Shohei Ohtani had the baseball world buzzing on Friday after announcing on Instagram that he will be participating in the 2021 Home Run Derby in Colorado on July 12. Ohtani became the first player in baseball to commit to the event. If this hype video didn’t get fans excited enough, he delivered a preview with a derby of his own, crushing his 20th and 21st homers against the Tigers on Friday night in Anaheim. The first homer was a 114.3 mile per hour laser of a line drive that cleared the right-field wall. Just to show off, he went the opposite way for his second homer in the eighth inning. And all this coming one day after delivering six innings of one-run ball on the mound to earn the win on Thursday. Ohtani joined Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the 20-homer club. Will his fellow young superstars follow him? Regardless, Ohtani launching baseballs in Coors Field is going to be must-watch television.
The 26-year-old two-way star is having an incredible season both at the plate and on the mound. Ohtani is slashing .273/.355/.636 with 21 homers, 50 RBI, and ten stolen bases over 262 plate appearances. On the bump, he’s posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 73 strikeouts over 53 1/3 innings. Ohtani was limited to just 1 2/3 innings last season after recovering from Tommy John surgery that took place in 2018. While he was able to hit for the Angels last season, the effects carried over at the plate. He hit just .190 with seven homers over 175 plate appearances. With another year of recovery, Ohtani is back and better than ever. His 24.1 percent barrel rate leads all of baseball among qualified hitters by a three percent margin over Fernando Tatis Jr. It’s just incredible what Ohtani is doing. The stage is set for a fun evening in Colorado on July 12. Are you ready for the Sho?
Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Trevor Bauer – 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K vs Diamondbacks
Bauer got back on track with an excellent outing against the Diamondbacks after giving up at least three runs in each of his last three outings. The 30-year-old right-hander tossed 71-of-115 pitches for strikes, scattering three hits and three walks while keeping Arizona off the board. He’ll take an excellent 2.45 ERA into his next start against the Padres in San Diego next week.
Luis Garcia – 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 B, 8 K vs White Sox
This one was quite the pitching duel. Garcia gave up just one run to the White Sox despite allowing seven hits on the day and walking two batters. The one run would score in the first inning on an RBI single by Jose Abreu. The 24-year-old right-hander settled in to go six more scoreless innings. Garcia has been impressive in his rookie campaign, posting a 2.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 80 strikeouts over 70 1/3 innings. He’ll take on the Tigers in Detroit his next time out.
Carlos Rodon – 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K vs Astros
On the mound for the White Sox was Rodon, who might have had the more impressive outing. He held the Astros to just one run on three hits while issuing three free passes with eight strikeouts over seven frames. One of those walks would score the only run against him. Rodon threw four consecutive balls to Martin Maldonado in the fifth inning with the bases loaded. The 28-year-old southpaw has been ace-like, recording a 1.83 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 105 strikeouts over 73 2/3 innings on the year. He’s in line for a nice matchup against the Mariners in Chicago next week.
Hitters with an EDGE
Cesar Hernandez — 3-for-5, HR, 1 R, 5 RBI vs Pirates
In a game that ended with a final score of 11-10, Cleveland didn’t score their first run until Hernandez singled in the sixth to bring Bradley Zimmer across the plate. Down by ten runs going into the seventh inning, Hernandez brought Cleveland to within four with a grand slam to center-field off Sam Howard. It was the first five-RBI game of his career.
Cedric Mullins — 3-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI vs Blue Jays
Mullins had himself quite the game at the plate on Friday against the Blue Jays, going yard twice and driving in four runs. The first homer came in the first inning off of Robbie Ray to get the scoring started. With two runners on in the eighth, Mullins delivered three insurance runs with a blast to right field off of Jeremy Beasley. The 26-year-old outfielder has officially broken out to a .322/.395/.540 triple-slash with 11 homers and 12 stolen bases over 261 at-bats.
Adam Duvall — 3-for-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI, BB vs Cubs
Duvall broke the game open with a grand slam off of Zach Davies in the third inning. He added a base hit and scored on a homer by Jon Berti in the sixth, then launched his second homer of the game in the seventh off of Dan Winkler to score two more runs. The 32-year-old outfielder is up to 14 homers with 48 RBI and four stolen bases. Though it comes with a .215 batting average.
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Priority Pickup
Joey Votto – 1B, Cincinnati Reds (available in 71 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Votto is 10-for-39 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and eight walks to 12 strikeouts since his return from the injured list on June 8. The 37-year-old first baseman may not be the MVP-caliber hitter he once was, but he’s still posting a solid 11.6 percent walk rate and hitting the ball harder than ever. In fact, the quality of contact he’s made gives him a .274 expected batting average that sits in the top 76th percentile in baseball. Both his 50 percent hard-hit rate and 11.3 percent barrel rate would be career-highs. Hitting fifth the Reds, Votto could be a decent source of power and run production for fantasy managers from a corner infield spot in mixed leagues.
