Gary Sánchez blasted his third home run of the season on Monday night, powering the Padres to a 5-0 victory over the visiting Cubs.
Sánchez opened the scoring in the ballgame with his 375-foot (102.0 mph EV) two-run shot off of Kyle Hendricks in the second inning. He also drew a walk and struck out in the contest, finishing the night 1-for-3. On the season, he's now slashing .259/.300/.593 with three long balls and seven RBI through his first 30 plate appearances. If he continues to mash baseballs like this, he's going to be worth a look in deeper mixed leagues.
Yainer Diaz went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles versus the Blue Jays on Monday.
After Diaz homered and doubled as the Astros' first baseman Sunday, we wrote about our hopes that the Astros might give him more time at other spots, which they could easily do because of César Salazar's presence as a third catcher. Their response today was to send down Salazar in favor of an additional infielder with Jose Altuve banged up. We'd still like to see Diaz play more, but it seems likely that most of his time will come behind the plate for as long as the Astros continue to carry only two catchers. He was the catcher tonight, as Martin Maldonado sat for the first time since Thursday.
Jake Meyers finished 4-for-5 with a two-run homer Monday against the Blue Jays.
Meyers hadn't had more than two hits in a game this season before collecting four tonight. The homer was his sixth of the year. His .257/.331/.441 line isn't remarkable, but combined with his strong defense in center field, it'd made him a nice player for Houston. He's not currently an option outside of AL-only leagues.
Ryan Noda went 2-for-3 with a double and two walks against the Pirates on Monday.
We're not blaming Noda for Jesús Aguilar's release, but there's no doubt the performance of the Rule 5 pick had a lot to do with the move. Noda is hitting .242/.403/.446 in 201 plate appearances. If he were on a major league team, he might offer some real fantasy value.
Brandon Bielak surrendered three runs in 6 2/3 innings Monday in a win over the Blue Jays.
Bielak gave the Astros exactly what they wanted after being spotted six runs in the top of the first. He wound up allowing 10 hits, but he walked just one and the only homer was a solo shot. He improved to 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA in six starts and one relief appearance. He's a fine streaming option with the Guardians next on the schedule.
Johan Oviedo allowed three runs -- two earned -- in seven innings Monday against the A's.
Oviedo did his part in allowing just four hits and striking out five, but those who picked him up for his two-start week were denied the win tonight after a one-run lead was blown in the eighth. He'll have a tougher assignment in his weekend start against the Mets.
Corey Julks hit a grand slam off Alek Manoah in the Astros' 11-4 defeat of the Blue Jays on Monday.
In spite of an ugly 45/4 K/BB ratio in 160 plate appearances, Julks has an adequate .258/.275/.406 line for the Astros. He'll probably become obsolete if Michael Brantley ever gets healthy, but he's been a solid enough stopgap. It's helped that he's been quite good defensively in left field.
Mark Mathis went 1-for-2 with two walks, two steals and two runs scored as the Pirates edged the A's 5-4 on Monday.
Mathias had five steals in 62 games as a major leaguer before taking advantage of JP Sears and Carlos Pérez tonight. The 28-year-old was making his second start at second base since being recalled on Friday. He'll mostly play against left-handers for now, but there's a decent argument for him getting the starting job over Ji Hwan Bae.
Colin Holderman picked up his first save despite giving up three hits in the ninth Monday against the A's.
Getting the nod in the ninth with David Bednar needing the day off, Holderman probably should have blown the save in a one-run game tonight. However, Esteury Ruiz was caught stealing after his leadoff single, and the subsequent double and single failed to produce a run. The save is Holderman's first in 48 career appearances. He has a 2.74 ERA and 12 holds while mostly working the eighth this year.
After taking over in the third, Mike Mayers was tagged for seven runs -- six earned -- tin three-plus innings by the Marlins on Monday.
Mayers was nearly perfect in six innings as a bulk guy last Monday. Tonight, though, he gave up hits to nine of the 19 batters he faced, striking out just one along the way. The Royals have Thursday off, so they could give Mayers a relief appearance or two before the next time they need a fifth starter or bulk guy.
Dylan Floro got a double-play ball from the lone batter he faced to earn his second save in two days Monday against the Royals.
