Ezequiel Duran finished 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored Tuesday against the Cardinals.
Duran started at shortstop tonight, but he has played left field twice since coming off the IL on Saturday. That's a very good sign for his fantasy value. With the way the Rangers are hitting a team, Duran could offer some lasting mixed-league value if he plays regularly, even if he's batting at the bottom of the lineup.
Matthew Liberatore gave up five runs -- four earned -- in four innings Tuesday in a loss to the Rangers.
This was a particularly discouraging performance, as Liberatore's pitches were all down 1.5-2 mph and he generated just two strikeouts. Hopefully, it's just a blip. However, if he's no better next time out, he'll probably lose his spot in the Cardinals rotation.
Mitch Garver doubled in a run and walked as the Rangers' catcher Tuesday against the Cardinals.
Two notable things here. First, the appearance at catcher was his fifth of the year, giving him new eligibility in a bunch of leagues. He's probably a top-15 catcher at the moment, and he could go quite a bit higher if he continues to see consistent time at DH. The other factoid might help with that; Garver's double tonight left his bat at 113.2 mph, a new career high for him. His previous high-water mark was 111.8 mph in 2021.
Adolis García went 4-for-4 and launched his 15th homer Tuesday as the Rangers topped the Cardinals 6-4.
Garcia also had a four-hit game last week, and he's raised his average from .244 to .273 during his current seven-game hitting streak. The only disappointing thing about his season is that he's just 4-for-4 stealing bases. He swiped 25 bags last year.
Freddie Freeman hit a grand slam and walked Tuesday in a losing cause against the Reds.
Freeman had as little success with the bases loaded as any good hitter in the league over the first nine seasons of his career, but he's really turned that around since 2020, going 15-for-34 with the sacks jacked. All five of his slams have come during that span. He had none in 82 at-bats with the bases loaded through 2019.
Caleb Ferguson took a blown save and a loss after walking three and giving up three runs in the ninth Tuesday against the Reds.
Ferguson got the nod in the ninth tonight after Brusdar Graterol and Evan Phillips worked the seventh and eighth, respectively. He quickly made a giant mess of a two-run lead, allowing a single, walking three and hitting a batter before being lifted from a tie game with one out. Shelby Miller came in and gave up a long fly to right center to end it. Ferguson has struggled in three of his last four appearances, so it could be some time before he sees another save chance. Phillips and Graterol are both better ninth-inning options for the Dodgers.
Tony Gonsolin yielded four runs -- three earned -- in five innings Tuesday in a no-decision against the Reds.
Gonsolin didn't have one of his better days, but he left with a four-run lead and the Dodgers don't often blow those. Tonight, though, three different relievers combined to give up five runs. With a subpar 30/16 K/BB ratio through 40 2/3 innings, Gonsolin isn't throwing as well as his 2.21 ERA suggests. Most likely, though, the peripherals will improve, even as the ERA likely increases some.
Matt McLain went 3-for-6 with a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth as the Reds edged the Dodgers 9-8.
McLain was up in a tie game with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth when he sent one to deep center. It probably would have been caught under normal circumstances, though that still would have been a game-ending sac fly. With the outfield in, it went for a walkoff single. McLain, who remained at shortstop tonight with the newly called up Elly De La Cruz playing third, is batting .341/.396/.500 through 96 plate appearances.
James Paxton yielded five hits and struck out nine in a win over the Guardians Tuesday.
To say that Paxton went fastball-heavy is a bit of an understatement. The 34-year-old threw 93 fastballs -- 68 four-seamers and 20 cutters -- on 106 pitches Tuesday. The lack of offspeed or breaking pitches didn't matter as the Guardians, who are typically quite patient, swung and missed 24 times. The only damage on Paxton's ledger was two run-scoring doubles in the first inning, and posted an outstanding 37 percent CSW on the night. He will take a 3.81 ERA into the Bronx to face the Yankees on Sunday.
Shane Bieber yielded five hits, one walk and struck out two in a no-decision Tuesday against the Red Sox.
Even in his heyday, Bieber has given up hard-hit balls, but his lack of strikeout stuff makes it harder for the 28-year-old to avoid trouble. He allowed ten hard-hit balls while generating just ten swinging strikes on 95 pitches, posting a ho-hum 26 percent CSW. He will carry a 3.57 ERA into a showdown against the Astors at home on Sunday.
