Ender Inciarte (ATL) - Ender Inciarte reached base an incredible 6 times on Sunday when he went 5-for-5 with his 6th homerun and 4 singles. He also reached via a walk to raise his slash line from .284/.332/.397 to .299/.348/.423. Inciarte is currently on pace to be a near .300 hitter with 15 homeruns and 30 stolen bases, which would be good enough to put him in the 3rd or 4th round of fantasy drafts next year. His 86% contact rate, strong 14% strikeout rate, solid 7% walk rate and 36% opposite field rate all help to support his batting average and speed component. That sound you hear is the Arizona Diamondbacks' brass cursing Shelby Miller's name.
Odubel Herrera (PHI) - Despite the seemingly difficult matchup against the left-handed Matt Moore, the left-handed hitting Odubel Herrera went 3-for-4 with 3 extra base hits. Herrera has actually been quite strong against left-handed pitching this season, posting a .330 wOBA compared with just .235 against right-handers. The struggles against right handed pitching is largely what's causing Herrera's overall numbers to scuffle this season and they remain concerning. Herrera's swinging strike rate is up to 14%, his contact rate has fallen to 73% and his hard hit rate remains below league average at 29.9%. Furthermore, he's just 4-for-7 on the basepaths this year. He's currently on pace for just 12 homeruns and 12 stolen bases and a slash line of .234/.276/.373. Unless he can figure out his struggles against right-handed pitching, he's going to be waiver wire fodder.
Zach Cozart (CIN) - Zach Cozart had a big day at the dish for Cincinnati going 3-for-4 with 2 home runs and a double to knock in 5 runs. Cozart has been arguably the most productive shortstop in the National League through the first third of the season and now has 9 home runs, 33 RBI, 32 runs with a .344/.432/.622 slash. Unfortunately, his .385 BABIP is nearly 100 point above his career .282 mark and his hit distribution, batted ball profile and quality of contact percentages have all remained constant. Cozart's batting average and homeruns scream regression, so sell high while you still can.
Ian Happ (CHC) - Just when it looked like the Cubs' rookie 2B/OF needed to go back to the farm for a little more seasoning, Ian Happ went 2-for-5 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI. Happ has hit out of the leadoff spot the last 3 games and has notched at least 1 hit in each of those games. His recent move to centerfield helps to solidify his spot in this lineup, at the expense of playing time for Albert Almora and/or Jon Jay. Happ's 20% swinging strike rate is not sustainable at the big league level and his 61% contact rate certainly isn't what you'd expect to see from a team's leadoff hitter. Despite the strong night, it's still doubtful he stays up with the Cubs for the entirety of the rest of the regular season, so if you're acquiring him, be sure to adjust your price accordingly.
Marcell Ozuna (MIA) - Marcell Ozuna went 2-for-5 with his 9th double and tallied his 7th multi-hit game over his last 9. For the season, he's now slashing .325/.390/.566 and quite frankly, his auxiliary statistics backup these numbers. His 40% hard hit rate is a career high and his 106 MPH batted ball speed on his homeruns is very good. The former helps to boost his batting average via his .361 BABIP while the latter can help support his 20% HR/FB rate and 14 home runs. He's poised to continue his breakout performance as long as he stays healthy.
DFS Play of the Day:
Matt Carpenter (STL) - The Cardinals have a favorable park shift as they take on Asher Wojciechowski in Cincinnati, making Matt Carpenter an interesting option for the Monday slate. In 2017, Carpenter continues to post the highest hard hit rates and highest walk rates of his career. From a DFS perspective, Carpenter looks like an excellent value at $3,700. Against right-handed pitching, Carpenter has posted a .220 ISO and .360 wOBA despite a low .236 batting average that's being unfavorably impacted by an artificially low .262 BABIP. He's a great way to get exposure to a Cardinals lineup in a great spot.
