One thing baseball teaches us, things do not always go as planned. Two pitchers made their major league debuts with differing results. Stephen Gonsalves started for the Twins but only lasted 1.1 innings giving up six hits, four earned runs and two walks with three strikeouts. Nerves can play a role in this, but pitching in the majors can be an adjustment. He should get more chances going forward as Minnesota auditions players for next seasons pending rebuild.

Below the radar, Atlanta promoted rookie Bryse Wilson to start on Monday giving Kevin Gausman and the rest of the staff an extra day. This also affects fantasy players hoping Touki Toussaint would get a start this weekend, Wilson’s spot start ends this speculation. As for Wilson, he not only got the win, but pitched five shutout innings allowing three hits and three walks with five strikeouts. He generated 12 swinging strikes and 10 called of his 87 pitches representing the third 20-year old to debut on the mound for Atlanta this season. Wilson and others could bolster the bullpen when rosters expand in September.

Injury and Roster Updates

As usual, Monday’s prove busy with rosters being shuffled and injury news at the forefront of active owners minds. Here’s a recap:

  • Houston will activate José Altuve today and returned Kyle Tucker to Triple-A after last night’s loss in Seattle. George Springer was scratched with quad soreness. He’s day-to-day going forward.

  • Dan Winkler notched the save for the Braves on Monday and news surfaced A.J. Minter ’s nursing a tight back. Minter may be unavailable today as well. Plan accordingly.

  • Shohei Ohtani threw a simulated game and could return to the rotation in September after all.

  • Another pitcher hurt hitting? Chris Archer went down awkwardly after trying to check his swing, then left the game after the fourth inning with a “leg” issue. He will receive further testing today after the inflammation subsides. Stay tuned.

  • Avisail García was pulled from last night’s game, not an injury, but his manager’s decision. Starling Marte did not play on Monday but should return to the lineup tonight in a similar circumstance. Kevin Pillar (future Brave?) did play on Monday hitting two doubles after his manager confronted and pulled him from a game on Sunday.

  • San Francisco placed Andrew McCutchen on revocable waivers, no word on if a team claimed him, but speculation centers on him being moved before the end of the week.

  • Suggesting the Dodgers bullpen struggled without Kenley Jansen would be an understatement. However, his return yielded a cutter averaging about two miles per hour below his season average and back-to-back home runs leading to a Dodgers loss. Jansen told reporters his pitchers were flat upon his return.

Not sure what to make of the rest of the season for Adrián Béltre , but this tweet suggests he will assess his future soon:

 

 

That Just Happened

Although Zack Wheeler did not win his seventh straight start, he did record double digit strikeouts (10) in seven innings giving up only five hits, one earned run and a walk. Wheeler generated 21 swinging strikes of his 113 pitches (18.6 swinging strike percentage) and 17 called ones. Since July 14th, Wheeler’s 6-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 47 strikeouts while throwing 49.2 innings.

A two-home run game for Kendrys Morales driving in four of the five Blue Jays runs. Did you know he’s walked (15) more than he’s struck out (14) in the second half and hitting .291 his last 79 games with 13 doubles, 13 home runs and 35 RBI in them? Also, Ken Giles recorded his 16th save, and fourth in a row for Toronto with a clean ninth inning.

For the Orioles, Jonathan Villar stole two more bases, raising his total to 18 on the year. Rookie Renato Núñez hit his third home run and hitting .317 in August.

Greg Allen extended his hit streak to 13 in style on a go ahead home run in Boston. Allen’s two run blast provided Corey Kluber with his 16th win. As for Allen, he’s scored 11 runs with a home run and five RBI during his streak. Melky Cabrera also stayed hot launching his fifth home run of the year, and fourth the last eight games with 13 RBI in them.

Rookie Ryan Yarbrough won his 12th game taking the mound after the opener did his work. Yarbrough pitched 5.1 shutout innings scattering two hits and walking one with six strikeouts. As a “reliever”, Yarbrough’s 9-3 with 3.70 ERA over 25 appearances.

José Abreu went 2-for-5 with a run, double, two RBI and his second stolen base of the season. He’s on a modest seven-game hit streak and hit safely in 22 of his last 26 with nine doubles, nine home runs and 26 RBI in them.

Flying below the radar, Max Kepler tripled and hit his 17th home run in a loss. He’s homered in consecutive games, hitting .273/.375/.582 in August and hit nine home runs in 144 at-bats (one every 16 at-bats) since the start of July.

With the Reds losing, do not lose sight of Eugenio Suárez crushing his 28th home run and reaching 92 RBI. He still leads the National League in RBI despite missing 16 games with a fractured thumb earlier this year. Phillip Ervin also hit a homer and has a .347 average in the second half with six doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI in only 72 at-bats.

Christian Yelich hit his 20th home run and owns a 50.6 hard hit percentage in the second half. Travis Shaw added his 25th dinger and two RBI. He’s homered in two of his last three games and hit five in August in only 50 at-bats.

Another strong outing by Mike Fiers for Oakland. Fiers tossed seven shutout innings yielding one hit and a walk with eight strikeouts. He’s 2-0 since his acquisition in three starts with a 1.48 ERA in 18.1 innings and an eye-popping 21:1 K:BB in them. He’s also allowed one run or fewer in seven of his last 10 starts this season.

Suddenly, Khris Davis finds himself in the MVP conversation. He crushed his 37th home run, has hit 16 his last 28 games with 35 RBI in the second half with a .297 average raising his average to .261 in the process. Fun fact, Davis has hit 25 home runs the last three years against the Rangers, in only 180 at-bats (one every 7.2). Mercy.

As part of the Cardinals late inning surge, Jedd Gyorko and Matt Carpenter homered off of Jansen leading to a win. Gyorko’s hitting .281 in August with three homers and 11 RBI with eight strikeouts against seven walks. Carpenter may be emerging from his mini-slump during which he went hitless in five straight contests, but he racked up three hits including his 34th home run last night.

While the Dodgers struggle to find traction, Justin Turner ’s been red-hot this month. Turner finished 2-for-4 with a run and a double. He’s hit safely in 15 of his 16 starts in August with 16 runs, seven doubles, four home runs, 10 RBI and a .443/.528/.787 slash line.

Last, Robinson Canó went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI leading the Mariners to a much needed win versus Houston. Cano’s hitting .346 since his return from suspension and his night accounts for his first extra-base hits since.

What To Watch For

Another starting pitcher debut with Michael Kopech making his much anticipated major league debut for the White Sox. Also, Daniel Poncedeleon returns to the rotation this evening taking Luke Weaver ’s spot in the Cardinals rotation.

Houston will deploy a bullpen game marking the first time all year one of their five starters will not take his turn. Look for Brad Peacock to start the game in Seattle.

Will Justin Turner (14 games) and Greg Allen (13) extend their hit streaks?

Big series with Philadelphia heading to Washington. There could be ramifications in the Nationals roster if they do not win the series.

Chris Stratton returns to the mound starting against the Mets on the road.

Be sure to check tomorrow morning for a recap of Tuesday’s action. Also, for the football enthusiasts, read tonight’s NFL news headed by Justin Mason to stay ahead of the competition here on Fantasy Alarm.

 

Statistical Credits:

MLB.com

BaseballSavant.com

Fangraphs.com