Some Taters need help

Monday’s game between the Diamondbacks and Phillies began in a rain delay. The pitchers wish the delay would’ve turned into a postponement.
A major league-record 13 home runs were hit between the two teams in a slugfest that ended with a 13-8 D-backs victory. Arizona hit eight of the long balls, which was a franchise record.
Jarrod Dyson, Ketel Marte and David Peralta led off the top of the first inning with back-to-back-to-back bombs off of Jerad Eickhoff, which, as it turned out, was a fitting way to kick off the proceedings. Eickhoff allowed five hits on the night and all five of them left the yard. It's just the 10^th time in the history of baseball that that’s happened.

Both Eduardo Escobar and Ildemaro Vargas went deep twice for the Diamondbacks, with Escobar totaling four hits and five RBI on the night. He’s now up to 17 home runs and 54 RBI on the season.
The Phillies did plenty of boppin’, as well, with five dingers of their own. Scott Kingery had two of the long balls in what was the first multi-homer game of his career.
The Diamondbacks will send rookie Jon Duplantier to the hill on Tuesday in Philly as they look for their sixth win in a row. Jake Arrieta will try to keep that from happening.

Admittedly, Charlie Morton’s shoulder injury down the stretch last season had me worried enough that I wound up with zero shares of him in drafts this spring. It’s looking like I might regret exercising so much caution.
Morton was dynamite again Monday against the Athletics, permitting a mere two hits – both singles – over seven shutout innings in the Rays’ 6-2 victory. The right-hander walked two and hit a batter while fanning seven.
Morton is now a perfect 8-0 on the season and holds a 2.10 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 98/29 K/BB ratio over 81 1/3 innings of work. He’s in the midst of a 15 2/3-inning scoreless streak.
The Rays have been careful with Morton’s workload this season. He’s managed to go seven innings in three straight starts, but that’s only because he hasn’t thrown more than 94 pitches in any of those outings. Morton is on pace to easily set a new career high with 202 1/3 innings, but it’s less taxing than it might seem because he’s averaging just under 92 pitches per starts.
Morton’s velocity has been down a tad this season, but he’s been throwing more curveballs than ever and obviously hasn’t had any trouble getting swings and misses. He’s tied with teammate Blake Snell for sixth in the American League with his 98 punchouts.
It would be silly to expect Morton to hold up for a full season given his track record. Last year was the first time he’d ever made 30 starts in a season, and he’s now 35. He’s also probably not going to maintain a strand rate of over 80 percent. That said, even with a little regression baked in, he’s still looking like a top-30 starter the rest of the way.

Keuchel Carves up Minor Leaguers

If Dallas Keuchel’s first minor league start is any indication, it looks like he’s going to be ready for the majors soon.
In his first competitive outing in nearly eight months, the veteran left-hander befuddled the Charleston RiverDogs’ bats Monday night in a start for High-A Rome, limiting them to just one single and one walk across seven shutout innings. Keuchel struck out nine batters on the evening and needed a mere 77 pitches to cruise through his seven frames.
Keuchel had been throwing simulated games every five days during his extended free agency in order to keep his arm in shape, but that’s obviously not the same thing as pitching in a real game. The fact that he was so sharp, even if it was only against A-ball hitters, was very encouraging. The southpaw was reporting sitting in the 88-89 mph range with his fastball, which is just about normal for him.
Braves manager Brian Snitker noted prior to Keuchel’s outing on Monday that he expected the lefty to make at least two starts in the minors before joining the big club. Keuchel said after Monday’s start that he thought he needed “maybe one more” outing in the minors, although it would depend on how he feels in the next day or two. He expects to start again on Saturday, although he’s not sure which affiliate he’ll pitch for yet.
If Keuchel’s second minor league start on Saturday is indeed his last, that would appear to line him up to make his Braves debut on June 21 in Washington versus the Nationals at the beginning of Atlanta’s 10-game road trip.
Kevin Gausman’s rotation spot looks to be the most vulnerable, and he just happened to also pitch Monday. It didn’t go well, as the righty lasted just 2 1/3 innings against the Pirates and now has a 6.21 ERA on the season. Sean Newcomb tossed 4 2/3 frames of scoreless relief and it’s possible the Braves will give him a start over Gausman this weekend.

National League Quick Hits: Ozzie Albies went 2-for-4 with two homers on Monday in the Braves' victory over the Pirates on Monday … Starling Marte went 3-for-5 with two homers, three runs scored and four RBI in the Pirates' loss to the Braves on Monday. … Trea Turner went 3-for-6 with a double, triple and homer on Monday in the Nationals' 12-1 victory over the White Sox. … Nick Markakis went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBI on Monday against the Pirates. … Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed one run on seven hits over six innings with six strikeouts, but didn't factor into the decision on Monday against the Angels. … Charlie Blackmon went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in a victory over the Cubs on Monday. … Anthony Rizzo went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer on Monday in a loss to the Rockies. … Adam Wainwright (hamstring) landed on the IL Monday. … Matt Adams strained his oblique on a check swing in Monday's game versus the White Sox … Michael Wacha shut out the Marlins for six innings to pick up a win Monday in his return to the rotation.


