. He leads the majors in hits with 160 and the American League RBI (94) along with multi-hit games (48). Since May 24th, Devers has played 96 games with 87 runs, 25 home runs, 91 RBI and a .338/.377/.628 slash line. 

Here’s the rest of the notable hitter performances from Wednesday:

Elvis Andrus racked up four hits including a double with two RBI and two stolen bases raising his total to 25 this season. It’s Andrus’ first four-hit game since August 10th of last year and he’s recorded multiple hits in five of his last 12 contests. Danny Santana went 2-for-5 with three runs, a double, his 19th home run and three RBI. In the second half, Santana’s hitting .333 with eight doubles, 10 home runs and 25 RBI in 28 games. 

Gary Sánchez went 3-for-3 with his 26th home run, three RBI and a walk but it’s only his third home run since his return on June 26th. 

Sparking a comeback win, Trent Grisham hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning off of Sergio Romo . 

Stay hot Yuli Guriel. In a loss, he hit two more home runs among his three hits with three more RBI. His last 40 games yields a .391 average, 20 home runs and 52 RBI. Jose Altuve also added three hits with his 22nd home run driving in two. Altuve’s homered six times his last 11 games. Since returning from the injured list, Altuve’s played in 46 games with 42 runs, 13 doubles, 13 home runs, 33 RBI and raised his average from .243 to its present .307 going 70-for-198 (.354) in this stretch. James McCann hit the go ahead grand slam, his 13th home run of the year for the White Sox. Eloy Jiménez added a double and his 20th home run. 

Ketel Marte tied his career high with four hits scoring two runs with two doubles and two RBI. He’s in the midst of a 16-game on-base streak during which he owns a .391 average and a .442 on-base percentage. Nolan Arenado launched his 27th home run for the walk-off win, the third walk-off dinger of his career. Raimel Tapia notched his fourth straight multi-hit game plus extended his hit streak to nine games. 

With Fernando Tatis Jr. landing on the injured list, his owners can add teammate Luis Urías as an injury fill-in. Urias went 1-for-2 yesterday with a double, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and three RBI. In August, Urias owns a .355/.487/.452 slash. 

A double dong day for Matt Chapman and Bryce Harper . Chapman hit two in San Francisco moving his total to 27 this year. Harper went 3-for-3 with his 23rd and 24th home runs scoring two runs, driving in three and drawing a walk in a rout of the Cubs. 

Aristides Aquino continues to punish baseballs with his ninth home run setting a major league record previously held by Trevor Story :  

What To Watch For Thursday

Another split slate with Walker Buehler facing Caleb Smith in Miami highlighting the early games. Buehler’s been terrific at home but can he repeat his efforts on the road? 

Falling back into a tie for first place in the National League Central, can the Cubs overcome their recent road woes? 

Yu Darvish will take the mound trying to avoid the sweep facing Drew Smyly . In Atlanta, the Mets will trot Marcus Stroman to the mound opposed by Julio Teheran . 

Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm across all fantasy formats to remain ahead of the competition. 

 

Statistical Credits: 

BaseballSavant.com

Fangraphs.com

MLB.com - Game Notes

 

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