Madison Bumgarner (SP - SF) - Bumgarner allowed just three hits in six innings in St. Louis while striking out seven against just one walk, but his home run problems continued as he served one up to Carlos Beltran. He's now allowed 18 in 154 2/3 innings, a rate of 1.05 per nine innings. His 3.08 ERA is actually lower than last season though due to a BABIP that's dropped over 50 points. His outstanding strikeout and walk rates still make him an excellent option though and he's an elite play Wednesday against the Nationals at home, where he's been outstanding.
Justin Ruggiano (OF - MIA) - Ruggiano hit his ninth home run in 156 at bats and also singled, accounting for the Marlins' only offense against R.A. Dickey. He is now hitting an incredible .353/.414/.641. The .425 BABIP entering the game will obviously regress, but he is hitting line drives at a 23.9% clip. Although the longtime minor leaguer showed power in a brief stint with the Rays last year, his awful plate discipline led to him being overmatched. His near-10% walk rate this year is somewhat due to pitchers respecting his power (although none have been officially intentional), but he's swung at just 26.6% of pitches outside the zone, a near-five percent reduction from last year. He's an elite option against lefties and a solid one against most righties.
Brett Wallace (1B - HOU) - Wallace got the start at third base and came through with three hits including a double, raising his line to .319/.392/.551. It's only been 20 games, but he's finally having success in the big leagues after two partial years of below-average production. While his plate discipline has been awful (.16 BB/K), he has crushed the ball when he's hit it, posting a 29.3 LD%. Wallace has a first-round pedigree, a solid minor league track record and is just shy of 26, so it's quite conceivable that he's finally put it together. He's definitely worth owning if he gains third base eligibility and is a solid option against right-handers.
Josh Johnson (SP - MIA) - Johnson's excellent second half came to a halt in New York, as the Mets got to him for three runs on eight hits (one home run) in six innings. He walked two and struck out four. He continued to struggle with hard contact, as he gave up seven line drives as well as a home run to Andres Torres, an awful left-handed hitter. Johnson's .324 BABIP coming into the day may seem high, but it's not considering he's given up line drives on nearly a quarter of his balls in play. He's just a spot-start option, although he can definitely be used Wednesday at home against the Phillies.
Ruben Tejada (SS - NYM) - Tejada picked up two more hits in five at bats to raise his line to .323/.370/.391. The shortstop doesn't offer anything in terms of power or speed, but he's provided excellent average and on-base skills and now hits at the top of the order. The average is no fluke either as he's posted a 30.4 LD%, which would lead all of baseball if he qualified. He's a solid option in a weak shortstop crop.
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