.jpg)
It only took Giancarlo Stanton to hit his 300th career home run for Yankee fans to bequeath him his first curtain call this season. Stanton became the fifth fastest player in history do so in games played (1,119) and he’s the ninth youngest player to do so. He entered this contest in the midst of a six-for-38 (.153) slump with 16 strikeouts. Hopefully for his owners, this snaps Stanton out of his funk and allows him to relax and resume launching home runs. He’s a streaky player.
Stanton's 300th home run ball will be in his locker after the game, thanks to Eddie Fastook of Yankees' security. Tim Kunz caught the ball. He traded it in for a meet and greet w/ Stanton, autographed baseballs, tickets to future game, a clubhouse/field tour and 2 Bud Lights
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) August 31, 2018
Night Moves
Not too much news on the injury front Thursday, but Seattle did scratch Jean Segura (shin) from his start. He fouled a ball off of his leg on Wednesday and considered day-to-day going forward. Jason Heyward left Thursday night’s game early as well in Atlanta.
In bigger news, it’s being reported the Yankees have agreed in principle to a trade for Andrew McCutchen . Still not official at the time of this writing, but, here’s a sneak peek of McCuthen’s spray chart this year with all of his hits and field outs on batted balls in the air with Yankee Stadium as the backdrop:
Also, Gary Sánchez completed his rehab outing in Triple-A and heads back to New York. He should be activated prior to the start of Saturday’s game.
Good news for Shohei Ohtani ’s owners, he will return to the mound and start on Sunday in Houston.
Keep an eye on how Eloy Jimenez as rosters expand this weekend. It’s rumored he’s thinking about filing a grievance being stuck in the minors while absolutely raking. This could set a precedent for other players under the guise of player control over development. It’s not a system set up to benefit talented young players.
Dominate Your Draft: 60% OFF the Draft Guide
That Just Happened
.jpg)
Lorenzo Cain stayed hit reaching base for the 16th straight game and extending his personal hit streak to 12 games going 2-for-4 with his 10th home run. He’s hitting .388 in it. Josh Hader recorded his 11th save, one day removed from an awful outing during which he allowed over 25 percent of his earned runs. Look for Jeremy Jeffress to return to the ninth inning if a save chance occurs on Friday night.
In a microcosm of Miguel Sano ’s season, he hit his 13th home run of the year, and sixth in August. But, he’s hitting .211 and getting on-base only 30 percent of the time this month.
Steady Edwin Encarnación drove in a run for the Indians and has reached at least 90 RBI for seven straight seasons, leading all active players. He’s recorded an RBI in four straight games and hit safely in seven of his last eight.
Despite losing, both Luke Voit and Gleyber Torres remained hot for the Yankees. Voit hit his fifth home run of the year and since joining New York has scored seven runs with four home runs, nine RBI and a .342/.390/.579 as he continues to wrest playing time away from Greg Bird . Torres racked up three more hits, including his 21st home run, last night. He’s recorded multiple hits in seven of his last 12 contests going 19-for-47 (404) with nine runs, three home runs, eight RBI, eight walks and two stolen bases.
Tough night for Dellin Betances who not only blew the save, but served up two home runs in an appearance for the first time in his career. Look for Zach Britton or David Robertson to get the next save chance.
John Gant won his sixth game giving up three hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 5.2 shutout innings. He’s 3-1 in August with a 3.06 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.
Save number 11 for Pedro Strop , to the relief of his owners. Strop’s saved nine of 11 chances since July 19th when Brandon Morrow landed on the disabled list.
Strong outing for Lucas Giolito against the Red Sox. Giolito worked 6.1 innings allowing two hits, one earned run and two walks with eight strikeouts. He produced 14 swinging strikes and 22 called of his 113 pitches before his bullpen imploded. Over his last four starts, Giolito’s 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 27 strikeouts.
Mookie Betts hit his 29th home run and drove in two. He only needs one more home run and four stolen bases to reach a 30/30 season. José Ramírez also sits on the precipice of this achievement with 37 home runs and he swiped his 29th base last night. Mike Trout and Ryan Braun both reached at least 30 home runs and stolen bases in 2012, the last time it’s occurred.
