Kris Bryant and the Cubs walked off on Monday
Although this was a quiet day on the diamond, off of the diamond, there was a massive trade, as Troy Tulowitzki will be headed north of the border as the newest Blue Jay. Jose Reyes and top prospects Miguel Castro and Jeff Hoffman will be headed to Colorado, while LaTroy Hawkins will join Tulowitzki in Toronto. This daily update for July 28, 2015 will begin with Tulowitzki’s old team and a walkoff in Chicago.
Recap
Carlos Gonzalez continues hot streak, while Kris Bryant is a walk-off winner
Bryant finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a walk-off, three-run home run to earn a 9-8 victory for the Cubs over the Rockies. Bryant is the sixth-ranked 3B in fantasy baseball this season and has shown power (34 extra-base hits) and speed (10 steals) for the Cubs and fantasy owners alike. He is having a brutal July, .190 batting average, and needs to work on his plate discipline, 120 strikeouts, but Bryant is a great foundation for a dynasty league team. Starlin Castro finished 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Cubs, marking his first multi-hit game of the second half. Castro has struggled to a .575 OPS this season and has a .157 batting average in July. The two hits ended a three-game hitless drought. He only has 15 extra-base hits this season and is not even a top-25 SS.
Gonzalez was 4-for-5 with two runs scored, two home runs, and four RBI to lead the Rockies. After a disappointing start to the season, Gonzalez has seven home runs and 16 RBI so far in the second half and has a 1.328 OPS in July. Gonzalez is proving that he is an OF2 and, at this pace, he may be seen as an OF1 going into the 2016 season. D.J. LeMahieu finished 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI, marking his 17th straight game with a hit. He has a hit in each game since July 3 and now has three doubles and a triple in the second half, moving his OPS up to .786. His .319 batting average ranks sixth in the National League and his 54 runs rank 10th. Troy Tulowitzki was o-for-5 with an RBI in his last game with the Rockies
Lance Lynn solid, Kolten Wong grand
Lynn threw seven innings, allowing only one run on five hits, winning his eighth game of the season in a 4-1 win for the Cardinals over the Reds. Lynn now has a 2.71 ERA and averages 9.59 strikeouts per nine innings for the team with the best record in baseball. He has pitched at least six innings and allowed two runs or less in eight of his last 10 starts. Kolten Wong finished 1-for-3 and provided all of the offense for the Cardinals with the second grand slam of his career. Wong now has 11 home runs, part of his 33 extra-base hits, and has a .769 OPS for the season. He also has 11 steals this season, making him the sixth-ranked 2B in fantasy baseball.
Raisel Iglesias allowed Wong’s home run, and has allowed at least four runs in three of his past four outings. Although Iglesias’ statistics, 5.53 ERA and 1.48 WHIP, do not look good, he does have 42 strikeouts and only 13 walks in 40 2/3 innings this season. He has allowed 47 hits, but his FIP, 3.61, makes him look like a sneaky add for the stretch run. Iglesias has struck out at least seven batters in three of his past four outings and his strikeout potential is real for fantasy owners.
Royals drill Indians
Eric Hosmer finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored, a home run, and four RBI against the Indians. He now has six multi-hit games in the second half. Hosmer has 33 extra-base hits this season, and now has an .834 OPS, making him a top-10 1B. Hosmer has 13 runs scored and 13 RBI in July and also has a .364 batting average this month. Kendrys Morales was also 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI and has back-to-back three-hit games. Morales has 20 RBI this month and leads the American League in RBI with 68. Lorenzo Cain finished 1-for-2 with two walks and three runs scored. Cain has scored 18 times this month and is now seventh in the American League with 62 runs. His 18 steals and .872 OPS, as well as his run-scoring potential, has made Cain a top-five OF this season.
Cody Anderson was roughed up for the second time in as many starts and should be off of the fantasy radar. Anderson allowed seven runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings against Kansas City, walking two and striking out two. He only has 14 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings this season. Anderson’s high-contact pitching has caught up to him over the past two outings.
White Sox overcome Red Sox
Adam Eaton was 3-for-6 with a double, triple, run scored, and two RBI to lead the White Sox past the Red Sox 10-8 on Monday night. Eaton has five extra-base hits in the second half, but has a .736 OPS and only seven steals this season. A sleeper candidate for 100 runs scored, 25+ steals, and an OPS near .800 at the top of the lineup before the season, Eaton has fallen short of expectations but his .814 OPS in June and .877 OPS in July shows that Eaton is worthy of a fantasy roster spot. Melky Cabrera was 2-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI. Cabrera has nine extra-base hits since the All-Star break and his .349 batting average and 20 RBI in July show that he is on pace for a hot second half. He was a fringe OF2 during 2014 and while he may not have that same value in 2015, he can be a great option as a OF4 for the rest of the season.
David Ortiz finished 1-for-5 with a home run, marking the sixth straight season that Ortiz has hit 20 home runs. Ortiz has home runs in three of his past four games and his home run yesterday was a good encore for his two home runs on Sunday night. He is the top DH yet again and his 56 RBI and .803 OPS show that he is still a great power option. Mookie Betts finished 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Betts has hits in five of his past six games. He is ninth in the American League with 13 steals, has 41 extra-base hits, and has scored 52 runs this season, making him a good option as an OF3.
Chris Heston continues to shine
Heston has been a revelation as a top-15 SP this season and his seven innings of work against the Brewers, allowing only two runs, only solidifies that point. Heston has now won 11 games this season and has a 3.14 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, allowing two runs or fewer in six of his past 10 starts. He is second in the National League with those 11 wins and should be seen as a SP3 for the remainder of the season. Brandon Crawford clubbed his 15th home run of the season and the top SS in fantasy baseball was 1-for-2 with two runs scored, a walk, and two RBI. Crawford has three home runs in the second half and 38 extra-base hits and a .817 OPS this season. He is seventh in the National League in RBI with 61 and should be seen as a top-five SS at a minimum for the remainder of the season.
Jonathan Lucroy was 1-for-4 with a double, only his 14th extra-base hit of the season, and a RBI for Milwaukee. After finishing as the top catcher in baseball, and one of the biggest sleepers of 2014, Lucroy has a .650 OPS and 21 RBI in 59 games this season. He does have a .772 OPS in July, but he needs to have a huge final two months of the season to recoup any value.
What to watch for
The best matchup of the night sees David Price facing his former team, Tampa Bay, and young Jake Odorizzi. Price, who could be traded at the deadline again, has allowed two runs or fewer in nine of his past 10 starts and is third in the American League with a 2.31 ERA. Odorizzi, who returned from the disabled list on July 11, has seen his ERA jump from 2.47 to 2.80 since returning and has not pitched more than 5 2/3 innings in any of the three starts. Sonny Gray, Jose Fernandez, and Noah Syndergaard will also pitch today.
Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.
