DJ LeMahieu paced New York's 10-2 win over Minnesota by going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, three runs scored, and a walk from the leadoff spot. LeMahieu saved his best for last, cracking a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth to plate the Yankees' final two runs of their blowout victory. The dinger was only his eighth of the year and first since June 26, however, ending a drought of 43 games without a long ball. While the power outage has been frustrating for his fantasy owners, he's been swinging the bat well this month by hitting .329 with eight extra-base hits over his last 17 games. His overall numbers have been underwhelming compared to his MVP-level production of 2019-2020, but he's still hitting a solid .272 with roughly league-average production after adjusting for league and park. He's also been durable and hits in a fantasy-friendly situation, so his counting numbers should be decent when it's all said and done.
Salvador Perez helped power Kansas City's 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Friday by going 2-for-3 with two solo homers. Perez got the Royals on the board with his fourth-inning blast before giving them the lead with another bomb during his next at-bat in the sixth. The fireworks marked Perez's fifth multi-homer game of the season, all of which have come since the calendar flipped to June. The All-Star catcher's 32 home runs are a career-high, while his 80 RBIs match his previous best. Still at the top of his game at age 31, Salvy could finish the year with 40+ homers and 100+ ribbies if he stays healthy down the stretch, making him one of the best sluggers in baseball at any position.
Robbie Ray settled for the no-decision on Friday after twirling eight innings of one-run ball against the Tigers, limiting them to just five hits and no walks while striking out 11. The southpaw gave it his all in this one, logging a season-high eight innings and throwing 72 of his 109 pitches for strikes. Unfortunately for him, Toronto's potent lineup was mostly silenced and managed just one run, giving Ray no margin for error. He kept Detroit off the board until the eighth before finally surrendering the game-tying run. The 109 pitches and 11 strikeouts both tied for his second-highest total of the season, marking his sixth start with double-digit Ks this year and first of the second half. He now has a no-decision in all four of his August starts despite pitching at least six innings and allowing two earned runs or less in all of them. He'll try to earn his first win of the month when he takes a 2.79 ERA into his next scheduled start vs. the White Sox at home.
Luke Voit propelled the Yankees to a 10-2 rout of the Twins on Friday by going 4-for-5 with a double, a homer, two runs, and four RBIs. Voit had as many hits by himself as Minnesota's entire team, the last of which left the park in the seventh inning. The big fly was Voit's seventh in 41 games this year, four of which have come in his last 11 games. The Yankees slugger has 15 RBIs during that stretch as well, vaulting them back into the playoff hunt over a slow first half. With Voit heating up and occupying a spot in the middle of Aaron Boone's lineup, he could be poised for a big finish to the season, making him a must-own in all formats.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 1-4 with a solo homer against the Tigers on Friday. Guerrero's fourth-inning solo shot was Toronto's only run of the game, but it almost propelled them to victory before Detroit tied the game in the eighth and won in extra innings. The dinger was Guerrero's 36th of the season, although only two of those have come over his last 17 games as he's fallen into a bit of a slump. While he was bound to cool off a bit eventually, he still leads MLB in runs (92) while tallying 36 bombs, 89 ribbies, a .312 average, and a 1.016 OPS thanks to his AL-high on-base percentage (.408). While numbers like that would normally make him a slam-dunk MVP candidate, he seems destined to finish second behind Shohei Ohtani this year. The 22-year-old slugger is only in his third season, however, so he'll likely have many more chances to capture the award before his career is over.
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