Despite the hideous uniform selections by Major League Baseball for Player’s Weekend, hitters continued to thrive in this season’s environment. Although he did not hit a home run, Christian Yelich reached a mark not done by a player his age since 1999:

 

 

Not only will Yelich move into the top-three picks in 2020 drafts, but he’s also pursuing a different piece of history trying to become the first player to reach 50 home runs and 30 steals. As for his most recent accomplishment, Ronald Acuña Jr. also sits on the precipice of achieving at least 40 home runs and 25 or more steals needing only four more home runs to join Yelich. 

Stay hot Jose Altuve . He went 2-for-5 with a double and his 24th home run, driving in two runs and scored two in a rout of the Angels. Altuve matched his career-high in home runs but, in 385 at-bats this year compared to 590 (2017) and 640 (2016). He entered gameplay on June 21st with a .235 average and .769 on-base plus slugging percentage. In the 55 games since, Altuve’s slashing a robust .349/.399/.625 with 51 runs, 15 doubles, 15 home runs, 38 RBI and four stolen bases. 

Providing all the offense Atlanta needed in a sweep of the Mets, Josh Donaldson launched two home runs raising his total to 32 this year:

 

 

Plus, versus the Mets, in 61 at-bats so far, Donaldson’s hitting .393/.479/.902 with 14 runs, nine home runs, 15 RBI and 10 walks. 

For the third-straight contest, Aaron Judge hit a home run and he’s homered in four of the Yankees six games in their present road trip. His home run last night represents the 99th of his career in 368 games. Plus, his team made some history with time left in August to add to its total:

 

 

Not sure how Anthony Rendon keeps being overlooked in fantasy but he’s on the precipice of his first 30 home run season after going 4-for-5 with two runs, his 29th home run, and two RBI in a win over Chicago on Sunday. 

 

 

Here’s the rest of the hitting highlights from Sunday:

  • Anthony Santander became the second Baltimore player with a five-hit game this season on Sunday joining teammate Renato Núñez . Santander added two runs along with his 13th home run driving in two in a win over Tampa Bay. Nunez moved his hit streak to five games with three hits. Jonathan Villar recorded his 20th home run and joins the 20/20 club with 28 steals already in hand this year. He’s one of five with at least 20 home runs and stolen bases in 2019. 

  • Jorge Soler hit his 36th home run and sits within two of the franchise record set by Mike Moustakas (38 in 2017). Ryan O’Hearn recorded a double-dong day including the game-winner in the 10th inning. 

  • Back to designated hitting seems to suit Franmil Reyes well. He hit two home runs raising his total to 32 this year driving in four in the Indians loss. Francisco Lindor added his 23rd home run. 

  • Kevin Newman went 4-for-4 with three runs, a double, and two stolen bases. As a lead-off batter, he’s hitting .325 (67-for-206) with eight doubles, six home runs, 25 RBI and six stolen bases.

  • Extending his on-base streak to 19 games, Ketel Marte racked up three hits including a double on Sunday. During the streak, he’s batting .359 with 16 runs, a .438 on-base percentage and a 1.054 on-base plus slugging percentage. 

  • Kyle Schwarber reached the 30 home run plateau in a loss to the Nationals. 

Starting Pitcher Spotlight: German rebounds in LA

Securing his 17th win, Domingo Germán allowed the Yankees to bounce back from a sweep in Oakland to winning a series versus the Dodgers on the road. German is only the third pitcher in team history to win 17 of his first 20 decisions since 1969 joining Ron Guidry (1978) and Roger Clemens (2001) in doing so. German logged six innings, giving up five hits, one earned run, and two walks with five strikeouts. He also recorded 10 swinging-strikes and 16 called of his 85 pitches for a 30.6 called plus swinging strike (CSW) percentage. Here’s a sample of his evening in Los Angeles:

 

 

Also, here’s the rest of the pitching performances of note from Sunday:

  • Dallas Keuchel , Atlanta: 111 pitches, 16 swinging-strikes, 19 called, 31.5 CSW%. Keuchel notched his fifth win firing seven shutout innings versus the Mets, allowing four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. This marks the third-straight start by Keuchel during which he’s pitched at least six innings, struck out at least seven and held the opponent to one earned run or less. 

  • Stephen Strasburg , Washington: 113 pitches, 22 swinging-strikes, 16 called, 33.6 CSW%. In a no-decision, Strasburg recorded 10 strikeouts and reached 200 strikeouts for the third time in a season for his career. Strasburg finished six innings yielding five hits, two earned runs and a walk with the 10 punch outs. 

  • Marco Gonzales , Seattle: 99 pitches, 17 swinging-strikes, 10 called, 27.3 CSW%. It’s been an up and down season for Gonzales but he garnered his 14th win working seven innings giving up three hits, one earned run, and two walks with five strikeouts on Sunday. 

Bullpen Notes: Bradley continues to thrive

It seemed probable Archie Bradley could take over the closer spot with the Diamondbacks once they designated Greg Holland for assignment. However, Bradley’s not only taken over the role, but he’s also tied with Raisel Iglesias for the most saves in the National League since July 30th locking down his seventh in Milwaukee on Sunday. Bradley navigated around a hit and a walk in 1.1 scoreless innings. He’s been scoreless in 17 of his last 20 appearances with a 1.57 ERA, .177 batting average against and 26 strikeouts in his last 23 innings. 

Here’s the rest of the high-leverage events from Sunday:

  • Miami recorded a save, we repeat, Miami recorded a save. Ryne Stanek gets the Marlins first save since July 24th working a scoreless ninth walking one and striking out one. Act accordingly. 

  • Mark Melancon survived three hits and an earned run for his sixth save. 

  • Royals closer Ian Kennedy imploded serving up two home runs leading to four earned runs and his first win of the season. Jorge López gets the first save of his career firing a clean 10th inning with two strikeouts. Stay tuned. 

  • Felipe Vázquez held on for his 23rd save working 1.1 innings allowing a home run to Eugenio Suárez while striking out one. 

  • Save number 25 for Alex Colomé . He walked one in a scoreless ninth inning. 

  • Not a save, but Daniel Hudson records his seventh win working two scoreless innings with two strikeouts in Chicago. 

  • Will Smith racked up his 30th save working around a hit in a scoreless inning. 

  • Seattle’s newly anointed closer Matt Magill locked down his fourth save giving up a hit and striking out two. 

  • Kirby Yates notched his 37th save with a clean ninth inning and two strikeouts. 

What To Watch For

Not sure Cleveland can work out a waiver wire deal to replace José Ramírez , but time will tell. As for Ramirez, a crushing blow for his owners finally reaping the rewards of his efforts prior to his breaking the hamate bone in his right hand. Reports suggest Ramirez will undergo surgery today. Desperate fantasy owners should look into Kyle Seager or Jon Berti as potential replacements. 

Atlanta will head to Coors Field for a makeup game riding an eight-game win streak. They will send Julio Teheran to the mound. 

St. Louis Heads to Milwaukee leading them by four and a half games. Milwaukee also sits two games out in the Wild Card race as playoff races heat up. 

Pablo Lopez makes his return from the injured list at home against the Reds. Homer Bailey looks for revenge in Kansas City facing his former teammates. 

Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm to remain ahead of the competition across all fantasy formats. 

Statistical Credits: 

BaseballSavant.com

Fangraphs.com

MLB.com - Game Notes