Patrick Corbin took the mound Friday night to try to keep the Brewers from gaining ground on the Nationals in the NL wild card race. Corbin would do just that, holding the Brew-crew to one run through six innings and tallying eight strikeouts in a no-decision effort. Anthony Rendon provided the offense for the Nats with an RBI in the third off Adrian Houser and another in the eighth off Junior Guerra. Trea Turner scored both runs and pitched in his 26th stolen base. Victor Robles has been heating up at the plate and now has a five-game hitting streak and notched his 19th steal of the year. Hunter Strickland picked up the win after pitching a scoreless eighth, and Sean Doolittle grabbed his 28th save.
Adrian Houser took the loss after pitching seven strong innings. Houser only allowed four baserunners and struck out four. In his four starts, Houser has been significantly better. He averaging more than a strikeout per nine and has picked up two consecutive quality starts. Houser’s done this all while only walking five in his last 25 innings. Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun notched two hits each for the Brewers. Orlando Arcia’s solo home run (13) would be the Brewers’ only run of the night.
Full Steam Ahead for the Phillies
Just when the baseball world was ready to quit Bryce Harper, he starts blasting home runs left and right. Harper knocked his 26th of the season and, don’t look now, but he now has an OPS higher than Javier Baez. JT Realmuto has climbed the ranks to regain his title as the number one fantasy catcher. He added three hits, two RBIs, two runs and a dinger. Logan Morrison got the start at first for the Phillies and went 2-for-4. Vince Velasquez was on the bump for the Phillies and pitched good enough for the win. Which should tell you all you need to know.
Chris Paddack was roughed up through 4.2 innings en route to his sixth loss of the year. He still managed to have a strong K-BB% and this shouldn’t deter anyone going forward. Francisco Mejia went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, and Josh Naylor went 3-for-4 with two runs. The non-Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres feel a little less exciting.
Cards Rough up Castillo
Luis Castillo has done a fantastic job in limiting walks since the All-Star break. Doing so has helped him become one of baseballs best pitchers. Last night, Castillo didn’t miss many bats. It felt like he was pitching to contact. Through 4.1 innings, he allowed nine hits and eight runs. Offensively, Aristides Aquino hit another home run… ho-hum.
Going through the Cardinals lineup, it is easier to say who didn’t get a hit than who did. Unfortunately, the one hitless Cardinal was struggling veteran Matt Carpenter. He has now lowered his season batting average to .214 and has shown no real signs of life. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and cut bait. Dexter Fowler is the highlight for the Cards. He went 3-for-6 with four RBIs! Adam Wainwright pitched well and grabbed the win and a quality start. Gallegos pitched a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation.
Tigers ‘Pen Locks it Down
Last week I wrote about Joe Jimenez and how he could be useful if you’re desperate for saves. Well, last night he notched his third save and has now gone four consecutive outings without allowing a run. Jimenez, VerHagen, and Norris collectively shut down the Rays. Travis Demeritte was the highlight for the Tigers, going 2-for-3 with a run scored on Jordy Mercer’s eighth-inning double.
Charlie Morton did his job. His teammates owe him big time. Morton pitched seven innings, allowing only three hits, no walks, and 10 strikeouts in a losing effort. The only blemish, while he was on the mound, was a passed ball by catcher Travis d’Arnaud. Matt Duffy went 3-for-4.
Dodgers Set Record
The Dodgers have now hit 22 home runs in their last five games. Yeah, that’s a record. Last night they added four more. The Braves had a difficult time finding a pitcher that could keep the ball in the park. Cody Bellinger (41), Max Muncy (30), Justin Turner (22) and Will Smith (10) were the latest Dodgers to go yard. Smith now has put himself in a position to finish the season as a top 10 fantasy catcher. Kenta Maeda struggled to get through 4.2 innings against the Braves. Adam Kolarek got the win and Julio Urias came in and got the ever-so-frequent nine-out save.
Though his line doesn’t look sexy, Mike Soroka locked down a quality start and avoided a loss. Chris Martin was the only Braves pitcher to keep the Dodgers off the bases and the board. Matt Joyce and Ronald Acuna tallied three RBIs for the Braves. Don’t go crazy and go and add Matt Joyce, but he has been getting steady playing time. He is who he is.
Yaz Goes Yard
That’s a headline you never thought you’d read again after 1983. Alas, Hall of Famer Carl’s son Mike is making a name for himself in the Giants outfield. Last night young Yaz went 3-for-6 with four RBIs and all three hits coming via the long ball. Yastrzemski is doing some nice things to be a solid player going forward. Kevin Pillar also had a multi-homer game for the Giants. He’s another solid option. You could do worse than these two guys as your fifth outfielder in leagues that allow five.
Mike Leake was doing his best to imitate an Italian chef last night, serving up meatballs left and right. But, he still pitched… OK. By that, I mean he kept his team in the game. Leake pitched six innings and allowed four runs. The D-backs hit six home runs last night and pushed the Giants to the brink in another battle of wild card contenders. If only Wilmer Flores could hit righties. He once again crushed lefty pitching (Tony Watson, Will Smith). Nick Ahmed was 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs.
News and Notes
• Ender Inciarte suffered a hamstring injury. The injury is “significant.” He’s an easy drop. If you need speed, keep an eye on free agent Billy Hamilton.
• Max Scherzer is not coming off the IL this weekend as expected. He still needs to build up his arm strength and could return this upcoming week.
• Carlos Carrasco threw a 25-pitch live batting practice session against the Indians Single-A team. This is a big step forward for Carrasco as he continues to provide hope of a 2019 return to the mound.
