Clayton Kershaw (LAD) - What's going on with Clayton Kershaw? After the 4 homeruns he allowed on Monday, he has now given up 17 this season, which trails just the likes of Bronson Arroyo, Ricky Nolasco, Masahiro Tanaka, John Lackey, Mike Fiers, Jesse Chavez and Jordan Zimmerman. That's not a great group to be associated with! His pitch values on his fastball and slider have gone from 2.06 to 0.56 and 3.50 to 1.44, respectively. So what's causing it? It's hard to say for sure, but one has to wonder if the back injury he suffered last season is popping back this year.
Brandon Belt (SF) - Despite his recent struggles at the plate, Brandon Belt stands out as an interesting value play at a loaded 1st base position. Belt gets another favorable hitting in environment, where it's again going to be hot and humid. Belt is just $2,900 and he gets to face Julio Teheran, who has severe righty/lefty splits. Teheran has allowed a .385 wOBA and 28 ER (with 11 HRs) in 42.1 innings this year against LHBs.
Gerrit Cole (PIT) - Gerritt Cole put together his second consecutive strong performance on Monday in what was a difficult matchup against a hot offense and a negative park environment. On Monday, Cole went 7 innings and allowed just 3 hits, 2 walks and 1 earned run, which came via the longball. He also struck out 5. Cole's 9% swinging strike rate is a little concerning, because it may indicate that he'll never return to the strikeout rates that he flashed earlier in his career, but regardless, I do like that his 5-6% walk rate has remained consistent. He should be a serviceable, but not elite, starter the rest of the way.
Cody Bellinger (LAD) - With the number of times that we've written about Cody Bellinger, it's amazing his slash line is just .261/.333/.628. Well, he was at it again on Monday when he went 2-for-4 with 2 more homeruns, his 20th and 21st of the year. It's no surprise that his HR/FB rate is off the charts considering his 48% hard hit rate and 17 barrels (in just 92 batted ball events!), but his contact problems may eventually cause a bit of an issue once pitchers start making adjustments. Bellinger currently sports a 67% contact rate (79% league avg) and a terrible 14% HR/FB rate. The ball is going to go a really long way when he does make contact, but expect there to be plenty of second half regression.
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