Rafael Devers went 2-for-5 with a pair of solo homers against the Indians on Sunday. Devers smashed several hard-hit balls against Cleveland, two of which left the park for his 31st and 32nd long balls of the season. His first-inning blast and seventh-inning bomb bookended Boston's five runs in their 7-5 defeat, giving him three multi-homer games on the season. While he's slowed down considerably in August along with the rest of the Red Sox, Devers is still having a tremendous season with 96 RBIs, 82 runs, a .277 average and a .908 OPS. While his 32 dingers equal his career-high from 2019, he's also on pace to blow past his career-high in strikeouts (121) from 2018, as he's already whiffed 112 times this year -- which may be a factor for his recent slump.
Jose Ramirez went 2-for-3 with a double, a homer, two RBIs, and a walk in Cleveland's 7-5 win over Boston on Sunday. Ramirez put the Indians on the board with his sixth-inning solo shot, sparking their comeback from a 4-0 deficit. He spanked an RBI double the following inning, cutting Boston's lead to one and setting the stage for the Indians' eighth-inning rally. Ramirez, who also homered against the Red Sox on Friday, is having a monster month in the power department with nine homers, 22 RBIs, eight doubles, and 20 runs in 26 games in August to go along with a .286 average and eight stolen bases. He's now hitting .263 on the season with a .904 OPS, 31 big flies, 84 RBIs, 87 runs, and 19 steals, making him one of the most valuable players in fantasy this year.
Jose Berrios dominated the Tigers on Sunday, limiting Detroit to just one unearned run on six hits and no walks with 11 strikeouts over seven innings en route to his ninth win of the season. Berrios turned in his best outing with the Blue Jays since the Twins traded him a month ago, while the 11 strikeouts were his second-most in a start this season. Sunday marked a return to form for Berrios, who had an 8.76 ERA over his previous three starts. He still has a solid 3.53 ERA on the year despite his recent slump along with an exceptional 162:40 K/BB ratio over 153 innings. While not quite a fantasy ace, the 27-year-old profiles as a strong No. 2 starter in most fantasy formats. He'll aim for similar results when he faces the A's at home in his next start.
Dylan Cease turned in another stellar outing on Sunday, limiting the Cubs to one run on four hits and two walks with 11 strikeouts over six innings. Cease's lone mistake resulted in a fourth-inning solo homer, but other than that he was excellent en route to his 11th win of the season. The win capped a stellar month of August for Cease, who went 4-0 with a 2.83 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 35 innings this month despite allowing five home runs in his four most recent starts. Cease has now notched double-digit strikeouts in four of his last nine starts, boosting his season total to 188 in 143 2/3 innings. He'll try to take that momentum on the road with him against the Royals in his next scheduled start.
Adolis Garcia went 3-for-4 with a double, a homer, three runs, five RBIs, and a walk against the Astros on Sunday. Garcia paced the Rangers' unexpected 13-2 massacre of the Astros, putting the game out of reach with his fifth-inning grand slam. It was Garcia's second homer in as many days and his third multi-hit game in a row, boosting his batting line to .253 with 29 homers, 77 RBIs, and 65 runs. After scuffling through much of August, Garcia is finishing the month strong with multiple hits in six of his last 10 games. Despite a horrific 25:157 BB/K ratio, Garcia is still having success at the plate late in his first full season as he closes in on 30 homers.
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