American League Quick Hits: Chris Sale struck out 10 hitters over seven innings while allowing just an unearned run, but didn't factor into the decision in the Red Sox’ loss to the Rangers on Monday. … Mike Minor allowed just two runs over eight innings and struck out six in the Rangers' comeback victory over the Red Sox on Monday. … Giancarlo Stanton (calf) will re-start his rehab assignment Tuesday with High-A Tampa … Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Aaron Judge (oblique) could begin a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend. … Mike Trout hit a game-tying two-run homer in the seventh inning in the Angels' victory over the Dodgers on Monday. … Ji-Man Choi went 2-for-4 and hit a two-run homer Monday in the win over the A's. … Danny Santana went 4-for-5 with two doubles, and RBI and a run scored in the Rangers' win over the Red Sox on Monday in extra innings. … Matt Harvey has been pulled off his rehab assignment after suffering a setback with his ailing back.

Big Papi wounded by gunshot in Dominican Republic

 

 ‘‘He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting,’’ his father, Leo Ortiz, said. ‘‘Big Papi will be around for a long time.’

 Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was hospitalized Monday following surgery for a gunshot wound after being ambushed by a man in a bar in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said.

Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.

Ortiz’s father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn’t any collateral damage, meaning no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son.

‘‘He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting,’’ Leo Ortiz said. ‘‘Big Papi will be around for a long time.’’

The Boston Red Sox, in a statement early Monday, said they have been notified by Ortiz’s family that he sustained a gunshot wound to his ‘‘lower back/abdominal region’’ and that he is recovering after surgery.

The Red Sox said they offered the Ortiz family ‘‘all available resources to aid in his recovery’’ and they will continue to keep them in their hearts.

Peacock Strutting Twice

Sometimes you have to wait your turn. Astros starter Brad Peacock is making the most of his turn in the rotation this year.

The former top Nationals prospect had a breakout 2017 season as a swing-man for the Astros, but he was stuck in the bullpen last year due to Houston’s incredibly reliable starting five. Peacock got another shot to start this spring, and has run with the opportunity, particularly recently.

Over his last six starts, Peacock is 3-1 with a 1.32 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 41/11 K/BB in 34 innings. In the process, Peacock has lowered his ERA from 5.28 to 3.20, and he’s continued to fan more than one batter per inning for the third consecutive season.

An extreme flyball pitcher, Peacock is also faring well at keeping the ball in the park after some struggles in that department last season. Throwing a nearly identical number of innings so far (64.2) compared to his entire 2018 season (65), Peacock has allowed only five home runs vs. 11 home runs last season.

It’s still fair to have some anxiety about Peacock’s durability considering that he’s reached 150 innings only once in his pro career, and he last made 25 starts in 2013. Still, the recent health track record is relatively clean, and Peacock has provided quite a return for fantasy owners through the first two months of the season. With a favorable two-start week ahead (vs. Milwaukee and Toronto), there’s no reason to think the success will run out anytime soon.

Texas has been one of this year’s surprise teams, currently tied for the second AL Wild Card spot with Boston. They’ve managed despite a 5.01 ERA from their starting rotation, but they have some interesting pitchers emerging behind Mike Minor and Lance Lynn. One of them is Ariel Jurado, who has made three consecutive quality starts. Jurado was never considered a top prospect due to his inability to miss bats, but that hasn’t been as big of a weakness this year with his increased velocity. The sinkerballer has a viable 7.1 K/9 overall and 7.5 K/9 as a starter after posting a 5.6 K/9 over more than 300 innings at Double-A. It’s worth noting that Jurado also had nearly one strikeout per inning in four starts at Triple-A Nashville this year, so we’re now looking at improvement over a sample size of nearly 60 innings in 2019. With an outstanding 53 percent groundball rate and sub-2.0 BB/9 for his minor league career that has been nearly matched in Texas this year, Jurado is starting to look more and more like a fantasy option in deeper leagues.

Fantasy players have reason to be frustrated with Chris Archer, but it looks like he turned a corner over his last two starts. Archer has been streaky, to say the least, this year. He had a 2.74 ERA and 26/9 K/BB through his first four starts, followed by a 9.68 ERA and 14/15 K/BB over his next four starts, that included an IL stint. The control has returned over his last two outings, as Archer has allowed five runs in 13 innings with 13/4 K/BB against formidable opponents in Milwaukee and Atlanta. His velocity has also started to return after a very slow start to the season, showing average fastball velocity over the last two starts (94.5 mph) that is on par with his average velocity from last season. With another outing vs. Atlanta followed by a visit to Miami in his upcoming two-start week, Archer is worth adding if he was dropped in your league.
-It’s easy to overlook what happens in Baltimore these days, but John Means continues to provide fantasy value for those paying attention. The rookie lefty made a quality start at Texas this week, which is no easy feat, and has now allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts, including six straight. There’s reason to be skeptical that he can keep up his success the rest of the way with a .249 BABIP and extreme flyball rate at Camden Yards, along with a poor 6.3 K/9 as a starter. Still, he could be worth a flier with a two-start week coming up, including a matchup vs. an inept Blue Jays lineup.
-Atlanta has yet to announce who Dallas Keuchel will replace in the starting rotation. With lofty ERAs and recent struggles, it seems likely that either Kevin Gausman or Mike Foltynewicz will get a breather sooner than later. Keuchel is set to make a start at Triple-A tomorrow, and runs the risk of ruining the upcoming two-start week dockets of those Braves hurlers, at the very least.
-For the second time in three weeks, the Rockies have a full slate of games at Coors Field. Fantasy owners know what that means for their hitters and pitchers. For the latter, it’s worth noting that ace German Marquez has a 4.93 ERA in seven starts at Coors after posting a 4.74 ERA at home last season, making him a somewhat shaky two-start play if you don’t need his strikeouts. Similarly, it’s also a tough time to pick up and play young starter Peter Lambert despite his excellent MLB debut at Wrigley Field.

Going Twice…

Note: Probable pitchers as of Friday, June 7, and are subject to change.

