Good morning on Friday the 13th! Boston’s on a 10-game win streak which coincides with a Mookie Betts hit streak of the same duration. He’s also reached base in 16 consecutive games. During a terrific 13 pitch at-bat last night, which culminated in a grand slam, Betts turned the tide for the Red Sox once again on a pitch low and inside. It’s rare for a right-handed hitter to prefer this zone for power but guess which area the pitch last night broke into:

If you guessed the one in red, correct. As for Betts, he’s scored 76 runs in 75 games this season, hitting .429 during his 10-game streak with 12 runs, four doubles, three home runs, eight RBI and a stolen base in it and drove in five of the six runs for the Red Sox on Thursday night.

 

That Just Happened

With many fantasy owners searching for cheap stolen bases, does the name Jackie Bradley Jr. hit radars? After a horrific start to the season, Bradley’s hitting .340 his last 50 at-bats spanning 15 games with nine runs, six doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI. Also, he’s a perfect 11 for 11 in steal attempts including one last night.

Injuries seem to derail Devon Travis each year, but he’s heating up also. Travis tallied four hits and he’s hitting .305 his last 37 games with five home runs and 20 RBI. Teammate Kendrys Morales has launched seven home runs his last 29 games with a .326 average in them.

Bounce back game, which occurs facing the Orioles offense, for Nick Pivetta who whiffed seven in 6.2 innings allowing three earned runs on five hits and a walk. He induced 16 swinging strikes with 16 called on 102 pitches.

Jorge Alfaro racked up three hits with a double, his sixth home run and three RBI. Alfaro’s hitting .273/.333/.500 in 22 at-bats in July with two doubles, a homer and five RBI.

On an evening when many focused on Max Scherzer , Luis Severino and Corey Kluber for daily purposes, Jameson Taillon and Kyle Gibson turned in the top performances. Taillon fanned 10 in six innings yielding four hits, one run and two walks. He generated 12 swinging strikes and 21 called strikes over 96 pitches. Gibson lasted eight innings giving up five hits and one earned run with nine strikeouts. He produced 16 swinging strikes and 14 called on 113 pitches. Since last July 16th, Gibson is 10-9 with a 3.46 ERA and 177 strikeouts his last 185.1 innings.

A two home run game for Brett Gardner and three RBI fueling the Yankees to a win on the road. During this trip, Gardner’s 11-for-34 (.324) with seven runs, four home runs, 10 RBI and two stolen bases. Didi Gregorius hit his 16th home run and did you know he’s stolen seven bases the last 40 games? Me neither. Greg Bird ’s heating up with the rumors surrounding the Yankees. He’s driven in 10 runs the last three games with all his underlying statistics pointing in the right direction.

More history for Indians teammates. Francisco Lindor went 2-for-4 with a run and a double. He scored his 83rd run in the first half to set a Cleveland record. José Ramírez launched his 28th home run surpassing Albert Belle’s team record of 27 from 1996. Edwin Encarnación added his 21st home run and 15th since May first with 53 RBI his last 47 games.

Anthony Rendón hit two home runs and drove in three fueling the Nationals win in New York. Rendon’s hit nine since June 21st and in the midst of a five game hit streak.

Potential trade target Asdrubal Cabrera launched his 17th home run, has hit safely in 18 of his last 23 games (.322) with six home runs and 16 RBI. Perhaps Boston would be interested in a player who can play second and third base?

In spite of losing the vote in for the American League, Eddie Rosario continues to produce hitting his 19th home run Thursday night and driving in two. Rosario’s hitting .302/.344/.535 through 90 games with 60 runs, 56 RBI and six stolen bases. Always underrated.

Hot night for the Angels bats. Justin Upton homered (18) and stole a base (5) with three RBI. Upton’s hitting .282 (33-for-117) with seven home runs and 16 RBI his last 33 games. Albert Pujols showed signs of life with two home runs and three RBI. Ian Kinsler also tallied three RBI.

Newly named All Star, Ross Stripling , won his eighth game with five strikeouts over six innings on six hits and a walk. Stripling’s 2.08 ERA ranks second in the National League and his WHIP (1.08) is sixth.

Two injury updates from last night. James Paxton left his start in the first inning with back tightness. Hopefully this is all it turns out to be. Justin Turner left the Dodgers game with a hip injury. For now, he’s day-to-day but his production has been limited by injuries all season.

 

What To Watch For

Two young pitchers match-up in Cleveland with Domingo Germán facing Shane Bieber . If Severino and Kluber struggled, how will these two fare?

Shin-Soo Choo will attempt to extend his on-base streak after getting the day off when Texas faced Chris Sale .

Noah Syndergaard makes his return from the disabled list and will face the Nationals at home.

So much baseball, so little time. Be sure to check back for Fantasy Alarm’s Closing Bell to stay ahead of your competition.

 

Statistical Credits:

MLB.com

Fangraphs.com

BrooksBaseball.net