On a day which provided a mixed bag of offensive explosions and pitching gems, Shane Bieber takes center stage firing a one hit shutout issuing one walk and striking out 10 in Toronto. It’s his second complete game shutout this season and he’s the third player in Cleveland team history with 10 or more wins in multiple seasons prior to turning 25. As for last night, Bieber just missed throwing a “Maddux” but matched a different Indians record: 

Bieber also racked up 18 swinging strikes and 18 called of his 102 pitches for a 35.3 called plus swinging strikes (CSW) percentage carrying a no hitter into the seventh inning. 

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

  • Charlie Morton , Tampa Bay: 105 pitches, 18 swinging strikes, 20 called, 36.2 CSW%. Morton notched his 12th win giving up five hits and two earned runs over seven innings with 11 strikeouts against Boston. Morton leads the American League in ERA (2.60). 

  • Justin Verlander , Houston: 101 pitches, 16 swinging strikes, 15 called, 30.7 CSW%. Extending the Astros recent starting pitcher surge to eight straight games giving up two runs or less, Verlander won his 13th working six innings yielding two hits, one run (zero earned) and two walks with 11 strikeouts. This marks his fifth game this season with double digit strikeouts and Verlander ranks second in the American League with a 2.86 ERA. 

  • Marcus Stroman , Toronto: 100 pitches, 10 swinging strikes, 17 called, 27 CSW%. In possibly his last start in Toronto as a Blue Jay, Stroman incurs his 11th loss giving up five hits, one earned run and a walk with six strikeouts. He’s received zero runs in support in eight of his last 21 outings and owns the third best American League ERA (2.96). 

  • Taylor Clarke , Arizona: 87 pitches, 16 swinging strikes, 14 called, 34.5 CSW%. Winning his third game, Clarke held the Orioles to four hits and two earned runs with seven strikeouts. 

  • Patrick Corbin , Washington: 106 pitches, 14 swinging strikes, 19 called, 31.1 CSW%. Corbin gets his eighth win in the night cap of a doubleheader sweep versus the Rockies. He allowed three hits and three walks over six shutout innings with seven strikeouts. 

  • Brad Keller , Kansas City: 88 pitches, seven swinging strikes, 12 called, 21.6 CSW%. Although Keller did not light up the night in regards to strikeouts or swinging strikes, he tossed seven shutout innings in Atlanta scattering four hits while issuing one walk with three strikeouts en route to his seventh win. Keller’s given up two runs or fewer in seven of his last nine starts with a 1.33 ERA over his last four starts spanning 27 innings. 

  • Reynaldo López , Chicago White Sox: 97 pitches, 21 swinging strikes, 21 called, 43.3 CSW%. Tough luck loser Lopez made one mistake, a two run home run to César Puello in the eighth inning. With a final line of eight innings, four hits, two earned runs and one walk with 10 strikeouts, Lopez continues to shine in the second half. He’s logged 21 innings since the All-Star break with 25 strikeouts and only 13 hits against with a 1.17 ERA. 

  • Zac Gallen, Miami: 95 pitches, 14 swinging strikes, 20 called, 35.8 CSW%. Gallen fired seven shutout innings yielding two hits and one walk with nine strikeouts in his best outing so far resulting in his first major league win. 

Bullpen Notes: Doolittle saves both ends of a sweep

It’s been an up and down season for Sean Doolittle as the Nationals closer, but he notched his 22nd and 23rd saves of the year on Wednesday. Doolittle allowed a hit in each inning of work with three strikeouts leading to six straight scoreless appearances with two more yesterday. Washington should look to add some depth to the bullpen but Doolittle with health, could rebound over the last two months. 

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

  • Back in the saddle for Emilio Pagán recording his seventh save with a clean ninth striking out two. It’s Pagan’s first save since July 14th. 

  • Roberto Osuna held on for his 23rd save but allowed a run for the third straight outing. 

  • Frustration again for Josh Hader owners? Hader gets his sixth hold striking out five in two scoreless innings. But, Freddy Peralta locked down his first career save with a clean ninth striking out two. This could signal a change in the bullpen hierarchy, not with Hader, rather with Peralta in the role Jeremy Jeffress thrived in last year. Peralta’s last five relief outings results in 12 strikeouts without giving up a run. 

  • More winds of change in Arizona? Greg Holland started the ninth with the save chance but walked the first two batters he faced before getting the hook. Yoan López gets his first save of the season retiring the next three hitters in order and could get more save chances as the season progresses. 