American League

Chris Sale: TEX, @BAL
Charlie Morton: OAK, LAA
Jose Berrios: SEA, KC
Trevor Bauer: CIN, @DET
Brad Peacock: MIL, TOR
James Paxton: NYM, @CHW
Decent Plays
Mike Minor: @BOS, @CIN
Spencer Turnbull: @KC, CLE
Ariel Jurado: @BOS, @CIN
John Means: TOR, BOS
Felix Pena: LAD, @TB
Mike Leake: @MIN, @OAK

Trent Thornton, @BAL, @HOU
Jakob Junis: DET, @MIN
Dylan Covey: WAS, NYY

National League

Hyun-Jin Ryu: @LAA, CHC
Patrick Corbin: @CHW, ARI

Joe Musgrove: @ATL, @MIA
Jose Quintana: @COL, @LAD
Anibal Sanchez: @CHW, ARI
Chris Archer: @ATL, @MIA
German Marquez: CHC, SD
Jerad Eickhoff: ARI, @ATL
Dakota Hudson: @MIA, @NYM
Jason Vargas: @NYY, STL
Sandy Alcantara: STL, PIT
Jon Duplantier: @PHI, @WAS

Yu Darvish: @COL, @LAD
Mike Foltynewicz: PIT, PHI
Kevin Gausman: PIT, PHI
Peter Lambert: CHC, SD
Taylor Clarke: @PHI, @WAS

Streamer City

The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:

American League
Wednesday, June 12: Zach Plesac vs. CIN
Plesac has been great so far, and could be here to stay in the Cleveland rotation with Carlos Carrasco out for the foreseeable future. If Plesac is still available, this is a great time to claim him with a matchup vs. Cincinnati. The Reds are 24^th in OPS vs. right-handers (.708).
Wednesday, June 12: Daniel Norris @ KC
The Royals haven’t done well vs. southpaws this season, with a .643 OPS that puts them 28^th in MLB. Norris is having mixed results this season, but his 3.00 K/BB ratio does show potential.
Friday, June 14: Adam Plutko @ DET
Detroit has been the worst team in baseball vs. right-handed pitching, with a .655 OPS. Plutko has had limited major league success, but he had a 1.70 ERA in 14 starts at Triple-A last season and throws strikes. At this point, the Tigers almost resemble a Triple-A lineup.


National League
Monday, June 10: Michael Wacha @ MIA
Wacha is a big risk given how poorly he’s pitched this season, but this is as good an opportunity as any to get on track. Miami’s lineup has been one of the worst against right-handers this season (.657 OPS).
Tuesday, June 11: Cal Quantrill @ SF
Quantrill has had back-to-back solid outings, and has a solid chance to see the streak continue at San Francisco, who are producing a .673 OPS vs. right-handers.
Saturday, June 15: Chase Anderson @ SF

Total Games

American League
5: CLE, HOU
6: BAL, CHW, DET, KC, LAA, MIN, NYY, OAK, SEA, TOR
7: BOS, TB, TEX
National League
5: CIN, MIL, SF
6: LAD, MIA, NYM, PHI, SD, WAS
7: ARI, ATL, CHC, COL, PIT, STL

The Infirmary

Here’s some injuries to prominent players from the last week, and other players to watch for in the coming week.

Jeimer Candelario: Placed on IL (back)
Robinson Cano: Day-to-day (quadriceps)
Matt Carpenter: Day-to-day (knee)
Carlos Carrasco: Placed on IL (illness)
Jhoulys Chacin: Placed on IL (back)
Shin-Soo Choo: Day-to-day (hand)
Seranthony Dominguez: Status uncertain (elbow)
Joey Gallo: Placed on IL (oblique)
Gio Gonzalez: Placed on IL (arm)
Mitch Haniger: Day-to-day (leg)
Adam Jones: Day-to-day (hamstring)
Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Day-to-day (finger)
J.D. Martinez: Day-to-day (back)
Andrew McCutchen: Out for the season (knee)
Steve Pearce: Placed on IL (back)
Buster Posey: Placed on IL (hamstring)
Jefry Rodriguez: Placed on IL (back)
Pedro Severino: Day-to-day (head)
Dwight Smith Jr.: Placed on IL (concussion)
D.J. Stewart: Placed on IL (ankle)
Matt Strahm: Placed on IL (ribs)
Blake Swihart: Placed on IL (oblique)
Gleyber Torres: Day-to-day (shoulder)
Jonathan Villar: Day-to-day (thumb)

Jays topple Yankees

Nothing like a visit from the division-leading New York Yankees to cure what has ailed the Blue Jays, if even for one evening.
Ice-cold Toronto defied the odds in its first meeting of the season with the red-hot Bronx Bombers, rallying and then hanging on for a 4-3 win in front of 20,671 at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday night.

The Jays, losers of 24 of 31 contests entering the three-game series, used a fifth-inning offensive outburst to overcome a Yankees squad that had won 30 of its past 40 games despite being ravaged by injuries, including several to key players.
“Huge win. It’s just one game and tomorrow we play again, but any time you beat teams like that they’re big wins,” Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “You’ve got to play your A game and we did tonight.”

Freddy Galvis’ two-run homer highlighted a four-run fifth that began with a solo homer by Randal Grichuk and was book-ended by a two-out RBI single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
“Really nice win for everybody,” said Galvis, who also connected for a dazzling double play with second basemen Eric Sogard late in the game. “We do everything we need to do today to win the game and I hope we continue playing like that, like a team, and just keep winning games.”
Considering the pitching mismatches on deck, the rare Jays victory could offer some temporary reprieve if nothing else.
When Canadian James Paxton toes the rubber for the Yankees on Wednesday, going up against rookie Trent Thornton, it’ll be Paxton’s first game back here since no-hitting Toronto last May as a member of the Seattle Mariners.