Entering last night’s start, Andrew Heaney last won a road game in September of 2015 going winless in eight decisions with a 5.92 ERA in 17 starts. So, of course, he fired six shutout innings ceding five hits and a walk with six strikeouts en route to a win in Houston.
Tyler White accounted for the Astros offense hitting his 11th home run with two RBI. He’s hit nine home runs and driven in 24 in the second half with a .352/.404/.736 slash in the seond half.
Robbie Ray gets a win in his first decision over his last eight starts. Ray struck out nine and held the Dodgers to one earned run in 5.1 innings. He’s now 11-2 in road starts with a 2.25 ERA in 25 games since the start of 2017. David Peralta launched his 26th home run with three RBI. In 24 games this month, Peralta’s hit 10 home runs, driving in 21, with a .376 average and robust 1.189 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Manny Machado hit his 33rd home run, and ninth with Los Angeles. He’s hit seven in his last 13 games.
Setting a career high with 13 strikeouts, German Marquez gets a quality start on the road limiting the Padres to two hits, one earned run and a walk in a no-decision. Over his last 10 starts, Marquez owns a 2.70 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 66.2 innings.
Entering the game in a double switch, Franmil Reyes hit his 12th home run to propel San Diego to a walk-off win in his second at-bat. He’s hit safely in eight of his last nine games going 10-for-22 with three home runs.
WIN in Daily Fantasy Football: Deep Analysis & Customized Tools for All Sites Just $75
What To Watch For
.jpg)
Will the Blue Jays be able to trade oft-injured Josh Donaldson ahead of the waiver deadline? Also, which relievers will be on the move? It could be a wild day of transactions with fantasy fallout to ensue.
Luis Severino takes the mound tonight looking to get the Yankees back on track.
Rookie Michael Kopech will face the Red Sox at home. Really interested to see how he fares against this lineup.
Big series with playoff implications with Philadelphia hosting the Cubs while the Dodgers and Diamondbacks tangle all weekend.
Be sure to stop back tomorrow to stay ahead of your competition with Fantasy Alarm.
Statistical Credits
Player News
Shohei Ohtani walked three times, stole a base and scored a run in an extra-inning win Monday over the Marlins.
Ohtani’s steal was the seventh of the season. The three walks bring his season total to 18, and his on-base percentage is a strong .392 over the first 28 games of 2025. Ohtani has now reached at least three times in three consecutive games, but it’s worth noting he hasn’t gone deep since April 16.
Teoscar Hernández hit a two-run homer in a win over the Marlins on Monday in extra innings.
Dane Myers hit a pinch-hit grand slam to tie the game in the sixth inning against the Dodgers.
After Dustin May left the game, Myers came on to hit for Matt Mervis off southpaw Anthony Banda, and he slaughtered a ball over the center-field fence to turn a 5-1 deficit into a 5-5 game. He also singled, and he improved his slash to a strong — and totally unsustainable — .315/.327/.463. He does appear to see the ball pretty well against southpaws, however.
Tommy Edman hit a walk-off two-run single in the 10th inning to give the Dodgers a 7-6 win over the Marlins on Monday.
Dustin May didn’t factor into the decision after allowing three runs over 5 1/3 innings against the Marlins on Monday.
May blanked the Marlins over five innings, but then was charged for three runs in the sixth; two of those coming on a grand slam after he had left the contest. It’s a shaky result, but a better outing than his 10-hit disaster against the Cubs last Tuesday. Still, May’s ERA has jumped from 1.06 to 3.95 over his last two chances, and he’ll try and get back on track in a rematch with the Marlins in Miami next week.
Edward Cabrera allowed nine hits and five runs while working four-plus innings in a no-decision versus3. the Dodgers on Monday.
This went exactly how it was supposed to go, with all due respect to Cabrera. The right-hander threw just 57-of-97 pitches for strikes, and gave up runs in four of his five innings he pitched in. That sees his ERA rise to 7.23, while two strikeouts and three walks push his K/BB to 20/11 over four starts and 18 2/3 innings. He’ll try and improve those numbers next weekend against the Athletics.