  • Roenis Elías secured his 13th save with a clean ninth.

  • Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel yielded two hits but finished his seventh save with a scoreless ninth in San Francisco.

  • Ian Kennedy stays hot with his 19th save and major league leading eighth in the second half. Since May 30th, Kennedy’s converted 17 of 18 save opportunities. 

  • Rebound outing for Aroldis Chapman getting his 26th save walking one and striking out one in Minnesota. 

  • Sergio Romo recorded his first save since July sixth giving up two hits with a strikeout. 

  • Last, but not least, Hansel Robles fired a clean ninth for his 16th save. He’s been unscored upon in 19 of his last 21 appearances converting all 10 saves in this span with a 0.81 ERA and 21:5 K:BB rate. 

Hitter Highlights: DeJong swats three in Pittsburgh

Leading the way for the hitters, Paul DeJong went 4-for-4 with three home runs driving in five during the Cardinals 14 run explosion. DeJong’s the youngest St. Louis player since Albert Pujols to record a three home run game:

He’s also the first shortstop to do so in team history. Teammate Yairo Muñoz continues to rake playing all over the field going 3-for-5 with two runs, two doubles and stealing two bases. Munoz has hit safely in 15 of his 19 starts this season but flies below the fantasy radar. 

Here’s the rest of the hitting highlights from Wednesday:

Tommy Pham recorded a smash and dash with his 16th home run while stealing his 11th base in a Rays win over Boston. 

Both Jose Altuve (15) and George Springer (23) homered in an Astros win over the A’s extending their lead to seven and a half games in the process. 

Milwaukee rookie Keston Hiura hit his 10th home run in only his 40th game ranking second in team history. Hiura’s also in the midst of a 13-game hit streak during which he’s hitting .453 with 12 runs, eight doubles, two triples, four home runs, 14 RBI and a 1.406 on-base plus slugging percentage. 

In a loss, Starling Marte racked up four hits including three doubles with three RBI. He’s 12-for-his-last-22 (.545) his last five games. Since moving to third in the lineup, Marte’s hitting .324 with 40 runs, 13 doubles, 12 home runs, 40 RBI and five stolen bases in 51 games. 

Ketel Marte hit his 22nd home run driving in two and has reached safely in 37 of his last 40 games. Carson Kelly added his 13th home run. Over his last 16 starts, Kelly’s batting .296 with six doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI along with drawing 10 walks. 

Another second half surge for Rougned Odor ? He launched his 15th home run in a loss and tallied seven hits in his last 12 at-bats with four home runs driving in seven moving his average over the Mendoza line. 

For Seattle, Daniel Vogelbach notched his third multi-homer game with two in their win. Vogelbach’s up to 25 this year. 

Kris Bryant launched his 21sth home run before leaving the game with knee soreness. He’s day-to-day like the rest of us but his owners will track this closely. Javier Báez added his 25th home run going 2-for-5 with an RBI. 

Another high scoring game between the Yankees and Twins. Aaron Hicks went 2-for-5 with his 12th home run driving in two. Over his last 19 games, Hicks has accrued six doubles, seven home runs, 16 RBI and scored 16 runs. Gleyber Torres hit his first home run since June 25th, and 20th of the season. Edwin Encarnación added his American League leading 30th dinger and Mike Tauchman stayed hot with two more hits including his first triple of the season. 

For the Twins, Eddie Rosario and Nelson Cruz each hit their 22nd home runs. Rosario’s hitting .313 since returning from the injured list with two home runs and seven RBI in nine games. Cruz homered for the third consecutive game and has hit five in his last eight along with nine over his 19 contests. 

Kole Calhoun recorded his second straight three hit game along with a home run against the Dodgers. He’s within three of his career high set in 2015. 

What To Watch For

Tim Anderson owners will be awaiting his return. He started his rehab last night in Charlotte:

Jacob deGrom will look to stifle the Padres offense on getaway day in New York. Miles Mikolas and Joe Musgrove match-up with both teams hitting the ball well in the series. 

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer returns from the injured list facing the Rockies looking for a series sweep with their ace on the mound. Hop his back responds well to the cortisone shot. 

In the evening slate, José Berríos will oppose Lucas Giolito in a potential pitcher’s duel in Chicago. 

Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm leading up to the trade deadline and across all facets of fantasy to stay ahead of the competition. 

 

Statistical Credits: 

BaseballSavant.com

Fangraphs.com

MLB.com - Game Notes