Taking a look around the league, here’s a recap of yesterday’s action and suggestions for your fantasy baseball team.
Mr. Clutch (pitcher) – Justin Masterson had one of his better games this year, throwing a six-hit complete game shutout while striking out eight. While this has been one of Justin Masterson’s best seasons yet, he still struggles against left-handed batting. On the season, left-handers are batting .247/.333/.375 with eight home runs.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – Manny Machado was the man last night, going 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Sunday’s win over the Yankees. Here is what Rotowire.com had to say:
The 20-year-old phenom continues to crush the baseball on a nightly basis as he’s now sporting a line of .321/.350/.489. He now has 38 doubles on the year, along with six home runs, and is one of the best players is one of the best hitting third basemen in the game. He should continue being a great source of runs, average, and RBI for the Orioles as they fight their way through the AL East.
Surprise, surprise! – Nobody had a better game yesterday than Davis Lough. He went 4-for-4 with a home run, fours runs and three RBIs. Right now he is a platoon split with Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson, but if he continues to have games like this, he could win the job outright. Lough is a good guy to keep an eye on.
Here comes the heat – When Yasiel Puig isn’t crushing home runs, he’s getting on base and stealing them. Last night Puig went 4-for-5 with two stolen bases. In 107 plate appearances, he has electrified the Dodgers and taken L.A. by storm. Puig is even getting All-Star buzz now. Here’s a fun little fact: Puig is only the second player to debut since 1900 with at least 44 hits in his first 100 career at bats. Just an amazing start to his young career.
Left out in the breeze – Zack Wheeler got lit up, again, in only his their major league game. He lasted 4.2 innings, allowing six hits and five earned runs while striking out five. Another bad outing like this and he will more than likely be sent back down to the minors. He gets the Brewers this Friday in hopes of rebounding after Sunday’s tough loss.
Who’s trending? – Leonys Martin continues to surge as he is one of the most added players this past week and he has not disappointed. He has a .293/.343/.452 slash line this season with five home runs and 16 steals. With regular playing time going forward, Martin could get to double digit home runs and 30 steals. I think he is a good investment going forward.
Bench me, please? – After yesterday’s awful performance, Trevor Cahill could be on the verge of losing his job. Going 4.1 innings allowing six runs on seven hits is just not going to cut it. Especially on the same day his potential replacement, Tyler Skaggs, had a career high 13 strikeouts in 8.1 innings. Clearly, there is something wrong with Cahill, and a potential demotion could be a good chance for him to clean up his mechanics. For fantasy purposes, cut bait and don’t look back.
The Streamer – On the season, the Mets have a .231/.295/.372 slash line against left-handed pitching and they face lefty Wade Miley tonight. Miley took a tough loss in his last outing, getting outpitched by Jordan Zimmerman. Look for Miley to have one of his better performances tonight.