J.D. Martinez lifted the Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the Indians on Saturday by going 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and two runs scored. Martinez slammed a clutch game-winning homer in the top of the 10th to seal Boston's 75th victory of the season. The long ball was Martinez's 24th of the year, boosting his RBI total to 82 in the process. The big game snapped him out of an ugly 4-for-35 slump over his last nine games in which he knocked in zero runs and struck out 12 times. The 34-year-old has seen his numbers steadily decline throughout the season after his outstanding April, but he still has a healthy .283 average and .869 OPS to go along with his aforementioned power numbers. The Red Sox are counting on him to produce down the stretch as they look to secure a playoff spot, so hopefully this game gets him back on track.
Aaron Judge went 3-for-4 with a double and a two-run homer against the A's on Saturday. Judge did all he could to keep the Yankees' win streak alive, but his teammates weren't too interested in helping him out and only provided two additional hits. Judge's ninth-inning bomb accounted for both of New York's runs in their 3-2 defeat, with Judge notching his 29th homer and 19th double in the process. The Yankees slugger has been on a tear in August with multiple hits in each of his last five games and 13 multi-hit efforts in 26 games this month, raising his average from .280 to .295 and his OPS from .884 to .929. With five extra-base hits in his last four games, Judge is dialed in at the plate these days.
Frankie Montas dominated the Yankees on Saturday, allowing just two hits and one walk with six strikeouts over seven scoreless innings to earn his 10th win of the season. Montas didn't allow any extra-base hits to New York's potent lineup, lowering his ERA to 3.66 with his second straight start of seven shutout innings. Since getting blown up in his first start of the year, Montas has a 3.30 ERA over his last 25 starts with a 163:39 K/BB ratio over 147 1/3 innings. Montas has been one of the American League's most reliable starters thjs year, making him a must-start every time he takes the mound. The 28-year-old righty will look to keep rolling when he faces a middling Tigers squad in Detroit for his next scheduled start.
Salvador Perez went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk against the Mariners on Saturday, powering the Royals to a 4-2 victory. Perez extended Kansas City's lead to 3-0 with his fifth-inning homer, marking his fourth straight game with a long ball. Perez has been one of the hottest hitters on the planet in the second half, crushing 16 homers with 36 RBIs over his last 33 games. With 37 homers and 92 RBIs on the season, he's a virtual shoo-in to surpass 40/100 with a full month still remaining on the schedule. He's also hitting for a strong .275 average, unlike many sluggers who are feast or famine. The free pass was also notable for Perez, who has also 20 of them in 128 games this year.
Jared Walsh paced LA's 10-2 rout of the Padres by going 3-for-3 with a double, a homer, two runs, three RBIs, and a walk. After managing just three extra-base hits over his previous 29 games, Walsh finally broke out with multiple extra-base hits in the same game. His second-inning homer also helped the Angels build up an early lead. While he's up to 24 big flies on the season, only four have come since the beginning of July. Walsh has cooled down after this hot start, watching his OPS plunge more than 100 points prior to Saturday's wake-up call. With a limited supporting case, Walsh isn't as appealing from a fantasy perspective as he was earlier in the year.
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