Rays lefty Blake Snell won after allowing one run on six hits (one homer) and no walks with 11 strikeouts in six innings Monday against the White Sox. Snell tallied double-digit strikeouts for the second consecutive start en route to his second win of the year, holding Chicago scoreless through 4 2/3 innings before yielding a solo shot in the fifth. The reigning AL Cy Young winner is looking every bit as dominant as he was last year and appears headed for another monster season. He'll look to keep it going against the Blue Jays in Toronto on April 14.
Orioles second baseman Jonathan Villar went 2-for-5 with a homer, two runs and four RBI vs. the A's on Monday. Villar extended his hitting streak to eight games while doubling his RBI total from four to eight while pacing Baltimore's 12-4 rout of Oakland from the leadoff spot. Villar is off to a scorching start with three homers, two steals and a .341 average, looking like the fantasy superstar who tallied 19 homers and 62 steals in 2016. While Villar's hitting will likely tail off, his power and speed make him a must-own in all fantasy formats.
Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini went 3-for-3 with a homer, two RBI, two runs and two walks Monday vs. the A's. Mancini continued his torrid start by reaching base in all five plate appearances while powering Baltimore to a 12-4 thumping of Oakland. The 27-year-old already has five homers and 11 RBI through his first 10 games, putting him on pace to smash his career highs of 24 and 78, respectively. Now 27 and in his third full season, Mancini looks ready to take the next step as a power hitter and should be added in all formats.
Yankees righty Masahiro Tanaka took a no-decision after allowing one run on three hits (one homer) and two walks with three strikeouts in six innings against the Astros. Tanaka turned in a gem against Houston, yielding just one run on a fourth-inning solo shot to Jose Altuve. New York's bullpen let him down, however, blowing a 3-1 lead after he left the game and denying him his second win. Tanaka has now allowed just one earned run in all three of his starts while yielding just one home run -- an encouraging sign given his career 1.3 HR/9 rate. He'll look to keep it up vs. the White Sox at home in his next start on April 14.
Mariners first baseman Edwin Encarnacion went 2-for-4 with two homers, two runs, four RBI and a walk Monday against the Royals. Encarnacion did all of his damage during Seattle's eight-run sixth inning, which he led off with a solo shot before capping it off with a three-run homer. The big inning doubled his season total from two to four while helping pace a 13-5 victory for the M's. Even at age 36, Encarnacion is still one of the top sluggers in the game after averaging 38 homers and 109 RBI per season from 2012-2018.
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