Sunday was a great day across the U.S., as families celebrated Father’s Day with a packed schedule of Major League Baseball games, hot dogs on the grill, and sun in the air. There were plenty of stand out performances from Sunday, but I wanted to highlight just a few. Let’s take a look.
Marte to Stay
I’m not speaking about the Marte in Pittsburgh, I’m speaking about Ketel Marte, the Swiss Army Knife for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had a big day at the plate Sunday, going 3-for-4 with a home run, double, three runs and an RBI. The breakout is happening, and it is fun to watch. The center fielder is ranked third in points amongst shortstops, and fourth among outfielders. He is a must start fantasy option the rest of the way.
Hello, Charlie
Will the real Charlie Blackmon please stand up? Holy smokes, Charlie Blackmon is on quite a tear. The shaggy centerfielder has three straight four-hit games, and a total of 18 hits in his last seven games. Granted, all the games were played in hitter-friendly Coors, but what Charlie Blackmon is doing is incredible. It’s been a challenging season for Blackmon so far as he has battled injuries and slumps, but he is a fixture in lineups for fantasy owners.
Bauer of Old
Trevor Bauer found his form on Sunday afternoon, going the distance and holding the Detroit Tigers to four hits. The most impressive stat of the day was the fact that Bauer didn’t walk a single hitter. He struck out eight, with 117 total pitches thrown. Fantasy owners have been cooling on Bauer as his WHIP climbed to 1.43, and his pitch count sailing over 100 pitches just about every start. If you bought low, congrats — Bauer showed what he is capable of doing. If you held onto Bauer, congrats to you too — you have an elite SP who might be figuring things out just in time.
The Big Maple
James Paxton made the White Sox hitters on Sunday look goofy. He pitched brilliantly across six frames, keeping hitters off balance all afternoon with a heavy dose of his offspeed stuff. Paxton earned his first win since April. Now is as good a time as any to sell high on Paxton. Managers in points leagues salivate at a possibility to beef up their starting pitching, but I won’t be buying. The big lefty has only pitched more than five innings one time since April 24 and has yet to pitch more than 160 innings in a single season.
Hader-Aide
There is no denying Josh Hader has scary good stuff. He is flat out scary when he toes the rubber late in games. On Sunday, he came into the game in the eighth and recorded six outs to close out the Giants. He threw 19 pitches, 15 for strikes, with three punch outs. The arm is lively, and the firepower is carving up opposing offenses… for now. Last season, Hader finished the second half with a 3.78 ERA and allowed 14 earned runs. If the Brewers continue to use their ace out of the pen for multiple innings, I suggest shopping Hader now to see if you can sell high!
Sunday’s Transactions
Noah Syndergaard left Sunday’s game with a hamstring strain and finds himself on the 10-day IL.
Robinson Cano was removed from 10-day IL.
Kyle Barraclough was placed on 10-day IL with right radial nerve irritation.
Sunday Injuries
Franmil Reyes has been out of the Padres starting lineup since June 13, and we finally found out why. The big slugger has neck stiffness.
Nomar Mazara did not play Sunday and is scheduled to have an MRI on the back of his right knee on Monday.
JT Realmuto was absent from the Phillies lineup Sunday. A foul tip hit Realmuto between the legs. Ouch.
Yoan Moncada left the Series finale against the Yankees early due to upper back tightness. This is the second time this week the young 2B has had to leave the game early.
Byron Buxton was not manning centerfield for the Twins on Sunday. He is still sore after being hit by a pitch on the wrist on Friday evening.
Nick Senzel cannot buy a break. He was MIA from the Reds lineup on Sunday due to a gash on his left eyelid which was caused by his own foul ball.
Andrew Benintendi was scratched before the clash with the Orioles because of a strained quad.
Hunter Pence departed Sunday’s matchup with the Reds with groin tightness.
