With deference to the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Europe, a thanks to the all the veterans who served. This morning’s Round Up will cover all facets of the last night’s action but commences with a phenomenal start by Chris Sale in Kansas City.

Sale racked up 12 strikeouts on only 102 pitches generating 14 swinging strikes and 27 called for an eye popping 40.2 Called plus Swinging Strikes (CSW) percentage. He also recorded his second immaculate inning this season striking out all three batters faced in the eighth inning on nine pitches. Over his last seven starts, Sale owns a 2.28 ERA and 0.74 WHIP with 78 strikeouts against nine walks in 47.1 innings.

Tampa Bay’s Charlie Morton won his seventh game needing only 83 pitches to navigate through seven scoreless innings yielding only five hits and striking out eight. Morton produced 16 swinging strikes and 14 called for a 36.1 CSW percentage and he’s not lost a game in 20 starts.

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

  • Jason Vargas , New York Mets: 117 pitches, 12 swinging strikes, 25 called, 31.6 CSW%. Vargas fired a complete game shutout with eight strikeouts against the Giants. Over his last seven starts, Vargas owns a 2.00 ERA spanning 36 innings.

  • Sandy Alcantara , Miami: 95 pitches, eight swinging strikes, 17 called, 26.3 CSW%. Staying hot, Alcantara won his third game, and second in his last four starts. He limited the Brewers to one earned run at home with five strikeouts in seven innings. During his last four outings, Alcantara’s 1.67 ERA and 0.89 WHIP should garner more attention.

  • Mike Leake , Seattle: 119 pitches, eight swinging strikes, 27 called, 29.4 CSW%. Three complete games in one night? Leake allowed one earned run on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts in a complete game win over Houston. Yes, that Mike Leake .

  • Joe Musgrove , Pittsburgh: 99 pitches, 10 swinging strikes, 16 called, 26.3 CSW%. Left for dead in some leagues, Musgrove showed signs of life lasting eight innings giving up five hits, three earned runs and a walk with six strikeouts en route to his fourth win.

  • Aníbal Sánchez , Washington: 80 pitches, eight swinging strikes, 19 called, 33.8 CSW%. Losing a win due to his inept bullpen, Sanchez looked better once again off of the injured list limiting the White Sox to four hits, an earned run and a walk with seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

Bullpen Notes: Kimbrel signed, we repeat, Kimbrel signed

Well, it happened. Once the draft pick attached to Craig Kimbrel lapsed, his market heated up. Kimbrel agreed to a three-year contract with the Cubs for a reported $43 million dollars with a fourth-year option according to Jeff Passon. With Steve Cishek hanging on for the save last night, it’s possible Kimbrel could join Chicago as soon as June 20th. This feels a bit aggressive, but, it also adds a much needed arm atop the hierarchy for a contender:

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

  • Sean Doolittle gets his fourth win after the Nationals walk-off the White Sox. Representing the only viable option in his bullpen, it’s going to take a toll on Doolittle. Alex Colomé served up the dinger to Trea Turner for his first loss this season. Colome’s been rock solid this year but remains on the Yankees and other contenders radar for trades. Owners of Colome should sell high soon before the opportunity lapses.

  • Héctor Neris notched his 12th save. He walked the first batter he faced then retired the next five in order preserving a win. But, he could be missing another setup reliever. Seranthony Domínguez left this game early with elbow soreness and will require an MRI. If Dominguez lands on the injured list, he’d be the Phillies sixth reliever to land on it.

  • Twins sometimes closer Blake Parker absorbs the loss serving up two home runs and three earned runs in the seventh inning last night. Speaking of a sell high window, his could be closed. Brad Hand locked down his 18th save for Cleveland and recorded a save in eight of his last nine appearances, all scoreless ones.

  • A blown save for Shawn Kelley , his third, coughing up a home run to Richie Martin ? José Leclerc fired two clean innings of relief with two strikeouts keeping the game tied. Jeffrey Springs gets the win, his third, with a clean 12th inning.

  • Hansel Robles garnered his third win working 1.1 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk with a strikeout. Ty Buttrey incurred his second blown save yielding two earned runs on three hits and two walks. Once again, Lou Trivino takes the loss, his fourth for Oakland this year.