As for Thursday? Well, let’s just say you might want to buckle up when former Jays all-star J.A. Happ takes on his old team, which will counter with none other than Edwin Jackson, who was torched for 10 runs in 2.1 innings last Friday in Colorado and carries a 13.22 ERA into the start.
On this night, Jays starter Clayton Richard gave his team a chance, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four and walking three through 4.2 innings for the no-decision.
Richard’s only major blemishes came in the fourth when Aaron Hicks doubled to open the inning and two batters later Clint Frazier turned on a fastball and parked his 11th homer of the campaign.
“It’s a lot better when we win. It’s a lot more fun,” said Richard, who has missed significant time due to injury this season. “Any time you go out and leave, in a close game, with the team in position to win it, it’s a better feeling.”
Hicks homered off Joe Biagini in the eighth to close to gap before closer Ken Giles came in to shut the door the rest of the way.

MAKE SOME NOISE, BOYS
How do you tune out the losing? With tunes, of course.
In a move instigated by manager Montoyo and supported by the Jays’ coaching staff, the team will throw out the unwritten rule that says no music can be played inside the clubhouse following a defeat.
It’s all in an effort to keep things light for the young, rebuilding Jays, who have had rare opportunity to celebrate wins this season.

“If we lose a game tonight, you might see quiet for five minutes and then you’re going to hear the music. Let’s move on. Let’s get ready for tomorrow,” Montoyo said pre-game. “Honestly, I don’t like seeing the quiet clubhouse. I get it. Being professional, it’s, ‘OK, we lost, let’s not have fun.’ But let’s move on.”
Montoyo said the idea to allow music following a loss should not be viewed as indicative of the players’ attitudes.
“We do care,” he assured of his squad, which entered Tuesday with the third-worst win percentage in MLB.

INJURY UPDATES
RHP Clay Buchholz (muscle strain) has begun a light strengthening program with no issues, RHP Ryan Borucki (elbow) is scheduled for a third bullpen session on Saturday, RHP David Phelps (Tommy John) is slated to throw one inning with single-A Dunedin on Wednesday, RHP John Axford (elbow) travelled to Florida and began throwing progression with light catch, OF Dalton Pompey (concussion) continues activity progression with no game play, INF Devon Travis (knee) will resume baseball activities once asymptomatic, INF Bo Bichette (hand) had three at-bats in extended spring training on Tuesday with no issues and RHP Jacob Waguespack (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a side session on Thursday and is expected to miss only one start.

CLEARING THE BASES
Guerrero on Tuesday was voted as Toronto’s player of the month for May after leading the team with 24 hits while batting .253 in his first full month as a big leaguer, including four doubles, six home runs and 12 RBI … LHP Tim Mayza was reinstated from the injured list and was activated for Tuesday’s game after being placed on the IL on May 26 with left ulnar neuritis.

Mad Max whiffs 15 Reds

You don’t earn a nickname like “Mad Max” by being docile.

You earn it mostly because Mel Gibson headlined a movie by the same name and the name Max is rare enough that when a guy is named Max it’s an easy layup. In the case of Scherzer, though, you also earn it because you’ve got a reputation for being fiery on the mound.

That fire was on display again Sunday when the right-hander shouted -- literally -- at Nationals manager Dave Martinez as Martinez approached the mound with two outs in the eighth inning. Scherzer had thrown 117 pitches and with Joey Votto stepping to the plate and a runner on second base, it was reasonable for Martinez to wonder whether his ace had reached the end of the line.

He had not.

Scherzer screamed “No!” as he saw Martinez making his way toward the mound, and after a short discussion he was allowed to stay in to face Votto. Three pitches later, Scherzer had his 15th strikeout of the afternoon, completing eight innings with just one run allowed.

“I wanted to hear it from him,” Martinez said. “We exchanged some non-professional words. I’d rather not say what they were, but I loved it. What can I say about Max, he’s the best.”

With the win, the 34-year-old improved to 3-5 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 117/18 K/BB ratio over 85 1/3 innings of work this year. The quality start was his eighth in a row, and his 15 strikeouts were a season high.

You can’t blame Scherzer for wanting the ball in that spot, either, after he’d been denied a win in each of his previous two outings despite allowing zero runs and one run, respectively. The Nationals’ bullpen woes are a national storyline as well, adding to the reluctance to hand the game over.

As the saying goes, if you want a job done right, well, sometimes you’ve got to do it yourself.

Nelson Set For 2019 Debut

Jimmy Nelson has had a long road back to the majors.

He’s getting the green light on Wednesday.

Nelson will be recalled to start for the Brewers on Wednesday in a matchup with the Marlins. He’ll take the spot of Jhoulys Chacin, who hit the injured list Sunday wtih a lower back strain.

For Nelson, it’s a day 21 months in the making. The right-hander suffered a partially torn labrum late in the 2017 season -- a breakout campaign for Nelson, in which he struck out 199 batters with a 3.49 ERA in 175 1/3 innings -- and missed all of 2018 as he recovered from the major surgery.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Nelson was “maybe ready last week” but that the timing works out so that he’ll be meeting a need of the team as well.

“I think we built a solid foundation for him, so he's ready to go," Counsell said. "Jimmy's was not the run-of-the-mill shoulder surgery. It has required some extra work. He has certainly put in the work. Credit to him for that. He has aced that part of it.