Closing Time
Greg Holland pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout against the Red Sox on Friday to earn his fourth save of the season. It was Holland’s first save since May 30. It’s hard to know who the primary option for saves will be in Kansas City going forward. Josh Staumont and Scott Barlow remain in the mix.
Lou Trivino walked one batter in a scoreless ninth inning against the Yankees on Friday to record the save. It was his 12th save of the season for the A’s as it appears he’s taken the lead as the main guy in Oakland.
Richard Rodriguez put a stop to the Cleveland comeback on Friday as he preserved a one-run lead in the ninth for the Pirates to earn the save. It was his eighth save of the season. Rodriguez could be on the move to a contender by the trade deadline.
Kenley Jansen tossed a scoreless ninth inning to protect a three-run lead and earn the save against the Diamondbacks on Friday. It was the 17th save of the season for the 33-year-old veteran right-hander. He holds a 1.57 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts over 28 2/3 innings.
Tyler Duffey was called on to preserve a three-run lead in the tenth inning after the Twins took the lead in extra innings. Duffey allowed a base hit to Joey Gallo with one out to score a run. A single by Nick Solak put two runners on before Duffey ended the threat with a line out by Willie Calhoun and a called-third strike to Eli White to end the game.
Jake McGee locked down his 14th save of the season on Friday against the Phillies. He worked around a hit by Andrew McCutchen to hold the Phillies scoreless in the ninth inning. McGee has alternated save chances with Tyler Rogers as neither has been named the team’s primary closer.
Matchup of the Day
Lance Lynn (7-2, 1.51) vs Framber Valdez (3-0, 1.42)
Saturday brings us the second game of a three-game set between the White Sox and Astros. Both teams are leading their divisions and are essentially locks to make the playoffs. Chicago has a team ERA of 3.26, the fifth-best in baseball. Lance Lynn is a major part of that with his 1.51 ERA over 71 2/3 innings. On the other side, Framber Valdez broke out to a 3.57 ERA with 76 strikeouts over 70 2/3 innings last season. He’s off to a great start after missing the beginning of the season with a broken finger on his pitching hand. Valdez has pitched at least seven innings in each of his last three starts, giving up just one run in each game. Both will have their hands full with excellent lineups in what should be a good matchup.
American League Quick Hits: Jose Ramirez left Friday’s game after being hit by a pitch … Chris Sale The Orioles designated Chance Sisco for assignment … Tyler Glasnow will be shut down for four weeks while receiving treatment … The Mariners placed Justin Dunn on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation … Kyle Lewis was transferred to the 60-day injured list … Matthew Boyd will be shut down until after the All-Star break … David Dahl will begin a minor league rehab assignment … Bruce Zimmermann was placed on the 10-day injured list with left biceps tendinitis … The Orioles purchased the contract of Thomas Eshelman … The Rangers claimed Shaun Anderson off waivers from the Twins … Tyson Miller was designated for assignment … The Mariners signed Alen Hanson to a minor league deal … The Mariners called up Vinny Nittoli … Grayson Greiner was optioned to Triple-A … The Royals purchased the contract of Anthony Swarzak … The Blue Jays optioned T.J. Zeuch to Triple-A … Anthony Kay was recalled from Triple-A … Seattle recalled Yohan Ramirez from Triple-A … Jose Godoy was optioned to Triple-A
National League Quick Hits: Jacob deGrom threw a bullpen session on Friday … Bryce Harper returned to the Phillies starting lineup on Friday … Max Scherzer did some throwing off flat ground on Friday … Starlin Castro was activated from the restricted list … Kolten Wong was activated from the injured list … Brandon Nimmo is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment next week … Austin Voth was activated from the 10-day injured list … Andrew Stevenson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique … Cody Poteet was activated from the injured list and started Friday’s game for the Marlins … Isan Diaz and Lewis Brinson were optioned to Triple-A … Ryne Harper was optioned to Triple-A … Rogelio Armenteros was sent to Triple-A … The Braves signed Tyler Ferguson to a minor league deal … The Padres purchased the contract of Daniel Camarena from Triple-A … Albert Almora is expected to be activated from the injured list on Saturday … The Brewers purchased the contract of Zack Godley from Triple-A … Pablo Reyes was optioned to Triple-A … Jake Hager was designated for assignment … The Diamondbacks purchased the contract of Noe Ramirez … Keury Mella was designated for assignment