RADIO
He’s Baaaaaack
Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton was responsible for every ounce of offense the team could muster on Monday. Stanton rocked a two-run moon-shot to left off Patrick Corbin in the seventh to tie the game at two apiece, and then hit his second bomb of the game off closer Heath Bell. The second would prove to be the game winner as Steve Cishek closed out the 3-2 victory for the Fish. In seven games since returning from the DL with a hamstring strain, Stanton has three multi-hit performances and four multi-RBI games, during which he's clubbed 4 homers and 10 RBI. He’s batting an absurd .393/.433/.929 in June and now owns 7 HR and 19 RBI over just 103 at-bats. I think it’s safe to say he’s back. It’s also safe to say that opposing teams have little reason to keep pitching to him. The Marlins will need to add Jake Marisnick and Christian Yelich soon to protect their superstar.
Injury Woes
Anibal Sanchez was placed on the DL with shoulder stiffness, a tough break for the rising star. Sanchez has enjoyed the best start to his career with a 2.76 ERA and 101 strikeouts over 81.2 innings. Hopefully the stink on the DL will give him all the rest he needs. His innings may be watched a bit more closely going forward. Jose Alvarez will slide into the rotation for now. Alvarez is a bit perplexing, as he recently became a strikeout pitcher after a couple of poor seasons in the minors. He’s worth a look as a streamer. Mark Teixeira could be facing a DL stint for his ailing wrist, and season-ending surgery is a definite possibility if the problem persists. Teix was just hitting .150 since his activation, and he'll be replaced by Lyle Overbay at first base. Overbay is a definite add for Teixeira owners needing a handcuff. Joe Girardi stated that Overbay will receive most starts, even versus left-handed-pitching.
Save the Date
Joe Nathan closed out his 21st save of the year; Edward Mujica is a perfect 20-for-20 in save chances after closing out the Cubs Monday; Addison Reed notched his 20th; roldis Chapman fired triple-digit heat en route to his 18th save for the Reds; Greg Holland has been a save machine of late-- he allowed a homer on his way to number 15; Casey Janssen finished off the Rockies for his 15th save; Huston Street collected number 14, shutting down the Giants; Steve Cishek held strong for the Marlins in their comeback win with his 10th save; and Drew Smyly got the odd-ball three-inning save for his second of the year for the Tigers.
AL Hot Shots
- Nelson Cruz has the boomstick working as he belted two homers on Monday, his 17th and 18th on the year.
- Max Scherzer tallied his 10th win of the season, improving to 10-0 with a 10-strikeout performance on Monday. He’s the first starting pitcher to start 10-0 since The Rocket did so for the Blue Jays in 1997.
- Miguel Cabrera hit his 19th homer in a 3-for-4 effort as the Tigers pounced on the Orioles.
- Chris Davis would account for the lone Oriole run with his league-leading 24th home run.
- James Shields was great, only to be left without the decision yet again. The Royals would go on to win, but for Shields he has to be wondering what he has to do to get a win. He threw six innings of one-run ball and has not earned a W since he April 30th.
- Jose Reyes was 2-for-3 with two runs scored in his rehab start Monday for High-A Dunedin; he also logged five innings at short stop.
- Josh Johnson struck out 10 over 7.1 scoreless innings in a win over the Rockies. It seems as though the blister is no longer an issue.
- Nick Franklin smacked a two-run homer for the M’s. Franklin has held his own in 67 at-bats, hitting .298 with 7 runs scored, 3 HR, 6 RBI and 2 SB.
- Alex Avila was placed on the DL with a deep contusion after being beaned over the weekend. He has largely underperformed and Bryan Pena may actually represent an offensive boost for Detrioit.
- A.J. Peirzynski blasted a 2-run homer and is batting .357 in the month of June.
NL Hot Shots
- Shelby Miller was cruising until a calf cramp forced him from the game. He had struck out five over five scoreless innings. The move was merely precautionary and he should be fine for his next start.
- Zack Wheeler will make his major-league debut for the Mets on Tuesday.
- Ryan Howard was 3-for-3 with a homer on Monday and Domonic Brown hit a walk-off RBI single to propel the Phillies over the Nationals.
- Alex Wood will make his first major league start for the Braves in a day-night doubleheader Tuesday.
- Dillon Gee was spectacular yet again but was a tough-luck loser. He struck out six and held the Braves scoreless until the bottom of the ninth when Freddie Freeman stroked a 2-run walk off homer. Gee has been excellent in his last four starts.
- Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Todd Frazier and Zack Cozart all went yard for the Reds. All were solo shots in support of Mike Leake, who was stellar yet again twirling seven innings of one-run ball improving to 7-3. Leake has only allowed six earned runs over his last seven starts to lower his ERA to 2.64. Tony Cingrani will remain with the club as a reliever.
- Roy Oswalt is expected to join the Rockies on Wednesday or Thursday. Oswalt has been clocked at 94-95 with his heater in his minor league starts. Lucas Duda started at first base for the Mets and delivered a 4-for-4 performance.
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Follow Shawn Caswell on Twitter, or don’t: @CasKnowsRoto
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