“It still took him longer than he would have liked. But that's the way it worked, and that's the way he healed. I don't think we've slow-played it all; I don't think we've rushed it at all. This is when he's ready to pitch. He's ready.”

In 24 innings of work at Triple-A San Antonio, the 29-year-old has a 3.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 29 strikeouts with 12 walks. Most recently, against Memphis on Wednesday, Nelson struck out seven and allowed only an unearned run over five innings of work.

Normally a wait-and-see approach would be advisable for a pitcher like Nelson making his first start in more than a year, but the Marlins, despite playing better in recent days, don’t offer much in the way of competition. Those looking for a spot to take a shot should consider rolling with the right-hander in his debut.

Giolito Finds Another Gem

The Lucas Giolito resurrection tour rolls on.

Presumed dead, metaphorically, as recently as last year, Giolito turned in another brilliant outing Sunday, blanking the Indians over 7 1/3 innings while striking out nine. The right-hander now owns a 14 1/3-inning scoreless streak to lower his ERA to 2.54.

“I feel pretty good,” he said after the outing. “(Sunday) was another good one. I’m doing a pretty good job of getting ahead of guys, filling up the zone (and) being aggressive in the strike zone.”

The 24-year-old was 5-0 with a 1.74 ERA in the month of May and started off June on a similar note, scattering five hits over his 7 1/3 innings. Despite his team’s record being a game below .500, Giolito is 8-1 overall.

It’s quite a departure from 2018, when the right-hander posted a 6.13 ERA in 32 starts. Of course, it wasn’t that long ago that Giolito was headlining the White Sox return for coveted outfielder Adam Eaton, so this star turn isn’t a complete shock, either.

“These last six or seven starts, he’s really been on the offensive and making the hitters feel like they have their backs against the wall,” catcher James McCann said. “When you’re locating stuff, it makes it a game of chess and you just make your move.”

National League Quick Hits: Fernando Tatis Jr. (hamstring) will begin his minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Amarillo on Monday. It's not yet known how many minor league rehab games he'll require before he's deemed ready to rejoin the Padres. The 20-year-old phenom was hitting .300/.360/.550 with six homers, 13 RBI and six stolen bases in his first 27 big league games before landing on the injured list on April 29. … X-rays revealed that Mike Moustakas has a fractured right ring finger. Moustakas suffered the injury after being hit in the right hand by a 101 mph fastball from Felipe Vazquez on Saturday. He will evidently avoid the injured list for now, though. We’ll see … Charlie Blackmon (calf) will not be activated from the injured list on Tuesday when he's first eligible. Blackmon is coming along nicely in his recovery from a strained right calf, but he will need a rehab assignment before returning to the Rockies' active roster. That rehab assignment seems like it will come soon, although the team hasn't revealed any plans. … Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Sunday that it's conceivable David Peralta (shoulder) could be activated from the injured list Monday. The skipper added that they will not rush the outfielder, so it doesn't sound like Monday is a given. Peralta has been on the shelf for the last couple weeks with AC joint inflammation in his right shoulder. … When asked Sunday whether Alex Reyes could rejoin the rotation next weekend, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Sunday that he "wouldn't rule it out." Reyes got knocked around in his Triple-A Memphis start on Sunday, muddying the waters, but it’s still possible he’s recalled for the weekend. Genesis Cabrera will start for the Cards on Tuesday and is spot will come up again next Sunday, but that outing could go to Reyes. The 24-year-old really struggled in a relief role earlier this season in St. Louis and has been up and down in the minors, but he's pitched well lately and his upside warrants a stash in fantasy leagues. … Phillies acquired OF/1B Jay Bruce from the Mariners for INF Jake Scheiner and cash considerations. The Mariners will receive around $18 million to cover the majority of the $21.6 million that's owed on Bruce's contract through the end of the 2020 season. The 32-year-old slugger will join his new club in San Diego on Monday where he's expected to see the bulk of the action in left field against right-handed pitching. With an improved supporting cast and home ballpark, his fantasy value gets a nice bump as long as he sees everyday at-bats. ... Rich Hill threw seven scoreless innings, striking out nine, as the Dodgers shut out the Phillies 8-0 on Sunday. He has yet to allow more than three earned runs in seven starts, owning a 2.25 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 46/9 K/BB ratio across 40 innings of work. … Nick Pivetta struck out nine while scattering three hits over six scoreless innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Dodgers. If you're inclined to pick him up off the scrap heap or try to buy low, now might be a good time. … Merrill Kelly struck out a career-high 10 batters over 7 2/3 innings, allowing a lone run, in the Diamondbacks' 7-1 win over the Mets on Sunday. It's been a bit of a roller coaster for the 30-year-old in his first go-round back in the States, and through 12 starts he owns a 4.41 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. He's an interesting player but a tough one to trust for fantasy purposes, and it's probably best to wait and see how he fares Saturday against the Blue Jays in Toronto before considering him as a possible pickup. … Nolan Arenado went 2-for-4 with a solo homer to power the Rockies to a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays on Sunday. Arenado wasted no time extending his hitting streak to 13 games with a single to left field in the opening frame. The 28-year-old third baseman has been one of the most consistent fantasy producers over the last decade and owns a surreal .345/.395/.638 triple-slash line with 47 runs scored and 52 RBI across 256 plate appearances this season. … Brandon Crawford went 2-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs in Sunday's 8-1 win over the Orioles. As nice as this performance might have been, it only serves as a temporary balm on what's been a trying campaign for the shortstop. Through 57 games played, Crawford is hitting just .214/.285/.333 with five home runs and 18 RBI. … Justin Turner (hamstring) is expected to return to the Dodgers' lineup Monday. Sunday was the fourth game in a row that he's missed with a right hamstring issue, but Turner is doing much better and poised to return Monday.

