Encapsulating the 2018 season, Philadelphia will be buyers at the trade deadline, within reason in order not to strip their burgeoning farm system, fueled by their young talent maturing ahead of schedule while Washington explores selling at the trade deadline. Last night, three Phillies hit two home runs each at Age-25 or younger for the first time in major league history. Rhys Hoskins , Maikel Franco and Nick Williams combined to accomplish the feat and seem to be surging at the right time.
Hoskins has homered six times over the last six games and recorded his first multiple homer game since September 12th of last year. Since June ninth, Hoskins has scored 30 runs with 10 doubles, 14 home runs, 39 RBI and 22 walks. Franco has hit safely in 17 of his last 19 games and has been hot in July hitting .329 his last 70 at-bats with seven home runs and 14 RBI. As for Williams, his last 24 games yield a .333 average and the Phillies are 13-1 in games during which he’s recorded multiple hits.
Night Moves
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Tough night for Aaron Judge owners who will be without his services for at least the next three weeks. Judge suffered a fracture in his right wrist and will not be able to swing a bat in games until the three weeks lapse. Not to mention what impact the injury could have on his power going forward.
Kris Bryant returned to the disabled list due to his continued shoulder pain. There’s no clear timetable for his return which means the Cubs may not be done adding on prior to the trade deadline. Chicago did agree to trade for Cole Hamels last night. He’s been good on the road but not at home this year, remember Tyler Chatwood ? Of course, Hamels will replace Chatwood in the rotation and bring his career 1.76 ERA in Wrigley with him including his no-hitter there.
Back to the disabled list for Brandon Belt . His bone bruise within his knee will sideline him the next five days and then he will start his rehab. Evan Longoria returned to the Giants taking Belt’s spot on the roster.
José Altuve hopes to play tonight for Houston when they host the Rangers.
In case you missed it, Joakim Soria was traded to the Brewers and J.A. Happ to the Yankees with Brandon Drury about to get playing time as a result with Toronto. Many more moves remain on the table with talks heating up in Minnesota surrounding Eduardo Escobar , Brian Dozier and even Kyle Gibson . Stay tuned.
That Just Happened
As devastating as the loss of Judge will be to the Yankees, getting Sonny Gray back on track could help defray it. Gray won his eighth game of the year in spite of leaving early when a batted ball deflected off of his thumb. He pitched five scoreless innings giving up three hits and two walks with five strikeouts and has allowed two earned runs his last 16.1 innings (1.10 ERA) spanning three starts.
Flying beneath the radar, Amed Rosario ’s heating up again for the Mets and thriving at leadoff. Rosario tallied two more hits last night scoring two runs and driving in one. Over his last 12 games, he’s 16-for-46 (.348) with 10 runs, two doubles, four triples, six RBI and four stolen bases along with his present five game hit streak. At a time when fantasy owners are searching for steals, Rosario could be a terrific target for the second half.
While many teams focus on Brian Dozier , Asdrubal Cabrera keeps on hitting with the ability to play second or third base. Cabrera went three-for-five with a double and his 18th home run driving in four last night. Since June 16th, he’s hitting .288 with seven home runs and 22 RBI while scoring 17 runs and ranks second in extra-base hits among second basemen, ahead of Dozier.
The buy low window on Jonathan Schoop may have closed. He homered for the fourth consecutive game, and has hit one in five of his last six contests. Schoop’s in the midst of a personal nine game hit streak (.359 in it) and has multiple hits in the last four games.
Rich Hill whiffed eight in seven shutout innings in Atlanta giving up three hits and a walk. He generated 18 swinging strikes and 17 called on 95 pitches with his fastball providing 11 swings and misses, not the curve. Over his last 32.2 innings, Hill’s recorded a 2.20 ERA with 41 strikeouts.
Owners who once again lost Gary Sánchez to the disabled list could pivot to Mitch Garver of the Twins. He doubled in three at-bats with an RBI while hitting .351 his last 28 games with five doubles, a triple, three home runs, 13 RBI and 11 walks. Not too shabby.
Speaking of which, Kyle Gibson won in Boston allowing four hits, one earned run and two walks with seven strikeouts. He produced 17 swinging strikes and 14 called of his 120 pitches. His last statistical year yields a 3.46 ERA with 185 strikeouts in 192.1 innings.
Shrouded by the Reds tough season of late, Eugenio Suárez has launched a home run in four straight games and now has 23 on the season. He’s pacing towards a career best 36 in 135 games and over his last 40 games owns a .318 average with six doubles, 12 home runs and 33 RBI.
It’s about time for Trea Turner to go on a hot streak for his fantasy owners. He entered last night’s action hitless in his last eight at-bats but fell a double shy of a cycle in Miami. Turner hit his 13th home run and drove in three during the Nationals comeback win. Turner’s pacing towards 21 home runs, yay, but only 35 stolen bases and has not stolen a base since June 29th, boo.
Teammate Juan Soto was walked intentionally twice in this game but still went 2-for-3 with two runs and his 12th home run. He’s walked 15 times in July but remains patient and presently on course to reach 19 home runs and 52 RBI in only 91 games this season. Amazing.
Oakland used its new blueprint to lock down a win in Texas. Lou Trivino recorded his 14th hold walking two and striking out two. Jeurys Familia allowed an unearned run in the eighth on a hit with a strikeout and Blake Treinen notched his 27th save giving up a hit with a strikeout to preserve the win. Do not look behind Seattle, object in mirror is closer than it appears.
Christian Yelich has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games including the last 10 straight. He went 3-for-5 five last night with his 14th home run to drive in two. During his streak, Yelich is 22-for-42 (.524) with three home runs and 12 RBI to boost his average to .314 on the season. Travis Shaw added his first home run since July 15th, and 19th of the year. Milwaukee could use a hot streak from him on this road trip.
Closer Corey Knebel did secure his 13th save, but allowed two earned runs on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts in San Francisco. Knebel’s 5.40 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in July does not provide confidence for his fantasy owners. He’s yielded runs in two of the last four and in four of his last eight outings. Do not forget, Milwaukee added Soria to the mix and still have Josh Hader lurking in the bullpen.
What To Watch For
As the trade deadline approaches, teams will be forced to make tough decisions. Which players do the Twins trade? Will Washington buy, sell or hold? How many relievers will the Marlins trade and to whom? Would Tampa Bay really deal Chris Archer ? Should the Angels sell a starter?
It’s a night of aces with Max Scherzer , Clayton Kershaw , Zack Greinke and Madison Bumgarner toeing the rubber. An interesting matchup with Kershaw facing Mike Foltynewicz in Atlanta. The Braves need a big game to get back on track but were shut down by Rich Hill on Thursday.
Hot hitting Oakland will head to Coors Field. Bombs away Khris Davis .
And hug watch will remain in effect.
Be sure to check back later and all weekend for continued coverage on Fantasy Alarm in the Round Ups and Closing Bells to stay ahead of your competition.