Masataka Yoshida went- 3-for-4 with one run scored in a 5-4 win over the Guardians on Tuesday.
Yoshida has been spectacular in his first season in MLB. The 29-year-old is hitting .319/.393/.502 and has been one of the better players for fantasy managers in points leagues as he walks nearly as much as he strikes out.
Kenley Jansen fired a scoreless ninth inning on Tuesday against the Guardians to record his 13th save of the year.
Jansen was called upon to protect a precious one-run lead Tuesday and needed just 13 pitches to finish the job. Jansen has been more effective when manager Alex Cora does not call on him on back-to-back outings. The Red Sox bullpen is healthy, so Jansen should settle into a more traditional closer role.
Corey Julks had two of the Astros' four hits and two steals versus the Blue Jays on Tuesday.
Julks' poor plate discipline and subpar exit velocity numbers have left him with an ugly Baseball Savant page, but he's hitting .266 with five homers and eight steals through 163 plate appearances. That he's getting most of the playing time in left field in Houston gives him some short-term value in deeper mixed leagues.
Daulton Varsho hit his third homer in five games Tuesday against the Astros.
The solo shot off Hunter Brown extended Varsho's hitting streak to 10 games, though he has had just 11 hits during that span. He's still batting a mere.223 with a .286 OBP for the season. Fortunately, he has contributed in fantasy leagues with the 11 homers and seven steals.
Hunter Brown allowed three runs in six innings Tuesday in a loss to the Blue Jays.
Brown has thrown his slider and curve in nearly equal amounts this season, but he used the slider 41 times and the curve just seven times tonight. He wound up getting only two missed swings with the slider, but he was still using it effectively until Daulton Varsho homered off it in the fourth. It was one of just three hits Brown allowed. Unfortunately, one of the other two was also a homer, that from George Springer. Brown dropped to 5-3 with a 3.69 ERA. He'll face the Nationals next.
Tommy Henry struggled in a no-decision against the Nationals on Tuesday, surrendering five runs on five hits across 4 1/3 innings.
Henry also allowed three free passes on the night while striking out two. Stone Garrett smacked a 389-foot grand slam to left-center field in the first inning, giving the Nationals a quick 4-1 lead. The 25-year-old settled down before giving up another homer, this time to Lane Thomas, in the bottom of the fifth inning. He generated five swinging strikes on 81 pitches on the night while registering a 23 percent CSW. He will look to rebound on the road against the Tigers on Sunday.
Jake Irvin yielded four runs on five hits in a no-decision against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Irviin struck out one while allowing three free passes. In the first inning, he allowed a single to Ketel Marte before he walked (aptly named) Christian Walker. Rivera then roped a single into right field, giving the Diamondbacks a quick one-run lead. Things wouldn't improve for the 26-year-old, and he was lifted after the fourth inning. On Sunday, he will take a 6.10 ERA into a terrifying road matchup against the Braves.
Jake McCarthy went 1-for-3 with one RBI and two stolen bases Tuesday in a 10-5 win over the Nationals.
Since being recalled from the minors, McCarthy has swiped ten bases, hitting .290 and reminding fantasy managers why he was drafted in the top half of fantasy drafts this spring. While his underlying stats do not show a massive improvement from earlier this season, seeing the 25-year-old run as much as he has is a great sign.
Stone Garrett went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in the Nationals' 10-5 loss Tuesday.
In a revenge game against Arizona, Garrett connected with a 389-foot blast in the first inning of Diamondbacks starter Tommy Henry, giving the Nationals a quick 4-1 lead. Sadly, the lead wouldn't last as the Nationals lost their 35th game of the season. Garrett is on the short side of the platoon in left field, and until Alex Call massively underperforms, he is likely to keep the same role.
Clarke Schmidt tossed six innings in a loss to the White Sox on Tuesday, allowing three his on six hits.
He struck out just one White Sox batter. Oddly enough, Seby Zavala was the thorn in the ointment Tuesday as he homered twice against the 27-year-old righty. Outside of that, he generated 15 swinging strikes on 79 pitches while posing a respectable 30 percent CSW. Not too shabby. He will need to be on his A-game as he will face the Red Sox at home Sunday evening.