American League Quick Hits: Yankees activated LHP CC Sabathia from the 10-day injured list. Sabathia rejoined the rotation Sunday night against the Red Sox following a minimum IL stay due to a recurring left knee issue. He pitched well, too, striking out eight while allowing three runs over six innings of work. … Twins activated C Mitch Garver from the 10-day injured list. Garver missed two and a half weeks with a sprained left ankle but got through three rehab games with no issues. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Sunday’s win over the Rays. … Rays activated INF Yandy Diaz from the 10-day injured list. Diaz was still feeling some pain in his left hand while swinging a bat as of a couple days ago, but evidently he's well enough to give it a go. Nate Lowe was sent back down in a corresponding move. … Rangers placed OF Joey Gallo on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. Gallo tweaked his oblique during a plate appearance Saturday. The team hasn't revealed the grade of the strain, so it's unclear at this point how much time he might miss. It surely will be longer than a minimum stay on the injured list, though. Danny Santana should get the first shot to replace Gallo in center field. … Yoan Moncada is not in the White Sox' lineup due to leg soreness. Manager Rick Renteria didn't offer additional details other than to say it's not a serious injury. Jose Rondon covered third base Sunday. … Jake Odorizzi struck out nine across six scoreless innings in Sunday's 9-7 win over the Rays. With this one in the books, the right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.96 and his WHIP to 0.96. He owns a 70/21 K/BB ratio (64 1/3 innings) in addition. A road start against the Tigers shows next on Odorizzi's schedule as he looks to keep his charmed season going. … Adrian Sampson struck out a career-high 11 batters over seven innings of one-run ball in a win over the Royals on Sunday. Sampson easily eclipsed his previous career-high of six strikeouts, a feat he had accomplished twice in his 19 appearances (10 starts) since 2016. He'll carry a 4.14 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 46/13 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Athletics on Saturday. He's worthy of a speculative pickup in deeper formats, but he needs to sustain these recent gains in the strikeout department to be a viable mixed league asset moving forward. … Myles Straw had a big day Sunday, finishing 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and three runs scored to help the Astros edge the Athletics 6-4 in 12 innings. The 24-year-old has speed to burn and could put it to use if given some regular playing time, but that's a tall order on a loaded Astros club, and it's hard to see him getting to the point of being fantasy relevant outside of AL-only leagues at the moment.

Speed KIlls

Who's this guy ?

 Chicks dig the long ball.

 Fantasy players? Meh.

With homers as prevalent as they are these days, a much more appealing trait has emerged: speed. Chicks may dig the long ball, but speed, well, speed kills. 

As homers have gone up, stolen bases have gone the other direction in recent years. Last year’s 2,474 stolen bases was the lowest single-season total since the league expanded to 30 teams. The next three? The 2015, 2017 and 2016 seasons, respectively.

This season is trending in a similar direction. Heading into the weekend, the league was averaging 0.47 stolen bases per game. The 2018 average was 0.51 steals per game.

And yet, few fantasy leagues, if any, have changed their formats to lessen the value of the steal. As a result, as steals become more finite, guys who can steal bases and contribute to a fantasy team in other areas become more valuable.

With the help of Statcast’s sprint speed leaderboard, let’s see what we can make of some players’ ability to run fast.

Tim Locastro ( the guy in the photo above )

As expected, the fastest runner tracked by Statcast this year has been Billy Hamilton Adalberto Mondesi Whit Merrifield seriously just name a Royals player … Tim Locastro? Locastro, a 13th-round pick of the Blue Jays in 2013 who’s been traded three times -- twice for guys nobody has heard of, and once for international bonus slot money -- is getting a look in the Diamondbacks outfield and has stolen four bases in 19 games this year, thanks in large part to a sprint speed of 30.5 feet per second. That’s ahead of guys like Terrance Gore, Byron Buxton, Trea Turner and the aforementioned Mondesi. Locastro has always had speed to burn and, unlike some of his speedy peers, he’s also a decent hitter, owning a .293/.378/.417 line across seven minor league seasons. With David Peralta still sidelined with a shoulder injury, the 26-year-old Locastro should continue to get some run in the D’backs outfield, and run he can.

Trevor Story

Even after Story broke out to steal 27 bases in 2018, doubters remained. The skepticism was, on its face, fair -- he stole just seven bases in 145 games in 2017 and was just 8-for-13 in his rookie year in 2016 -- but a closer look reveals that the shortstop has long been one of the fastest players in the game. To wit, his sprint speed ranks since his 2016 debut: 14th in 2016; 26th in 2017; 15th in 2018. This year, it’s more of the same, as Story is being clocked as the 19th-fastest player in the league. That’s faster than rabbits like Mallex Smith, Greg Allen and Jarrod Dyson. It’s showing up in the scorebook, too, as Story has 10 stolen bases to show for it. His power, especially in a place like Coors Field where it’s magnified, will likely always be his calling card, but the 26-year-old is proving that he’s much more of a five-tool player than most believe.

Yadier Molina

Molina is currently shelved with a thumb injury, but when he’s on the field he’s not the fleetest of foot. That’s being kind -- the backstop is in the second percentile in sprint speed. Where Locastro runs 30.5 feet per second, Molina hoofs it at a snail-like 22.8 feet per second, good for 409th in the majors. And yet, the 36-year-old is one of the most prolific base-stealers at his position year in and year out. All time, Molina is tied for 44th among catchers with 64 stolen bases, and his four swipes lead all catchers this season. More than JT Realmuto. More than Jorge Alfaro. More than anyone. The plodding veteran is a good reminder that there’s more to stealing bases than running fast, even if this list serves to highlight a handful of guys at the other end of the spectrum.

