Youth will continue to be served with the formal promotion of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. Honing his skills in the minors, Guerrero Jr. hit a laser shot to right field for a home run in his final game at Triple-A in Syracuse on Wednesday. In eight games with Buffalo, and the same baseball being used in the majors, Guerrero slashed a robust .367/.424/.700 with three home runs. Amongst all the tweets and celebration on Twitter, this one by his Dad won the night:

As for his impact, Guerrero Jr. owns the ability to hit the ball with high exit velocities to all fields. Although his defense at times will be called into question, Guerrero Jr. will mash in the majors. Given his career .331/.413/.531 slash in the minors over 1,075 at-bats and 44 home runs, the new challenge should be exciting. Those who own him should get him active immediately.

Not only will this debut make headlines, but, Chris Paddack tossed a gem getting his first major league win striking out nine over seven innings allowing a hit and a walk against the Mariners. He definitely reflected the message on his glove in this outing:

Paddack generated 13 swinging strikes, seven with his change-up, and 15 called for a 33.7 CSW (called plus swinging strikes) percentage. He also became the first Padres pitcher to throw seven shutout innings with at least eight strikeouts among his first five career stats. Paddack’s also the first pitcher in the Live Ball Era (since 1920) with five straight games yielding three hits or fewer while facing at least 15 batters according to Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats). Pretty, pretty, good. Here’s the rest of the Round Up from a busy Wednesday in baseball.

Starting Pitcher Recap: Verlander stifles the Twins

While the focus in fantasy can shift to the up and coming talent, Justin Verlander continues his strong start to the season winning his fourth decision and becoming the first Houston pitcher to last until the eighth inning this year. Verlander allowed a home run to Jorge Polanco along with three other hits and no walks with eight strikeouts. He also produced 13 swinging strikes and 14 called of his 98 pitches for a 27.5 CSW%, just below league average, but still productive given the results.

  • Félix Hernández , Seattle: 75 pitches, 13 swinging strikes, 18 called, 41.3 CSW%. Trusting his catcher, Hernandez worked backwards with his arsenal using more off-speed pitches early in counts. In a loss, Hernandez held the Padres to three hits, one earned run and one walk with eight strikeouts.

  • Jake Junis, Kansas City: 75 pitches, 11 swinging strikes, 20 called, 41.3 CSW%. Evening his record at 2-2, Junis accrued six strikeouts in five innings giving up one earned run.

  • German Márquez , Colorado: 102 pitches, 14 swinging strikes, 21 called, 34.3 CSW%. Reaching the seventh inning for the third time this year, Marquez won at home allowing eight hits, three earned runs and two walks with seven strikeouts.

  • Eduardo Rodríguez , Boston: 90 pitches, 18 swinging strikes, 12 called, 33.3 CSW%. Rodriguez limited the Tigers to two hits, one earned run and did walk three with seven strikeouts en route to his second win.

  • Félix Peña , Los Angeles Angels: 78 pitches, 14 swinging strikes, nine called, 29.5 CSW%. Pena deserved a better fate working after the opener on Wednesday night. He recorded 13 swinging strikes with his slider, but against a watered down Yankees lineup.

Bullpen Notes: Angels upheaval

Things did not go as planned with the news of Cody Allen being temporarily demoted from closing games in the near term. Ty Buttrey entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs due to a mess created by Luís Garcia , in the seventh. Buttrey limited the damage, keeping the lead. He also worked 2.2 innings before getting tagged with the loss and a blown save in the top of the ninth inning on a bloop single by D.J. LeMahieu. Hansel Robles registered the last out. New manager Brad Ausmus hinted a committee going forward, but Robles and Buttrey should get the majority of high leverage chances while Allen tries to rebound.

  • One out save for Jordan Hicks , striking out Christian Yelich with the bases loaded to preserve the Cardinals sweep.

  • Wade Davis joined the one out save parade getting Kurt Suzuki to strikeout with runners on the corners and two outs in the ninth on Wednesday afternoon.

  • Save number 12 for Kirby Yates working around a walk. He now leads the majors.

  • A much needed shutdown save for A.J. Minter who fired a clean ninth with a strikeout closing out the Reds on the road.

