In the 10th 1-0 game at Coors Field, Tyler Anderson and the Rockies outdueled Andrew Suarez of the Giants for the win completing a three game sweep. In a rare power outage visiting Colorado, San Francisco only produced three runs in the series with 14 hits total. Part of the reason lies in Anderson’s eight shutout inning performance yielding only two hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. He matched his career high eight inning outing from one start prior and has surged to a 2.18 ERA his last six starts winning three of five decisions with 41 strikeouts against eight walks. It’s tough to trust a Rockies starter, but Anderson could be turning a corner.
Wade Davis converted his fifth save in a row despite allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one. He’s 25-for-29 in saves this year but remains on watch for fantasy due to giving up runs in four of his last 10 outings. Hard luck loser Andrew Suarez should hold on to his spot in the rotation with Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto slated to rejoin the Giants this weekend. Suarez allowed one run on five hits with six strikeouts on Wednesday night and has a 2.40 ERA his last seven starts spanning 41.1 innings. It appears Chris Stratton ’s the odd man out for the Giants going forward.
That Just Happened
After an abysmal start and an appearance on the disabled list, should fantasy owners be looking to add Kole Calhoun ? He hit his second home run in the last three games yesterday among his three hits driving in three to fuel the Angels to a win in Seattle. Since returning from the disabled list, Calhoun’s hitting .306 (15-for-49) with 10 runs, four home runs, eight RBI and a stolen base his last 15 games.
A fresh start in Milwaukee seems to be working for Brad Miller . He’s hit safely in nine of his 10 games with the Brewers hitting .344/.417/.531 since his activation with five runs, three doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
Aaron Nola stayed hot winning his eighth straight game at home, and 11th overall this season, striking out nine in seven innings while yielding one earned run. Over his last 36 starts dating back to June 22nd of last year, Nola’s 20-8 with a 2.70 ERA and 253 strikeouts in 233 innings with 28 quality starts.
An unsung hero for the Astros, Collin McHugh won his fourth game in relief this year working three scoreless innings on Wednesday. McHugh lowered his ERA to 0.90 on the year and has not given up an earned run his last 12.2 innings. During this streak, McHugh’s only allowed one hit and two walks with 14 strikeouts. Teams in deeper leagues could benefit from his low ERA and WHIP in an effort to control ratios rather than reaching for a fifth starter.
Teammate Yuli Gurriel seems to be emerging from his zero-for-15 drought with two hits and his fifth home run. Gurriel hit .330 in June with three home runs and 21 RBI in 23 games. He’s not a huge power source, but benefits from playing in a deep lineup and provided RBI opportunities as a result.
Trevor Bauer turned his sixth straight quality start in which he’s not allowed a home run with at least eight strikeouts in each outing. Bauer won his eighth game striking out eight in 7.2 innings giving up seven hits, two earned runs and a walk in Kansas City. He increased his strikeout total to 156 this season and has recorded seven starts with 10 or more strikeouts tying Chris Sale and James Paxton for second behind Max Scherzer ’s 10.
In spite of Cincinnati’s outfield rotation, Jesse Winker continues to emerge as a fantasy target this year. He went two-for-three on Wednesday scoring a run with a double and three RBI. Over his last 15 games, Winker’s hitting .421 (16-for-38) with three home runs, 16 RBI and 12 walks. On the season, Winker’s walked 43 times against 40 strikeouts in 77 games hitting line drives 24 percent of the time and a hard hit percentage spike to 44 percent. He’s a nice second half target for fantasy.
Returning from the disabled list, Garrett Richards whiffed eight in 5.2 innings en route to his fifth win. Richards has an encouraging 2.54 ERA his last nine starts but could be a sell candidate due to his injury riddled past. He could make or break some fantasy rotations in the second half.
With Max Muncy and Joc Pederson garnering most of the fantasy buzz for the Dodgers, two other players fueled their win on Independence Day. Chris Taylor recorded two hits and three RBI with a walk and has produced three straight multi-hit games. He’s scored 51 runs this year with 10 home runs. Yasmani Grandal added two hits of his own with a double and three RBI. After a June swoon (.162/.197/.324), Grandal’s seven for 10 to start July with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI with four walks versus one strikeout.
Patrick Corbin allowed one earned run in six innings but did not factor in the decision after Yoshihisa Hirano ’s 26 game scoreless streak came to a halt. Corbin’s only given up two earned runs his last 19 innings with 23 strikeouts. Miles Mikolas won his ninth game working six innings allowing seven hits, two earned runs and four walks with three strikeouts. The four walks proves to be a surprise for Mikolas who has only issued 17 walks total in 17 starts this season, including six without any.
Injury Updates
Shortstop Paul DeJong will rejoin the Cardinals but may not be activated until Friday. He’s hitting over three hundred during his rehab outings with a home run. Dexter Fowler will also meet up with the Cardinals in San Francisco which means Tyler O’Neill should head back to Triple-A. Matt Bowman and Luke Gregerson also remain on track to add depth to the bullpen soon.
Tampa Bay may give Chris Archer the start on Monday. He pitched four strong innings in his last rehab start and the team needs help in the rotation.
Noah Syndergaard will make a rehab start on Sunday for Brooklyn and could start one of the Mets last three games prior to the All-Star break dependent on how he feels after his outing.
With Arizona facing a roster decision regarding the return of Steven Souza, Jarrod Dyson appeared to suffer a right groin injury last night which paves the way for Souza’s potential return.
What To Watch For
San Francisco will welcome back Johnny Cueto to the mound as he starts versus the Cardinals tonight against Luke Weaver .
Can fantasy owners trust Carlos Rodon in Houston when he faces Justin Verlander later?
How much of the roster will the Twins turnover in a potential purge prior to the trade deadline? Rumors center on the team listening to offers already with Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar poised to be traded.
Will Max Fried be able to carry over his strong outing against the Brewers in Miller Park?
All of this and more will be updated in tonight’s Closing Bell to keep you ahead of your competition on Fantasy Alarm.
Statistical Credits:
MLB.com
Fangraphs.com