Avisail Garcia

Those paying attention to the Rays this year (insert tired attendance joke here) have perhaps noticed an odd name atop their lineup on occasion -- Garcia’s. Not known for his speed, the 27-year-old has batted leadoff in four games this year, with good results: he’s hit .438/.471/1.063 in 17 plate appearances. And while none of his six steals have come from the leadoff position, the designation speaks to both Garcia’s sneaky speed and Rays manager Kevin Cash’s belief in it. That Garcia can run is nothing new; his 28.7 feet per second is actually slightly lower than in years past. The difference this year is that, so far at least, he’s been able to cash in on it. The outfielder/designated hitter’s six steals are one shy of his single-season high, and he’s never swiped double-digit bags in a season. He seems on track to hit that mark this year, and could even approach 20 if he continues to push (his eight attempts in 47 games this year also puts him on pace to set a career high for attempts). Factor in that he’s hitting .301/.363/.522 with 10 homers at the dish and it could be a year to remember for Garcia.

Nick Senzel

In the same vein as Garcia, as a prospect, Senzel was better known as a hitter than as a runner. Upon his arrival in the majors, though, the story quickly became about his speed, too, as Senzel stole five bases in his first 16 games. He hasn’t swiped any more since then, but the barrage didn’t come out of nowhere -- his sprint speed of 28.9 feet per second is in the 92nd percentile among major leaguers. Reds manager David Bell was quick to insert Senzel into the leadoff spot, playing him there in 22 of his first 26 games, a move that has also helped with his counting stats. Batting .276/.341/.466 with four homers and five steals to date, the 23-year-old has become a dual threat quicker than some might have imagined. That’s a great thing for fantasy players who got in early on the top prospect.

Jose Ramirez

Ramirez’s 14 steals are third-most in the majors, not a surprising fact after he stole 34 bases in 2018. A more surprising statistic? In terms of sprint speed, J-Ram is perfectly average, the 224th-fastest player in the majors. Like Molina, Ramirez, who is 14-for-16 this year, gets by on more than just athleticism, but unlike Molina, the 26-year-old does have some skills to pair with the smarts. He’s needed it to help him stay afloat, fantasy-wise, amidst an otherwise dreadful start to the year, batting .209/.311/.318 with four homers through Friday’s games. That he gets on base at a decent clip despite his struggles only serves to give him more chances at making an impact on the base-paths, and when the bat does come around -- assuming it will -- that’s a lot of opportunity to run. Fantasy players disheartened with their first-round pick can at least take solace in the fact that he’s doing something well.

It's raining taters

Vladimir Guerrero broke a home run record on Friday. He may break a lot of records for his personal exploits during his career but this one was a league-wide effort. MLB teams combined to hit 1,135 home runs in the month of May, which broke an all-time record for the most longballs in any month of any season in baseball history. The previous record was 1,119 homers in August of 2017. Guerrero's home run in Coors Field on Friday was the 1,120th dinger of the month around baseball. 15 more homers were hit later in the evening and a total of 40 balls left the yard on the day.

Three players hit 12 home runs in the month -- Josh Bell, Alex Bregman and Derek Dietrich. Bell had 94 total bases in May, which is the first time anyone has done that since Willie Mays in 1958. Dietrich accomplished the feat in only 69 at-bats. He ranks fifth in the majors with 17 homers in just 123 at-bats this year as a part-time player.

The record for home runs in a season is 6,105 in 2017.  So far this season there have been 2,279 home runs hit, which puts the league on a pace for 6,395 dongs this year. There is plenty of evidence the baseball is juiced this year but the home run binge is not a recent phenomenon and there are many reasons for it. Home runs levels have been growing for decades and were reaching record levels even before the new baseballs hit the field.

 Sabermetrics has shown that the best way to win a baseball game is to hit home runs, so teams are instructing their players to adjust their launch angles to improve their chances of going deep. Gone are the days of "small ball" -- putting the ball in play and spraying the ball to all fields. This is the epoch of "grip it and rip it" to the pull side. Players are bigger and stronger than ever before. Pitch velocities are up, which leads to higher exit velocities off the bat. All these factors create a perfect storm for increased power.

From a fantasy perspective there are two philosophies for dealing with the home run binge. Some owners feel like they don't have to invest so heavily in the best home run hitters because it is possible to find plenty of dingers in cheaper players later in the draft and even off the waiver wire during the season. When there are dozens of players putting up big home run numbers (48 players hit 25 or more bombs last year) why pay big prices to get sluggers like Khris Davis, who lead the majors with 48 dingers last year? Or Joey Gallo, who cracked 40 bombs but had a .206 batting average? On the other hand, if you don't invest early and often in sluggers you could find your team deeply buried in the power categories by the teams who do grab those players. As always in fantasy baseball, balancing categories to maximize point totals is key and you can't afford to fall too far behind in any category if you want to win the championship.

