It’s easy to be frustrated by Jacob deGrom ’s bad luck. Using wins as a category can seem archaic, but in deGrom’s case, it really sticks out like a sore thumb to use them as a way to rate the success of his season. deGrom won only his sixth game of the season despite leading the majors with a minuscule 1.77 earned run average. He whiffed 10 batters, raising his season total to 183 and generated 17 swinging strikes and 17 called in only 100 pitches covering six shutout innings. On the season, deGrom’s recorded eight straight quality starts, an imperfect statistic as well. Over his last 20 starts, deGrom’s registered a 1.60 ERA. He’s 3-7 in them while the Mets record in these games sits at 6-14, he deserves better.
That Just Happened
In regards to counting statistics, Amed Rosario ’s off to a nice start in the second half. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI and his 11th stolen base of the season. During the second half, he’s scored 11 runs and swiped four bases but hitting below the .200 mark. But, he’s hitting leadoff in recent games and could be a nice source of runs and steals over the last month and a half.
Brandon Nimmo showed signs of life tallying three doubles in five at-bats. He scored three runs and drove in three during the Mets win. However, Nimmo entered this game with a paltry .185 average his previous 36 games. Here’s hoping he gets hot again to finish the season strong.
On the other end of the deGrom spectrum, there’s Yovani Gallardo . He won his seventh game since June 23rd lasting six inning giving up three hits, two earned runs and three walks with two strikeouts. His ERA on the year? It’s at 6.11 after this outing. It’s an unforgiving game.
Perhaps the All-Star break was just what Joey Gallo needed. He launched two more home runs this afternoon going 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBI. Gallo’s up to 31 homers this year and in 16 games in the second half, he’s hitting .333 in 51 at-bats with nine home runs and 21 RBI raising his average 15 points in the process.
For Seattle, Mike Zunino seems to be finding his power stroke as well. Zunino crushed two home runs, scored three times and drove in two during a loss. Since July 24th, Zunino’s played in 13 games going 14-for-43 (.326) with six runs, four home runs and six RBI.
Tough luck loss for German Marquez , his first since June 24th, giving up three earned runs with 10 strikeouts in six innings. Marquez recorded the 92nd immaculate inning in history and first ever in Coors Field striking out the side on nine strikes as well.
David Dahl hit third and responded with his fifth home run, first since his most recent recall with two RBI. Dahl’s hitting .333 the last three games.
Not only does Starling Marte enjoying hitting at Coors, but he swiped two more bases on Wednesday to move into a tie for second with 27 on the year with Billy Hamilton . Marte’s hitting .325 his last 25 games with eight home runs and 21 RBI as well.
Felipe Vázquez shut the door with 1.1 clean innings en route to his 26th save. He’s converted 15 in a row with a 0.85 ERA his last 21.1 innings with 35 strikeouts.
Riding the wave of his slider, Patrick Corbin notched his ninth win firing 7.1 shutout innings yielding only four hits with nine strikeouts. Corbin induced 19 swinging strikes (13 on his slider) and 20 called strikes of his 103 pitches. He also set a career high in strikeouts with 183 and it’s still August.
Staying hot at home, David Peralta racked up four more hits, scored two runs, tripled and drove in two fueling Arizona’s offense. Peralta’s hitting a robust .560 his last 12 home games with seven doubles, a triple, three home runs and eight RBI.
Another under the radar performer, Kole Calhoun hit his 15th home run of the year this afternoon as a part of a 2-for-4 day with two runs. He’s hit safely in 11 of his last 14 games and batting .286 his last 43 games with 32 runs, 14 homers and 33 RBI. Albert Pujols hit his 18th home run and Justin Upton his 23rd as well in the Angels easy win.
Night Moves
Boston reactivated Rafael Devers from the disabled list to provide a boost to their infield offense. He’s in the lineup and hitting eighth in Toronto.
No structural damage for Kelvin Herrera in his throwing shoulder, but he will not throw for a few days and land on the 10-day disabled list with a shoulder impingement. Owners needing every save possible, will add Ryan Madson . Sean Doolittle took off his boot and played catch this afternoon. Teammate Stephen Strasburg completed a second bullpen session. Stay tuned.
Chicago’s Yu Darvish completed a 31 pitch simulated game on Wednesday. No word on his next move, but he did throw at least. Ben Zobrist will not play tonight nursing a sore hip.
A flurry of moves for the Braves were detailed yesterday, and now this from their beat writer:
Along with Hursh being outrighted, O'Day was placed on the 60-day DL. So, the Braves now have two vacancies on their 40-man. Allows for the addition of Toussaint, a player acquired via a waiver deal or possibly other prospects within the next few weeks.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 8, 2018
Speaking of saves, the Marlins removed Kyle Barraclough from the role but suggested a committee approach going forward. This means Drew Steckenrider , Adam Conley and Tayron Guerrero could all be in the mix for ninth inning work.
Remember Byron Buxton ? He could return to action next week after hitting in the cage this afternoon.
What To Watch For
With fantasy owners searching for stolen bases, can they look to Jonathan Villar ? He will hit first again for the Orioles and he’s 9-for-21 (.429) since joining the team with four runs, two doubles, one home run and one stolen base.
It’s another night of baseball, what will Juan Soto do tonight?
Toronto’s Devon Travis flies under the radar, but he’s racked up nine RBI the last five games and he’s hitting .316 the last 24 with three home runs and 17 RBI. Justin Smoak has feasted on Red Sox pitching with three doubles, six home runs and 11 RBI in 14 games against them so far.
J.D. Martínez leads the majors in home runs (34), RBI (97) and total bases (268) and gets a rookie on the mound in Rogers Centre. Giddy up.
Can Luis Severino get his groove back on Chicago’s South side?
Rookie Trevor Richards and his tremendous changeup will try to stay hot at home versus the Cardinals.
Last, Clayton Kershaw will meet newly acquired Mike Fiers in a interleague tilt in Oakland. The A’s can be sneaky versus southpaws.
Be sure to check back in the morning for Fantasy Alarm’s Round Up to stay ahead of the competiton.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statistical Credits:
MLB.com, BaseballSavant.com, Fangraphs.com