Reynaldo López takes home spotlight honors with a dominating performance in a win over the Indians. He tossed a complete game, giving up a solo home run as his only hit allowed, while striking out 11. What a Lopez thing to do. He is a very inconsistent pitcher that you just never know what version you are going to get. Keep in mind, he lasted just two outs while giving up six runs his last outing. It was his fifth outing with at least five innings and one or fewer runs against, but he also has 10 outings in which he has given up five or more earned runs. It was his third time reaching double-digit strikeouts this year. He will carry a 9-12 record and 5.17 ERA into his next outing.

Strong Outings

  • Max Fried fired seven shutout innings in a win over the Nationals. He gave up just one hit while striking out nine. This was the best outing of his career and it was his third start of the year with at least nine strikeouts. He will carry a 16-4 record and 3.86 ERA into his next outing.
  • Sonny Gray , as he has done pretty much all year, dominated his opponent in a no-decision. He hurled six innings of one-run ball. He gave up four hits while striking out seven. He has given up a total of four earned runs over his last 42.2 innings pitched and no one is talking about him (outside of myself). This guy is a Cy Young contender. He will carry a 10-6 record and 2.75 ERA into his next outing.
  • Dakota Hudson tossed six shutout innings in a win over the Giants. He gave up just one hit while striking out two. Over his last five starts, Hudson has a 1.11 ERA and has given up just 12 hits across 32.1 innings pitched. Four of those five outings have ended with him giving up zero runs. He will carry a 15-6 record and 3.40 ERA into his next outing.
  • John Means pitched well in a loss against the Rangers, holding them to two runs across 6.2 innings pitched. He gave up four hits while striking out four. It was his fourth straight start with at least five innings and two or fewer runs against. He has been very consistent this year as a rookie. He will carry a 10-10 record and 3.50 ERA into his outing.
  • Kolby Allard out-dueled Means, hurling 6.1 innings of one-run ball in a win. Interestingly enough, he gave up more hits (eight), while striking out less (two), but still managed to give up one less run. Over his last three starts, Allard has given up just three runs over his last three starts (18.1 innings pitched). He will carry a 4-0 record and 3.78 ERA into his next outing.

Hitter Highlights

Bo Bichette swatted a pair of dingers and drove in three. What a great start to a career he is having. He is now hitting .329 with 10 home runs and three steals through his first 34 games (149 at-bats). He has a bright future ahead and so does the Blue Jays offense.

Austin Nola led all hitters in DFS scoring yesterday, going 3-for-6 with a pair of dingers, a double, five RBI, and three runs scored. Nola is having a better than expected rookie season, considering he is a 29-year-old rookie. He is hitting .277 with nine home runs and 23 RBI through his first 173 at-bats.

Bryan Reynolds continues his strong rookie campaign, going 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI. He is hitting .333 with 16 home runs, 77 runs scored, and 65 RBI through his first 117 games played. He may not have a ton of power or much speed (two steals), but he has shown the ability to hit and I will be interested to see where he goes in drafts next year.

Kyle Tucker made his first start of the year and he went 2-for-6 with his first career home run and two RBI. This guy can play, but the Astros have continually refused to use him in favor of some average players in Marisnick, Reddick, and more. Hopefully next year we will finally see him as an everyday player at the MLB level.

Austin Meadows finished 3-for-4 with a home run, a pair of doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored. He is now hitting .284 with 27 home runs, 75 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. It has been a very strong season and fantasy owners have to love the production they have gotten from a guy that was picked outside the top-150 in drafts this year.

Mike Trout went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, two RBI, and three runs scored. He is up to 45 home runs, 104 RBI, and 110 runs scored to go along with a .293 batting average. He does “only” have 11 steals, so I guess that’s one area that could be better, but his 45 dingers are already a career-high and he needs just eight RBI for a new career-high in that as well.

Ronald Acuña Jr. had a bash-and-dash night, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a stolen base, and two runs scored. He now has 37 home runs and 34 steals as he chases a 40-40 season. He is hitting .283 with 113 runs scored and 93 RBI. Usually, this would be an MVP caliber season, but it looks like he may not even finish in the top three of the voting.

What to Watch for Today

Steven Matz (9-8, 4.04 ERA) will look to keep his hot streak going in a crucial battle with the Phillies. He has pitched at least five innings and given up two or fewer earned runs in five straight starts. He has a 2.01 ERA at home this year across 67.0 innings.

Clayton Kershaw (13-4, 2.96 ERA) will have a great opportunity to bounce back from a rough outing his last time out, when he takes on the Giants tonight. He gave up five runs his last time out against the Dbacks, but the Giants are a much easier test. Last time he faced the Giants, he pitched seven shutout innings.

Domingo Germán (17-3, 4.01 ERA) will take on the Red Sox in search of his MLB leading 18th win. He pitched pretty well in August, going 4-1 with a 3.82 ERA across six starts and will look to carry that momentum over into this one.