Steven Okert opened the ninth in a 9-5 game, but he gave up a triple to Edward Olivares and an RBI single to Drew Waters before being removed with one out. Floro came in with Bobby Witt Jr. up and induced the game-ending grounder for his seventh save. A.J. Puk should be back this week to supplant him Floro the closer's role.
Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run homer Monday in a win over the Royals.
Avisaíl García's setback means De La Cruz and Jesús Sánchez should continue to get plenty of playing time for now. Really, both should get all of the playing time they can handle, regardless. De La Cruz is up to .300/.351/.464 for the season.
Luis Arraez went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI as the Marlins topped the Royals 9-6 on Monday.
Incredibly enough, Arraez has almost gotten back to .400 for the season; 10 hits in three games has taken his average from .374 to .399. It's his highest mark since May 10.
Martín Pérez delivered an outstanding performance in a tough-luck no-decision against the Cardinals on Monday night, piling up five strikeouts while allowing just an unearned run over seven innings.
The left-hander scattered three hits and one walk on the evening. The lone tally against him came in the second inning on an RBI single by Paul DeJong after Willson Contreras had reached on an error. Pérez exited after seven innings with a 3-1 lead and in line for his seventh victory, but the Rangers' bullpen was unable to protect his lead. He generated nine whiffs on 88 pitches in the ballgame -- six of them on his changeup -- while registering a CSW of 34 percent. He'll attempt to further improve upon his 3.97 ERA and 1.44 WHIP when he squares off against the Rays in Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Will Smith picked up his first victory of the season on Monday, working a scoreless ninth inning against the Cardinals.
Smith came on to work the top half of the ninth inning in a tied game, and did his job by working a scoreless frame. He was then awarded with a victory after the Rangers walked it off in the home half of the inning. The 33-year-old southpaw has been terrific out of the Rangers' bullpen this season, compiling a 3.00 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 25/7 K/BB ratio over 21 innings while recording 10 saves.
Nathaniel Lowe played the role of hero on Monday night, smacking a walk-off RBI single off of Genesis Cabrera in the ninth inning, propelling the Rangers to a 4-3 victory over the Cardinals.
The Rangers entered the home half of the ninth inning in a 3-3 deadlock with the Cardinals, but they got something going as Marcus Semien drew a one-out walk and Corey Seager followed with a single to advance him to second base. That's when Lowe stepped in and punched a 3-1 slider into left field to send the Rangers' home faithful into a frenzy. He finished the night 2-for-5 with a double and is now slashing .283/.358/.439 with six homers and 36 RBI.
Adam Wainwright pitched decently in a no-decision against the Rangers on Monday night, surrendering three runs on eight hits over his 5 1/3 innings of work.
The 41-year-old hurler walked two and punched out three on the evening. All of the damage done against him came in the second inning on an RBI double by Ezequiel Duran, an RBI groundout by Leody Taveras and a run-scoring single off the bat of Marcus Semien. Wainwright generated nine swings and misses on 106 pitches in the ballgame, posting a CSW of 23 percent. He'll look to improve upon his miserable 5.97 ERA and 1.74 WHIP when he takes on the Reds at home on Sunday.
Nolan Arenado smacked a game-tying RBI double in the eighth inning on Monday night, but it still wasn't enough to lead the Cardinals past the Rangers.
Arenado delivered a run-scoring double off of Grant Anderson with one out in the eighth inning that tied the game at 3-3. He nearly tallied another RBI on the play, but Tommy Edman was gunned down at the plate. The 32-year-old slugger finished the day 1-for-4 and is now hitting .263/.313/.439 with 10 homers, 39 RBI and two stolen bases on the season.
The Red Sox plan to promote Chris Murphy from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday.
The right-hander will be active and available out of the Red Sox' bullpen on Tuesday, though if they avoid using him on Tuesday or Wednesday, he'll be a candidate to start Thursday's game against the Guardians. The 25-year-old hurler has really struggled at Triple-A Worcester this season -- compiling a cringe-inducing 7.71 ERA, 1.92 WHIP and a 42/25 K/BB ratio across 39 2/3 innings.
Nick Maton hit a three-run homer to supply all of Detroit's runs in Monday's loss to the Phillies.
It was a good moment for Maton to homer against his former team on the night that he got his NL pennant ring. Alas, it did ruin some stat symmetry. Maton came into the night with five homers and 17 RBI in 175 plate appearances. He has also had five homers and 17 RBI last season, though he did it 85 plate appearances then.