Derek Dietrich stole the show yesterday with his three homer game. I have to be honest, I never could have predicted Dietrich being the spotlight performer of the day, but when you have a three dinger game, you deserve it. He finished the night 3-4 with six RBI and three runs scored while leading all players in scoring on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Dietrich now has 17 home runs on the season, a new career high, despite only having 118 at bats on the year. Seven of those home runs have now come against the Pirates to go along with 14 RBI and a .409 batting average in just eight games (five starts) against Pittsburgh. Also remarkable is the fact that each of his last six hits have left the yard. Dietrich shouldn’t be fantasy relevant, but he is, and should be owned in all leagues until the home run barrage ends.

Strong Outings

  • Stephen Strasburg tossed seven innings of two-run ball in a win over Atlanta. He gave up give hits while striking out 11 and led all pitchers in DFS scoring. It was his fourth straight start of six or more innings and two or fewer earned runs against. The 11 strikeouts give him 98 on the season across 79.0 innings of work.
  • Lucas Giolito continued his fantastic stretch of outings by firing eight innings of three-run ball against the Royals in a win. It was his seventh straight start with three or fewer runs and with the win his record improves to 7-1. He will carry a 2.85 ERA into his next start.
  • Matt Boyd was lights out against the Orioles, hurling six shutout innings in a win. He surrendered six hits while striking out eight. It was his second straight start of six shutout innings and has lowered his ERA on the year down to 2.85. He has at least six strikeouts in 10 of his 12 starts this year.
  • Trevor Richards shutdown the Giants in a win. He gave up just two hits and one run over seven innings of work while striking out five. Over his last two starts he has given up two runs over 12.2 innings pitched and lowered his ERA from 4.44 to 3.82 in that span.
  • Steven Matz was locked in again last night, hurling six innings of two-run ball in a win over the Dodgers. He gave up four hits while striking out six. He has given up three or fewer runs in nine of his 10 starts this year and lowered his ERA down to 3.55 with this outing.
  • Devin Smeltzer made his MLB Debut last night and tossed a gem against the Brewers, but was stuck with a no-decision. He pitched six shutout innings and gave up just three hits while striking out seven. He had pitched to the tune of a 1.15 ERA across 54.2 minor league innings this year prior to his call up and may be worth a look in deeper leagues.
  • David Price hurled six shutout innings against the Indians in a no-decision. He gave up three hits while striking out six. It was his seventh straight start of allowing three or fewer runs and he has not given up a earned run in his last 11.2 innings pitched. That span has seen his ERA drop from 3.75 to 2.83 on the year.

Hitter Highlights

Michael Conforto only had one hit on the night, but it was a big one, launching his first career grand slam to break a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning. He also drew a walk and had an additional RBI to give him five for the game and 26 for the year. The home run was his tenth.

David Bote had a big night, finishing 3-4 with a pair of home runs, a double, three RBI, and two runs scored. He has been hot at the dish of late, hitting .458 (11-24) with three home runs and two doubles in his last ten games (six starts), raising his average from .239 to .278 in the process.

Alex Bregman also had a double-dong night, going 2-4 with the two dingers, a walk, three RBI, and three runs scored. The two home runs give him 12 in the month of May and 17 for the season. He has 38 RBI, 36 runs, and has walked (39) more times than he has struck out (35).

Eric Hosmer swatted his third home run in his last seven games with a three-run dinger. He also had a single in a 2-5 night and Padres win. He has had a great month of May, hitting .351 (34-97) with four home runs and 15 RBI. For the season, he is now hitting .298 with nine home runs and 33 RBI in what has been a strong bounce back campaign for the veteran first baseman.

Austin Riley had another big game for the Braves, finishing 3-4 with a home run and two RBI. The rookie is now hitting .365 with six home runs and 16 RBI through 52 at bats (13 games) to begin his career. Riley should have no trouble making his way into the Braves lineup on a regular basis, even when Inciarte makes his return off IL.

Cody Bellinger launched a two-run home run and also walked in the Dodgers 7-3 loss to the Mets. He is the second player in the MLB to reach 20 home runs this year (Yelich) and he now has 51 RBI to go along with his .382 batting average. Needless to say, it’s been a fantastic two months for the sweet swinging lefty.

Austin Meadows homered for a third straight game, finishing 2-4 with a solo dinger and a single. There’s nothing better than putting a guy in the Stock Watch piece earlier in the day and then seeing him hit another long ball. He now has 12 home runs, 31 RBI, six steals, and a .365 average through 135 at bats. Over his last five games, he is hitting .522 (12-23) with three home runs, two steals, and seven RBI.

Trea Turner broke out of his slump, collecting three hits and a stolen base in the Nationals win. He had been 1-12 in his prior three games entering this contest. All three hits were singles and he did not record a RBI or run scored, but did walk and the steal was his seventh of the year.

Keston Hiura launched the third home run of his career in a losing effort. The two-run dinger was his only hit of the night and he now has four RBI, all of which have come on his three home runs. The rookie is hitting .261 through 46 at bats, but needs to improve on his 19-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Tommy La Stella had another strong game last night, finishing 2-4 with a double, a walk, two RBI, and a run scored. He now has 33 RBI and a .302 average to go along with 12 long balls in what has truly been a breakout campaign for the veteran. He is hitting .349 (29-83) with five home runs and 15 RBI in May.

What to Watch for Today

José Leclerc will serve as an opener for the second time this year when the Rangers take on the Mariners today. In his first time serving as an opener on May 17, he fired a shutout inning with a pair of punch outs.

James Paxton will make his return from IL and take on Chris Paddack and the Padres. It should make for a nice pitching duel and both guys will come into today’s contest sporting a strong ERA and over a strikeout per inning.

Shane Bieber will go for his third straight double-digit strikeout game when he takes on the Red Sox tonight. Bieber has been great this year with a 3.11 ERA and 79 strikeouts across 63.2 innings pitched.