Clayton Kershaw continued his dominant season Monday
Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, taking away segments of a season or in some cases premier matchups in others. Two of the top pitchers in baseball were supposed to face off on Monday, but one was scratched with an injury, allowing the other to dominate. Even without the matchup that should have gained top billing, a pitcher’s duel will open this daily update for June 21, 2016.
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Recap
Pirates pitch past Giants
Jeff Locke and three Pirates relievers kept San Francisco off the board on Monday night with Locke pitching 6 2/3 scoreless innings in the 1-0 victory. Locke (6-5) outdueled Madison Bumgarner and now has a 5.44 ERA this season. Erik Kratz hit a solo home run for Pittsburgh, driving in the only run of the game. Bumgarner (8-3) pitched an eight-inning complete game, allowing one run on five hits while striking out eight batters and walking two. Jarrett Parker’s double was the only extra-base hit for San Francisco
Dodgers shut down Nationals
Clayton Kershaw won his eighth straight decision against Washington, allowing one run on six hits in seven innings while striking out eight batters without a walk in a 4-1 win for Los Angeles over the Nationals. Kershaw (11-1) has an other-worldly 1.57 ERA and 0.67 WHIP this season. He was supported on Monday by Justin Turner and Joc Pederson home runs for Los Angeles and Corey Seager‘s two double performance. Yusmeiro Petit (2-1) allowed three runs on five hits in six innings on Monday, pitching in place of Stephen Strasburg, and Anthony Rendon drove in the lone run for Washington.
Cardinals inch past Cubs
Jaime Garcia allowed two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings and Jhonny Peralta and Brandon Moss each had home runs as the Cardinals beat the Cubs 3-2 on Monday night. Garcia (5-6) struck out six batters to end the Cardinals’ five-game losing streak. Both Aledmys Diaz and Kolten Wong had two hits for St. Louis. John Lackey (7-3) allowed three runs in six innings, his tenth straight quality start, and Ben Zobrist finished 3-for-5 with a run scored for Chicago.
Astros win high scoring affair against Angels
The Astros jumped out to a 7-0 lead over the Angels on Monday night before their bullpen nearly gave it up in a 10-7 win. Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Jason Castro each had home runs for Houston, with Correa driving in three runs, and Carlos Gomez finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in support of Doug Fister (8-3), who allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings. Jhoulys Chacin (2-3) put the Angels in a hole by allowing six runs on six hits in two innings, but Johnny Giavotella and Gregorio Petit each hit late-inning home runs for Los Angeles, with Petit drilling a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning.
Rockies use home runs to topple Marlins
The Rockies used five solo home runs to beat the Marlins, who had three solo home runs themselves, in a 5-3 win. Mark Reynolds had two home runs for Colorado and Trevor Story, Nick Hundley, and Charlie Blackmon hit one home run each in support of Jorge De La Rosa (4-4), who allowed three runs in six innings. Marcell Ozuna clubbed two home runs for Miami, while Giancarlo Stanton hit the third home run for Miami. Adeiny Hechavarria finished 2-for-4 with a double.
What to Watch For
There are outstanding pitchers on the mound on Tuesday, unfortunately not facing each other, but the matchup of Justin Verlander and the Tigers and James Paxton and the Mariners is still appealing. Verlander has 97 strikeouts in 93 innings pitched this season, posting a 1.08 WHIP and 3.87 ERA to regain his fantasy relevance. Paxton only has four starts this season, but he has flashed huge strikeout potential with 29 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched. Chris Sale, Johnny Cueto, and Jose Fernandez will also pitch today.
Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.
