Yesterday was a day filled with solid performances, but none that really stood out. That being said, any number of players could have been the spotlight performer, with no real standout day from anyone. So without further ado, today’s pick is Spencer Turnbull . Turnbull hurled six shutout innings in a no-decision against the Royals. He gave up four hits while striking out five. He left the game with a 2-0 lead, but unfortunately the bullpen was unable to hold it. The rookie right-hander continues to be incredibly consistent, not allowing more than four earned runs in any of his 14 starts this season and not allowing more than three earned in 13 of them. The six blank frames lower his ERA for the year down to 2.78 to go along with 73 strikeouts across 77.2 innings of work. He’s probably heading for the all-star game.

Strong Outings

  • Dakota Hudson was money once again last night, hurling seven innings of one-run ball in a win over the Marlins. He gave up four hits while striking out six. It was his tenth straight start of going at least five innings and giving up three runs or fewer. He will carry a sharp 3.47 ERA into his next outing.
  • John Means tossed five innings of one-run ball in a win over the Blue Jays. He really has been great all year to this point, not allowing more than three earned runs in all but one start (gave up a whopping four in that one). Over his last three starts (17.0 innings) he has given up a total of three runs. He will carry a 6-4 record and 2.60 ERA into his next outing.
  • Trevor Bauer hurled 7.2 innings of one-run ball in a no-decision against the Reds. He gave up six hits while striking out five. Bauer has had his share of struggles over the last month and a half, so fantasy owners love seeing an outing like this one. Still though, he will carry a lousy 4-6 record and 3.71 ERA into his next start.  
  • Luis Castillo matched zeros with Bauer, tossing six innings of one-run ball against the Indians in a no-decision of his own. He gave up four hits while striking out six. Castillo has been lights-out all season and these types of outings are almost what we expect from him at this point. He will carry a 6-1 record and fantastic 2.20 ERA into his next start.
  • Peter Lambert wasn’t as electric as he was in his MLB debut, but he did manage to hold the Cubs to one run over five innings while pitching at Coors Field. He gave up just three hits while striking out three and picking up the win to improve to 2-0. While it was good to see him excel at home, we will need to see it a few more times before we get too excited about a Rockies pitcher.
  • Jalen Beeks pitched well once again as the “primary” pitcher. He came in the game in the second inning and hurled four innings of one-run (no earned) ball. He gave up two hits while striking out two. He left in line for the win, but the bullpen imploded shortly after he exited. The lefty will carry a sharp 2.55 ERA into his next outing.

Hitter Highlights

Yordan Alvarez had just one hit, but it was a two-run home run. He also walked and scored an additional run. Two games, two dingers for the slugger. He is the first player in Astros history to hit a home run in each of his first two career games. The fantasy community patiently waited (for what seemed way too long) for Alvarez to get the call and he is quickly showing that he belongs in the bigs. There are going to be some very high bids for him this Sunday in NFBC leagues.

Yuli Gurriel stuffed the stat sheet last night, finishing 3-5 with a home run, a double, three RBI, two runs, and a stolen base. Gurriel had been really struggling prior to this game, hitting .120 (3-25) with zero home runs and zero steals in his last six games. Despite last night’s strong output, he doesn’t have much value in fantasy.

Anthony Rendon went 2-4 with a pair of dingers, a walk, three RBI, and two runs scored. He is off to a hot start in June, hitting .342 (13-38) with four home runs and 12 RBI. The strong June he is having is really just a continuation of the great year he is having as he is hitting .320 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI this season.

Brian McCann had a double-dong game of his own, finishing 2-4 with two dingers and four RBI. McCann is having a pretty solid year, hitting .282 with five home runs and 24 RBI across 110 at bats, but low amounts of playing time keep him from being a relevant fantasy asset.

Eloy Jiménez is getting hot and he is launching mammoth home runs. Last night he finished 2-3 with a BOMB, a walk, two RBI, and three runs scored. It was his third home run in his last four games and he is hitting .313 in June (10-32). Playing for the White Sox isn’t ideal, but he should still be a solid fantasy asset the rest of the way.

Max Muncy launched a pair of home runs and also drew a walk in the Dodgers 5-3 loss to the Angels. As you can see, he tried to single-handily carry the Dodgers to victory. Since the start of May, Muncy is hitting .300 (39-130) with 10 home runs, 23 RBI, 30 runs, and three stolen bases. His batting average has jumped from .247 to its current .278 mark in that span.

Shohei Ohtani had a bash-and-dash game in the Angels win, finishing 2-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base. Ohtani is swinging a scorching hot bat, hitting .357 (10-28) with four home runs, nine RBI, nine runs, and stolen base over his last eight games. His average on the year has jumped from .225 to .256 in that span.

Pete Alonso drew a pair of walks, scored twice, had three RBI, and oh yeah, launched his 22nd home run of the year. The rookie slugger continues to send balls over the fence and is currently second in the MLB in home runs while his 49 RBI are good for ninth best. Like Turnbull, this rookie is most likely heading for the all-star game.

What to Watch for Today

Zach Plesac will take on the Reds and look to continue the hot start to his career. Through three starts, he has compiled a 1.86 ERA and 0.88 WHIP across 19.1 innings pitched. It’s a good match-up too, as the Reds rank in the bottom-10 of total runs scored and in runs scored against righties.

The Blue Jays and Orioles will battle it out in a game that features Edwin Jackson (0-4, 11.90 ERA) and David Hess (1-8, 7.08 ERA). It’s a battle filled with bad pitching and bad hitting, so who knows what will go down in this one.

Mike Soroka will bring his 7-1 record and 1.38 ERA into a start against the Pirates. Opposing hitters are batting just .172 against Soroka this season and Pittsburgh will have their hands full trying to produce any run support for rookie Mitch Keller .