Taking a look around the league, here’s a recap of last night’s action and suggestions for your fantasy baseball team.
Mr. Clutch (pitcher) – Max Scherzer continued his dominance this season, running his record to 10-0 with a 3.08 ERA on the season. He pitched six innings of one-run ball and struck out 10 Orioles on the way to his third straight win. Scherzer’s next start is Saturday in Boston. Dillon Gee and Mike Leake also are deserving, but Scherzer has been clutch all season.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – Freddie Freeman connected on a ninth-inning, walk-off, two-run home run last night that spoiled Gee’s win and complete-game shutout. He has a hit in every game in June but three and carries a .327/.383/.489 line on the season. In his last seven games, he’s 11-for-24 to carry the first-place Braves offense.
Surprise, surprise! – It may not be a surprise, but Chris Davis is showing no signs of slowing down. I figured there would be a drop and a slump somewhere, but so far, Davis is continuing his MVP search. He connected on his 24th home run last night in a 2-for-4 affair. For the season, he sits at 61 runs batted in and continues to carry a .337 batting average that has to be a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners. Do you sell high?
Here comes the heat – Just when you thought he gave up, Giancarlo Stanton came back from his injury with renewed vengeance. He’s crushing the ball and connected on two long balls last night. He’s managed at least one hit in every game since his return and is batting 10-for-24, with four home runs and 10 runs batted in during his last seven games.
Left out in the breeze – Perhaps his time is coming to an end in Chicago, but I can’t help but pick on Carlos Marmol just a bit, because, well, it doesn’t get much colder than what he’s feeling. See, Marmol had a terrible start to the year. I mean terrible. He lost his closing role and was reserved for the sixth and seventh innings during games that weren’t remotely close. Then, he became a great pitcher overnight, running up a scoreless streak and kinda looking like a closer again. Well, on June 1, he blew up against the Diamondbacks during a tie game. This is what Rotowire.com said at the time:
Marmol entered the game in the eighth inning looking to preserve a tie game and proceeded to load the bases and give up a grand slam to D-backs slugger Paul Goldschmidt. Having long lost the confidence of his manager, Marmol’s recent performance led Dale Sveum to believe he could hold the tie. Don’t expect to see Marmol in many pressure situations in the near future.
Well, he rebounded nicely from that day. Had about four straight scoreless games. Then, in 0.1 innings pitched, Marmol blew a save against the Mets and suffered another loss. Sigh. Perhaps that will be the last the Cubs will see him pitch the ninth?
Who’s trending? – Let’s see. There’s this guy named Zack Wheeler for the Mets that’s trending. Not sure why. Perhaps, it’s because he’s making his major-league debut tonight and has been picked up in 47.3 percent of the leagues recently. He starts tonight against the heavy-hitting Braves, so be cautious.
Bench me, please? – Another streaky hitter, Carlos Pena is 0-for-14 in his last seven days with five strikeouts. No fear, he’s walked four times and scored on three of them. That’s being positive!
The Streamer – It’s interesting to note that Matt Harvey and Wheeler will both pitch today against the Braves. Harvey is having a Cy Young-type of season, and Wheeler, mentioned before, will make his debut. The Braves will counter with Alex Wood, a top rookie, as Brandon Beachy has experienced some discomfort recently. Should make for some tight, low-scoring games!