Hitter Highlights: Stay hot Devers

Supporting a strong outing by Sale, Rafael Devers sparked the Red Sox offense. Devers went two-for-five with three runs, a double, his ninth home run, three RBI and stole his eighth base. He’s hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games with a robust .338/.357/.706 slash in them, 11 extra-base hits, 17 runs and 16 RBI. Currently, he’s on pace for 24 home runs and 21 stolen bases. His smash and dash represents one of three last night:

  • Wil Myers scored two runs, hit his 11th home run and stole his seventh base in a Padres loss.

  • Francisco Lindor went 2-for-4 with three runs, his 11th home run and seventh stolen base.

It’s going to be a regular thing soon for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. appearing in these columns. As for last night:

Guerrero Jr. hit the go ahead three run home run. He’s launched seven home runs so far, six to center field. Randal Grichuk added the only double dong performance yesterday, his 11th and 12th this year. Grichuk’s hit three over his last two games.

During a loss, Gary Sánchez set a Yankees record:

Presently in the midst of an eight-game hit streak, Sanchez has hit four home runs with six RBI in it. Plus, he’s produced 11 home runs with an exit velocity of 110 MPH or more this year. Next best? Joey Gallo with eight.

Jay Bruce stayed hot with his new team hitting his 17th home run and third in three games with the Phillies. So far, he’s six-for-11 with five runs, two doubles, three home runs and seven RBI. Scott Kingery continues to fly below the radar. Over his last 12 games, he’s hitting .364 with four doubles, a home run and nine RBI.

While most of the attention in Pittsburgh rightfully focuses on Josh Bell , his teammates seem to be percolating. Starling Marte went 3-for-3 with a double and his 10th stolen base. His last 11 games yields a .429 average with two home runs and six RBI. Gregory Polanco swiped his first two bases last night and racked up three hits. Colin Moran hit his seventh home run and over the last 17 games owns a .356 average with four homers with 14 RBI. Last, over his last 15 starts, Elias Díaz has 25 hits in 66 at-bats (.379) with three doubles, a home run and 13 RBI.

During a loss, Nelson Cruz hit his eighth home run, and first off the injured list. Byron Buxton added his seventh home run and Jorge Polanco his 10th. For Cleveland, José Ramírez went 2-for-4 with three RBI and stole his 15th base. Who had him hitting .207 so far with five more RBI than steals?

BrIan Anderson may not want to leave Milwaukee. He went three-for-four with a grand slam. He’s on a five-game hit streak hitting .409 with two home runs and six RBI in it.

Milwaukee’s Yasmani Grandal crushed his 13th home run with two RBI in the loss. He’s hit seven home runs in his last 18 games with a .323 average, 16 RBI and a 1.185 on-base plus slugging percentage.

Have a night David Bote :

Bote’s the fourth player this season with at least seven RBI in a game joining Josh Phegley , Christian Yelich and Trevor Story . Plus, Bote became the first second baseman in Cubs history, since Ryne Sandberg in 1984, to record at least seven RBI in a game.

Sparking the Angels to a win, Shohei Ohtani (5), Tommy LaStella (13) and Mike Trout (15) all homered.

Stay hot Mallex Smith . He recorded three hits, scored two runs and drove in three during a Mariners rout over Houston. Kyle Seager (2), Edwin Encarnación (17), Domingo Santana (11), Mac Williamson (2) and Tom Murphy (4) all homered in the victory.

What To Watch For

Zack Wheeler will face the team who drafted him this afternoon. Against any team other than the Nationals, Wheeler’s fired 54.1 innings with a 3.31 ERA and 65 strikeouts over 54.1 innings.

Can the Marlins sweep the Brewers on the road in Miller Park? Miami sends southpaw Caleb Smith to the mound opposed by Freddy Peralta .

A battle of struggling starters with Mike Foltynewicz facing Chris Archer in Pittsburgh.

In the evening slate, José Berríos matches up with Trevor Bauer in Cleveland. Plus, southpaws take center stage with Tyler Skaggs on the mound for the Angels while Patrick Corbin faces Joey Lucchesi in San Diego.

Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm to remain ahead of the competition.

 

Statistical Credits:

BaseballSavant.com

Fangraphs.com

MLB.com - Game Notes