Jared Walsh had a monster game on Monday against the Astros, going 4-for-4 with a double, a homer, two RBIs, a walk, and a stolen base. In addition to powering LA to a 5-4 win over Houston, the big game also raised Walsh's average to .347 and pushed his OPS above 1.000 to 1.020. It was already the second four-hit game of the month for Walsh the 27-year-old first baseman, who now has a clear path to regular playing time following the release of Albert Pujols last week. Walsh has made the most of his opportunity, emerging as one of the team's best hitters as well as a middle-of-the-order threat. He crushed the ball as a rookie last year too (.971 OPS), making him a must-own in all fantasy formats.
Kyle Gibson wound up with a no-decision on Monday despite allowing only one run on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings against the Giants. Gibson continued his stellar start to 2021 with another impressive performance, recording his seventh consecutive quality start and lowering his ERA to 2.28 in the process. The lone run came on a solo homer, and he's now allowed three long balls in 14 May innings after keeping the ball in the yard all April. Remarkably, Gibson has allowed one earned run or less in six of his last seven starts, posting a 40:12 K/BB ratio in 47 innings during that span. The 33-year-old will look to keep rolling against the Astros in Houston this weekend.
Martin Perez settled for a no-decision on Monday after allowing one run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts over five innings against the Orioles. Perez was unable to secure his first win of 2021 despite allowing two earned runs or less for the fourth consecutive start and fifth time in his last six. The main reason for that is because he's yet to complete six innings this year, so none of his outings have registered as a quality start. He was lifted after throwing just 74 pitches on Monday (53 strikes), one of which left the yard for only his second home run allowed this season. Like last year, Perez is providing stability to Boston's rotation and has emerged as a streaming candidate in deeper mixed leagues and AL-only formats. He'll try again for that elusive W when he faces the Angels at home this weekend.
Trey Mancini went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs vs. the Red Sox on Monday. Mancini's sixth-inning bomb broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Orioles the lead for good, helping them avoid a four-game sweep in the series finale with their divisional foes. He also tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single in the eighth for good measure. The long ball was Mancini's seventh of the season and third in his last 11 games, during which time he's driven in 14 runs and batted .304. After a slow start following his year off, Mancini is starting to resemble the slugger who averaged 28 homers, 78 RBIs and an .814 OPS from 2017-19.
J.D. Martinez went 2-for-4 with a run scored against the Orioles on Monday. Martinez was pretty much the extent of Boston's offense on a quiet night at Camden Yards, as he scored the team's lone run in the fourth inning and accounted for half of its hits. The two knocks pushed his average back up to .338, and he now has multiple hits in four of nine games in May thus far. His power has disappeared during the month of May, however, as only one of his 11 hits have gone for extra bases. Martinez cracked 19 extra-base hits in April, however, so it should only be a matter of time before he starts hitting it into the gaps and seats again.
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