Storybook Season in Progress

Trevor Story bolstered his MVP-caliber stats by going 3-for-4 with two homers, seven RBI and four runs scored as the Rockies topped the Blue Jays 13-6 on Friday. He blasted a two-run bomb off Blue Jays starter Edwin Jackson, who was rocked for 10 runs in the game. Story then cracked another two-run shot off reliever Sam Gaviglio in the seventh frame. Story has 10 hits, including six for extra bases, in his last three games, and his OPS stands at .923 on the season. He is slashing .294/.362/.561 with 15 home runs and 42 RBI. He leads the major leagues with 52 runs scored. He has stolen 10 bases as well. Story is ranked number three overall on the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball player rankings, behind only Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich. Story ranks ahead of Josh Bell and teammate Nolan Arenado, both of whom have hit the ball slightly better but they don't steal bases, which leaves them looking up at the top three players. Story is just 26 years old and has already proven himself to be one of the most consistent all-around fantasy studs in the league.

Goodrum Has Best Game of Career

Niko Goodrum hasn't proven much of anything yet in his career but he had a monster day at the dish on Friday, going 5-for-5 with two home runs, four runs scored and three RBI as the Tigers topped the Braves 8-2 in Atlanta. He slugged a solo home run off of Mike Foltynewicz in the third inning, drove in a run with a single in the fifth, and added another solo tater off Josh Tomlin in the eighth. He also doubled in the ballgame. That is a powerful day at the plate for a leadoff hitter. It was the first five-hit game of his three-year career. The great game boosted his line to .230/.316/.399 with six home runs, 17 RBI, 29 runs and four stolen bases in 50 games. He is just 17%-owned in Yahoo leagues. His track record shows a guy with some power and speed who strikes out a lot and struggles to hit for average. Given that he is widely available in most leagues he makes for a good pickup to replace an injured player in fantasy lineups

Bruce Hits Number 300

Jay Bruce connected for the 300th home run of his career on Friday against the Angels. He drilled it to straight-away center field over the head of Mike Trout in the seventh inning. Bruce is the 148th player in major league history to hit 300 home runs. He is currently tied with Hall of Famer Chuck Klein and needs one more to tie Rogers Hornsby. Bruce ranks ninth among all active players -- Albert Pujols is first with 642 and is followed by Miguel Cabrera with 467. Giancarlo Stanton is eighth with 305 taters and Bruce could catch him while he is on the injured list with multiple ailments. Bruce is only 32 years old and has a realistic shot of reaching the 400-homer plateau before he retires. Only 55 players have ever hit 400 home runs and only two of them are active.

NL Quick Hits: Joey Votto went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored Friday against the Nationals. Votto has 13 hits in his last five games and seems to be coming out of his season-long slump... Christian Walker went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk, and two runs scored in a loss to the Diamondbacks. He's homered in back-to-back games and seems to be coming out of his deep slump as well... Yu Darvish spun six innings of one-run ball against the Cardinals. His ERA improved to 5.02 on the season. He is trending in the right direction and is back to being a worthy fantasy option... Miles Mikolas was handed a no-decision despite allowing just one run in seven innings against the Cubs. He has pitched well of late after a poor early portion of the season... German Marquez moved to 6-2 by limiting the Blue Jays to two runs over seven innings... Raimel Tapia went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and four runs scored against the Blue Jays... The Diamondbacks announced that Luke Weaver was diagnosed with a a mild right flexor pronator strain and a mild right UCL sprain. He won't need Tommy John surgery but he is still going to miss a lot of time. He was the key piece of Ariona's return in the Paul Goldschmidt trade... Patrick Corbin was rocked for eight runs (six earned) over just 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the Reds. He ERA climbed to 3.46 on the season... Reds catcher Curt Casali went 3-for-4 with a homer, four RBI, and two runs scored against the Nationals... Juan Soto finished 3-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored in a loss to the Reds... Starling Marte went 3-for-5 and scored three runs against the Brewers... Kevin Newman went 2-for-5 and drove in a pair of runs. He is slashing .341/.398/.471 in 85 at-bats... Mike Yastrzemski went 2-for-4 with his first major league homer and two runs scored against the Orioles... Chris Archer got a win against the Brewers, letting in four runs in seven innings. He owns a disappointing 5.66 ERA and 1.47 WHIP to go with his 2-5 record on the season... Jhoulys Chacin gave up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Pirates. He has a 5.74 ERA and 1.48 WHIP on the season... Mike Foltynewicz gave up five runs on seven hits over his five innings in a loss to the Tigers. He has a 6.10 ERA and 1.28 WHIP on the season... Rockies optioned LHP Kyle Freeland to Triple-A Albuquerque. He finished fourth in the Cy Young voting last year. He is 2-6 with a 7.13 ERA in 12 starts...

AL Quick Hits: Trevor Bauer surrendered six runs — two earned — over seven innings in a loss to the White Sox. He falls to 4-5 with a 3.87 ERA in 13 starts... Dylan Covey shut down the Indians with six innings of one-run ball. It was his first win of the season to go with a 4.73 ERA... Edwin Jackson was slammed for 10 runs in 2 1/3 innings by the Rockies at Coors Field... He has a 13.22 ERA in his four starts with the Blue Jays... Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3-for-4 with a homer and a walk against the Rockies... Joey Gallo smoked a go-ahead grand slam in Friday’s 6-2 victory over the Royals... Adalberto Mondesi went 1-for-3 with a single, a walk, and two stolen bases Friday against the Rangers. Mondesi is now up to 20 steals on the year to lead the majors... Miguel Cabrera will undergo an MRI on his injured right knee on Saturday... Andrew Cashner walked away with the victory despite yielding six runs over five innings against the Giants... Dwight Smith Jr. slugged a grand slam against the Giants... Chris Sale struck out 10 batters while allowing four runs over six innings in a loss to the Yankees. Boston’s big-money ace now sits at 1-7 with a 4.35 ERA through 12 starts... J.A. Happ tossed five innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 victory over the Red Sox...