  • Recording his first save since last September, Mychal Givens did give up a run on two hits in two innings, but finally gets one this season.

  • Aroldis Chapman did walk one, but also struck out one for his fourth save preserving a win in relief for Jonathan Loaisiga who took over for C.C. Sabathia.

Hitter Highlights: El Majo keeps raking

With the Cubs trailing, Javy Baez stepped up to spark a rally with a three-run home run, helping them come back from six runs down:

Baez not only launched his eighth home run, but, he’s still surging. Here’s a comparison of when he hit his eighth home run last year to this one:

  • Baez owned a .283/.331/.628 slash after his eighth home run in 2018

  • This year, two weeks sooner, Baez currently slashes .315/.351/.663

Teammate Jason Heyward also hit a three-run home run, his fifth of the season. Here’s a look at when Heyward’s hit his fifth home run over the last few years:

Adalberto Mondesi went 3-for-5 with a run, his third home run and four RBI. He also scored from second base on a wild pitch. Presently, Mondesi’s on pace for 40 doubles, 27 triples, 20 home runs and 47 stolen bases. No major league player has ever accrued at least 40 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season. Stay tuned.

A smash and dash for José Ramírez . He racked up three hits including his second home run and stole his sixth base.

Jesús Aguilar owners can fear the worst. Eric Thames launched his fifth home run on Wednesday, upped his average to .273 and his on-base plus slugging percentage to .941 in the process. This could portend a future platoon at first base. Marcell Ozuna continues to put worries about his shoulder to rest hitting his ninth home run and driving in three.

Trusting the Rockies to play a young player comes with a grain of salt, but, Raimel Tapia should be garnering trust. He hit two doubles with three RBI and a walk yesterday. Over his last nine games, Tapia’s hitting .385 (10-for-26) with three doubles, two triples, and three home runs. Daniel Murphy owners will also be elated seeing him return to the lineup.

Two surging A’s stayed hot. Marcus Semien hit his fourth home run driving in three. His last 14 games yields a .321 average with 14 runs, five doubles, three home runs, 13 RBI and seven multi-hit games. Matt Chapman crushed his eighth home run. He’s been hot over the last 12 games with a .371/.467/.886 slash line with three doubles, five home runs, 12 RBI and eight walks.

Power hitters J.D Martinez and Rhys Hoskins could be percolating. Martinez racked up three hits, including a double, with an RBI. Hoskins homered for the second straight game. Since his promotion on August 10th in 2017, Hoskins leads the majors with 57 home runs.

Even in a loss, Cody Bellinger keeps raking. He hit his 12th home run driving in two and walked.

Double Dongs Delights:

  • Nomar Mazara , Texas - 2-for-4 with his third and fourth of the year.

  • Ketel Marte , Arizona - 2-for-5 with his fifth and sixth, driving in four.

  • Andrelton Simmons , Los Angeles Angels - 2-for-4 hitting his second and third, both solo shots.

We’re going streaking….

  • Charlie Blackmon extended his hit streak to eight with his third home run.

  • Trevor Story moved his streak to 13 games during which he’s hitting .358 with 10 runs, three doubles, a triple, a home run, six RBI and six stolen bases.

  • Adam Eaton reached 10 games on his streak and he’s reached base in 20 of his 22 starts this year.

  • Over his last 10 games, James McCann ’s hitting .375 with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI.

  • Dwight Smith Jr. pushed to an eight game hit streak, Trey Mancini ’s at seven and Renato Núñez drove in his 18th run.

  • Michael Brantley owns a 10-game hit streak and he’s reached base in 16 in a row.

  • Josh Reddick stayed hot with his fourth consecutive multiple hit game. He’s 11-for-his-last-15.

What To Watch For…

A much anticipated pitcher’s duel with Gerrit Cole hosting Trevor Bauer awaits fantasy owners today.

Can Jameson Taillon quiet down the hot hitting Diamondbacks to prevent a sweep?

Jon Lester returns from the injured list to face the Dodgers.

Aaron Nola gets the Marlins at home, a strong outing would be welcomed by his owners.

Be sure to stay ahead of the competition with Fantasy Alarm. One more sleep until we see Vladito’s debut.

 

Statistical Credits:

BaseballSavant.com

Fangraphs.com

MLB.com - Game Notes