It was a very lackluster day in the MLB with only one player scoring North of 30 points on DraftKings. That player was Kolby Allard (30.6 points), so it is Allard who takes home spotlight honors. It was easily the best outing of his career, as the lefty tossed 6.1 shutout innings in a win over the White Sox. He gave up six hits while striking out a career-high eight batters. It was the first time in his career (five starts) that he has pitched at least six innings. He’s been somewhat up-and-down since joining the Rangers, but he does have 23 strikeouts across 21.1 innings pitched and may turn out to be deep league relevant for the remainder of the season. He will carry a 2-0 record and 4.64 ERA into his next outing.

Strong Outings

  • John Means was very strong in a win over the Rays, tossing seven innings of one-run ball. He gave up five hits while striking out seven. The seven punch-outs matched his career high, as did his seven innings. Means has had a fantastic rookie season and it’s one that no one expected. He will carry a 9-9 record and 3.61 ERA into his next outing.
  • Mike Clevinger hurled 5.2 innings of one-run ball in a win over the Royals. He gave up four hits while striking out eight. Back-to-back strong outings for Clevinger as he has given up just one run in his last 10.2 innings pitched. In that span he has given up seven hits while striking out 18. He will carry a 9-2 record and 3.00 ERA into his next outing.
  • Iván Nova continues to pitch well, firing 5.2 innings of two-run (one earned) ball in a hard luck loss to the Rangers. He gave up six hits while striking out six. Unfortunately for Nova, he was on the opposite end of Allard’s gem. He has pitched at least five innings and given up two or fewer runs in seven straight starts. He will carry a 9-10 record and 4.37 ERA into his next outing.
  • Dakota Hudson pitched six shutout innings in a win over the Rockies. He gave up just two hits but also only had two strikeouts. It was the third straight start for Hudson in which he has pitched at least six shutout innings, a span of 18.2 shutout innings. He has given up just seven hits in that time. He will carry a 13-6 record and 3.47 ERA into his next outing.
  • Zac Gallen held the Brewers to two runs across five innings pitched in a loss. He gave up six hits, but matched the slate-high with eight punch-outs. Gallen hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his 11 career starts and he has allowed fewer than three runs in ten of them. This kid looks really good. He will carry a 2-4 record and 2.56 ERA into his next outing.

Hitter Highlights

Bo Bichette continues to impress, he went 3-5 with a home run, a double, three RBI, and two runs scored. This kid appears to be special; he is now hitting .345 with eight home runs, 18 runs scored, 14 RBI, and a pair of steals through 110 career at-bats.

Trea Turner had a solid day at the dish, going 2-3 with a pair of walks, two runs, and a stolen base. The swipe was his 27th of the season and he is now hitting .298 with 13 home runs and 90 runs scored. Injuries have been an issue in his career, but he continues to be fantastic when healthy.

Max Kepler swatted another home run as part of a 3-5 day. He also doubled, scored twice, and had two RBI. He isn’t hitting for a great average in August (.217), but he does have six home runs, 19 runs, and 13 RBI in the month. He is now hitting .256 with 35 home runs, 89 runs scored, and 86 RBI for the year.

Pete Alonso tied the Mets record for home runs by hitting his 41st of the year. It was his only hit of the game, but it was a three-run shot to give the Mets the lead (which they quickly lost). The “Polar Bear” is now hitting .266 with 41 home runs and 100 RBI. He’s still just a rookie.

Francisco Cervelli had a fantastic debut for the Braves, going 3-5 with a pair of doubles, three RBI, and a run scored. Cervelli was really struggling with the Pirates, so maybe the change of scenery will do him some good. He should not be on your fantasy radar.

Alex Bregman finished 2-3 with a home run, a walk, and three RBI. He is swinging a very hot bat in August, hitting .405 with six home runs and 26 RBI during the month. He is well on his way to another top-five finish in the AL MVP voting. He is now hitting .283 with 32 home runs, 97 runs scored, and 89 RBI on the year.

Omar Narváez finished 2-5 with a home run and three RBI in the Mariners 7-5 loss. He is having a great year, hitting .287 with 19 home runs, 56 runs scored, and 47 RBI. He has already set new career highs in all of those categories and he’s been a top-five catcher in fantasy this season.

What to Watch for Today

Clayton Kershaw (13-2, 2.71 ERA) and Domingo Germán (16-3, 4.15 ERA) provide us with the top pitching matchup of the day. Kershaw has tossed a quality start in eight straight, but this will be a tough test. German will be looking to bounce back from a poor performance in his last outing.

Logan Webb (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will make his second career start when he takes on the Athletics later today. He looked good in his first outing, giving up just one earned run while striking out seven across five innings of work. This isn’t the worst of matchups.

Shane Bieber (12-6, 3.26 ERA) will take on the Royals in what should be a good matchup for the righty. Beiber is working on a string of six straight quality starts and he should be able to pick up another one today against KC. It’s been a big breakout campaign for 24-year old.