Hisashi Iwakuma
Iwakuma bounced back nicely from a rough last outing, nearly tossing a complete game shutout against the Twins on Sunday. Iwakuma's final line read: 8.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, with the lone run coming on a Brian Dozier home run with one out in the ninth innings. Iwakuma had only allowed one hit through his first eight innings, and was very unlucky to not get the win on Sunday. Iwakuma has had four good outings to just two bad ones since his return from the DL, and while he still seems to be rounding into his pre-2015 form, Sunday's game was a good sign. The eight strikeouts were a season-high for Iwakuma, and while he won't get to face the Twins lackluster (especially of late) offense every game, he has at least five strikeouts each of his last five starts, three of which have been quality starts, and one of which was an out away from a quality start. Iwakuma's FIP (4.74) and xFIP (3.37) sit on either side of his actual ERA (4.47), but that is more due to a small sample size from a lot of time missed to injury. Using previous seasons as a more accurate barometer, Iwakuma should be owned again, and should be a productive pitcher down the stretch for his owners.
Xander Bogaerts
Bogaerts continued his bout of recent fantasy production on Sunday, going just 1-for-4 from the plate, but with two runs and a steal for the value. This is just one day after Bogaerts went 4-for-5 with three RBI, and he now has ten straight games with at least a run, hit, or RBI. In that stretch he has four (four!) games with at least three hits, and a pair of four-hit games. Bogaerts is hitting .319 on the season, and although he is slugging just .415, considering he is just 22 years old he definitely has some time to grow into a bit more power. The only worrisome fact about Bogaerts is his .372 BABIP, which could put a bit of a dent in his batting average the rest of the season, and given how much Bogaerts has relied on his average for value this season (he has just three home runs and seven steals), a regression would severely cut into his value. In keeper leagues don't dare think about moving Bogaerts, but in one-year leagues if you're making a push, and have a Red Sox fan or a fan of young players you might want to capitalize on the flashy batting average and sell (a bit) high before the league trade deadline.
Martin Perez
Perez's start on Sunday couldn't have gone different than the last time he was out on the mound and got lit up for eight runs in just an inning plus. On Sunday, Perez went 8.1 innings, allowing just two hits and one run, while striking out six to zero walks - that's about as good as it gets. He got the win, which is his first of the season. The game came against the Giants, no collection of cream puffs, and with the strong outing, plus his solid (although not flashy) reputation from seasons past, Perez should be drawing interest in AL-only leagues. Perez has only made four starts on the season, but three have been serviceable, and Sunday's was dominant. Perez's FIP (3.04) albeit possibly small-sample size-affected, is another good sign, and with an appearance against Seattle in his next start, he should be a good streaming option when the time comes to it. If he performs against Seattle keep him on board moving forward as the Ranger 24-year old has some decent potential for the remainder of the season.
Daily Fantasy Leagues
Colby Lewis
Picking out options for daily leagues feels like a crap shoot a lot of the time, as any good baseball fan will tell you that in a sport that prides itself on its 162-game season, one game is a stupid small sample size. That being said, Colby Lewis looks (looks) like he should be a lock for your lineup tomorrow. Lewis has been very strong in his last four starts, collecting three wins on four quality starts, with just nine runs allowed in 28 innings, with 26 strikeouts in those four starts. He goes up against the decent-hitting, but very strikeout-prone Astros on Monday, and the price is right ($7,700). With a bargain like Lewis, you can load up on hitting studs, or grab an ace to pair with him (David Price in his Blue Jay debut against the Twins is mighty intriguing), and ride the selection to victory.
DraftKings: $7,700
Nelson Cruz
This summary could really stop at: "Nelson Cruz goes to Coors," but here at Fantistics we like to be a little more in-depth than that. Cruz is also one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now, with home runs in three straight games, five home runs in his last eight games, and eight home runs in his past 13 games. He has seven multi-hit games in his last 12 games, and is hitting .316. With the Rockies as the opponent, you also get the added bonus of knowing Cruz will be facing a bad pitcher, with Eddie Butler being the victim on Monday. Butler has a 4.82 ERA, specifically a 5.96 ERA in his not-so-friendly home Coors Field. Spend the money to get Cruz on Monday.
DraftKings: $5,900
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