Patrick Wisdom went 2-for-4 with two homers, three runs, four RBIs, and a walk against the White Sox on Friday. Wisdom spearheaded the Cubs' 13-run attack with a three-run homer in the first and a solo shot in the ninth, although it ultimately wasn't enough as the Cubbies lost to their cross-town rivals in a 17-13 slugfest. Friday marked Wisdom's third multi-homer effort of the season but first since early June. He's been on fire lately, though, with seven of his 23 long balls coming in his last 15 games. His 4:24 BB/K ratio during that time is certainly concerning, however, and points to likely regression going forward, as evidenced by his .236 batting average during that span. His power and middle-of-the-order presence for Chicago make him a viable fantasy option in the meantime, though.
Tommy Edman helped power the Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Pirates on Friday by going 1-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs. Edman extended St. Louis's lead to 3-0 with his two-run shot in the top of the fifth before driving in the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. The long ball was only Edman's eighth of the season, four of which have come in his last 38 games. While Edman doesn't have much home run power, he does lead the NL with 33 doubles this year. The Cardinals' leadoff man has also been swinging a hot stick over the past couple weeks, hitting safely in 13 of his last 14 games with 13 runs and nine RBIs during that span while raising his batting average from .251 to .261. With 68 runs, 21 steals, and 41 RBIs, the 26-year-old does enough in multiple categories to make him start-worthy in standard formats.
Joe Musgrove hurled a complete-game shutout against the Angels on Friday, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out nine. Musgrove was able to dominate a reeling LA lineup that just dropped two out of three to the Orioles, limiting them to just a trio of singles and a pair of walks on 111 pitches (76 strikes). The pitch count was one short of his season-high, which came all the way back in his second start of the year on April 9. Musgrove has really hit his stride over the past month or so, tossing six quality starts in his last seven outings while limiting opponents to one run or fewer in five of those starts. He's now 9-8 with a 2.85 ERA as a result and will look to stay hot down the stretch for San Diego.
Wade Miley dominated the Marlins on Friday, firing seven shutout innings while allowing six hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Friday marked Miley's third start of seven scoreless frames in five outings this month, lowering his ERA to 2.74 and improving his record to 11-4 in the process. The veteran southpaw has surprisingly been one of the better pitchers in the National League this year after numerous years of mediocrity, but he's showing no signs of slowing down as we enter the stretch run. While his poor strikeout rate (7.0 K/9) limits his fantasy value, his ability to pitch to contact and go deep into games has played well in his second season with the Reds. He'll look to keep rolling against the Cardinals at home in his next scheduled start.
Tyler Naquin paced the Reds' 6-0 victory over the Marlins on Friday by going 3-for-4 with a double and a solo homer. Naquin's trio of hits led both sides, leaving him a triple shy of the cycle. The big game extended his hitting streak to 16 games, during which time he's batted .467 with 13 extra-base hits, 16 runs, and 10 RBIs. Naquin's also tallied 10 multi-hit games during his streak as well, so it's impossible to be much harder than he is at the moment. His batting average has increased 36 points from .241 to .277 and he's spending more time in the two hole, which has bolstered his fantasy value considerably. The 30-year-old will cool off eventually, but keep riding him while he's hot.
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