Aaron Judge went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, two runs scored, and a walk in Sunday's loss to the Orioles. Judge went to town against Baltimore's pitching this weekend, tallying multiple hits and at least one home run in all three games of the series. After starting off May ice-cold, Judge has now hit safely in six straight games while crushing five home runs during that span, giving him 12 overall on the year. His batting average is back up to .298, and his 1.009 OPS is the second-highest it's been all season. Judge is just incredibly locked in right now, as he's struck out only once in his last seven games. While he can be incredibly streaky, few players are capable of reaching his heights when he's on fire.
Marcus Semien went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a homer, two runs and three RBIs against the Phillies on Sunday. Toronto's leadoff man played a key part in their 10-run, 16-hit attack against Philly, igniting the offense with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first -- his first hit of the series. The dinger was his ninth of the season, while the three hits raised his average to .269. After posting a .658 OPS in April, Semien has caught fire in May, hitting safely in 13 of 15 games this month while clubbing 11 extra-base hits. Semien has now hit safely in 19 of his last 22 games, batting .345 over that stretch. After a rough start to his Blue Jays career, Semien seems to have settled in and is hitting like he did with Oakland.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, two runs and two RBIs against the Phillies on Sunday. After clearing the fences in each of the first two games of the series, Guerrero saved his best for last by falling a triple shy of the cycle in Sunday's series finale. The long ball was his 11th of the season and fourth in May, all of which have come during the past week. The trio of hits also boosted his average to .319 and his OPS to 1.049, as he continues to be one of the best hitters in baseball this year. After solid campaigns in 2019 and 2020, the 22-year-old has taken his game to new heights in his third season, showcasing the MVP potential that many in the fantasy baseball community have been waiting for.
Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-5 with a game-winning two-run homer against the Red Sox on Sunday. With the Angels down to their last out in the top of the ninth, Ohtani belted a game-winning two-run homer. While the long ball was his only hit of the day, it was his 12th of the season and second of the series against Boston. While he's cooled down a bit from his torrid start, Ohtani is still having a tremendous all-around campaign with 29 RBIs, six stolen bases, and a .901 OPS. His 6:46 BB/K ratio is concerning, however, especially given that 18 of those whiffs have come over his last 10 games. It's possible that pitchers have begun exploiting Ohtani more, especially now that he's in more of an everyday role. While his numbers are still excellent, it's possible he may be headed for further regression as the season progresses.
Rafael Devers went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer against the Angels on Sunday. Devers' 11th home run of the year gave Boston a 5-4 lead in the fifth, but it was ultimately wasted as the Red Sox blew the game in the ninth. The dinger was Devers' second in as many games and his 11th of the season, boosting his RBI total to 34 in 39 games. Four of those long balls have come in his last eight games, as Devers has continued swinging a hot bat after a strong April. After a down 2020, Devers is back to being the elite hitter he was in 2019 and has been a key part of Boston's hot start to the season. He's been one of the main driving forces of the offense and seems comfortable at the plate again with Alex Cora back in the dugout, under whom Devers thrived in 2019. The 24-year-old still has his share of ups and downs, but on the whole he's one of the American League's better hitters.
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