Marco Gonzales settled for a no-decision on Friday despite limiting the Yankees to just three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. The 29-year-old southpaw brought his best stuff to Yankee Stadium, keeping New York off the board for nearly seven full innings and firing a season-high 108 pitches (66 for strikes) before turning a 1-0 lead over the to 'pen. Unfortunately for Gonzales, the Yankees came back and tied the game after he left before ultimately winning in extra innings, negating his stellar effort. While his 4.73 ERA remains inflated by a few bad outings earlier in the season, Gonzales has been quite reliable lately, allowing three earned runs or less in 11 of his last 13 starts. While his 7.3 K/9 rate and 1.9 HR/9 rate limit his overall fantasy value, he's proven to be a quality AL-only option with value in deeper mixed leagues as well. Gonzales will look to keep rolling in an extremely friendly home matchup against the moribund Texas Rangers in his next outing.
Nelson Cruz went 2-for-6 with a double, a homer, two runs, and five RBIs against the Orioles. Cruz pulverized his old team to help Tampa Bay secure a 10-6 win over Baltimore, especially after he tied the game in the sixth with his three-run homer. The big fly was his 22nd of the season -- three of which have come in 11 games with the Rays -- while boosting his RBI total to 58. While he's been slumping mightily in the second half, the 41-year-old deserves patience based on how strong his first half was and how good he's been in general over the past decade. After batting in the two-hole three times in his last seven games, Cruz remains one of Tampa Bay's most dangerous bats and should have plenty of time to work out the kinks in his swing bafore the playoffs start.
Hunter Renfroe went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer against the Blue Jays on Friday. Unfortunately for Boston, Renfroe's blast was too little, too late, as it came directly after Toronto's nine-run explosion in the bottom of the fifth. Renfroe's sixth-inning blast was his 18th of the year and third in five August games thus far, albeit his first this month that wasn't a solo shot. His last six hits have all gone for extra bases, with three clearing the fences and three finding the gaps for doubles. Renfroe, who struck out twice on Friday as well, is having a solid first season in Boston with a .253 average, a .779 OPS, and 60 RBIs, making him a viable option in AL-only leagues and five-outfielder formats.
Starling Marte went 2-for-5 with a walk-off three-run homer on Friday to beat the Rangers, 4-1. Marte sent everyone home in the bottom of the 11th with his ninth home run, two of which have come in seven games since he was traded from the Marlins to the A's. Marte has hit safely in six of those contests with a trio of multi-hit performances, raising his average to .313 and his OPS to .878. He's already slotted in as Oakland's No. 2 hitter as well, which should continue to boost his counting numbers. Marte has been on fire since the All-Star break and needs to be owned and started in every fantasy league if he isn't already.
Chris Bassitt continued his superb 2021 campaign with another dominant performance on Friday, twirling seven innings of one-run ball against the Rangers while allowing five hits, no walks, and striking out eight. Unfortunately for Bassitt, however, Oakland only scored once before extra innings, leaving him with a no-decision and his record stuck on 11-3. While he wasn't able to improve on his AL-high 11 wins, he did lower his ERA to 3.19 while increasing his AL-high innings total to 144. Few pitchers in today's game can match the first-time All-Star's durability and effectiveness, making him a must-start every time he toes the rubber. The 144 innings match his career-high, however, so he's worth monitoring to see if he can sustain this performance for the rest of the season.
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