Freddy Peralta (SP-MIL)
Peralta picked up his 9th win Tuesday allowing 2 ER over 5.1 innings, striking out 8. Peralta has been a breakout Star of 2021 and is part of a lethal Brewers Pitching staff as he has compiled a 2.21 ERA / 3.03 FIP with a 12.2 K/9. .8 HR/9 and he has been one of the most unhittable pitchers with a league low 4.2 hits allowed per 9 thanks to an impressive .136 batting average against. Peralta showed flashes last year with a 3.99 ERA/ 2.14 fip and a 14.4 K/9 over 29 innings and has been able to improve on that this year thanks to some slight changes in pitch usage. Peralta has held opposing batters to a .129 batting average on his FB, but his wipeout pitch has been his slider. Last year he threw the pitch just under 5% of the time. This year it is his second most used pitch, as he throws it 26% of the time and opposing batters have hit .133 vs it and he has generated a 44% whiff rate. Peralta is approaching his overall innings high of 120 which was across a few minor league levels in 2017 - so it is worth watching if the Brewers give him some additional rest before the postseason.
Hoy Park (2B/SS/OF-PIT)
Park went 1-3 with his first career HR, a solo shot vs the Cardinals Tuesday. The HR was the only hit the Pirates had and Hoy has made a great first impression on his new team as he now owns a .321/.367/.571 through 8 games with 5 of his 9 hits going for extra bases. Park was acquired by the Pirates at the Trade Deadline After a AA/AAA stint for the Yankees this year where he slashed .292/.439/.505 with 11 HR, 11 steals and more walks (54) than strikeouts (52) over 61 games. Hoy has quietly ascended to the leadoff spot for the Pirates with Adam Frazier traded and could be a nice addition to your fantasy roster. In addition to the quick start hitting wise, he has started games at all 3 outfield spots, 2B, and SS and appears to be in line to start for the Pirates everyday down the stretch.
Tommy Edman (2B/SS/OF-STL)
Edman led off Tuesday's Game with a HR and finished 1-3 while also drawing a walk. Edman entered play Tuesday leading the NL in at bats (432) and while he does have 27 doubles, 3 triples and 7 home runs due to all the at bats it hasn't equated to a great fantasy line as he has a sub .700 OPS and is slashing .253/.300/.377 on the year. Edman is still a good fantasy asset considering he runs (19 steals) and has played enough games to qualify at both OF and 2B last year, and still should have SS eligibility from a year ago.
Max Scherzer (SP-WSH)
Scherzer pitched 3.1 shutout innings, striking out 6 before being pulled after a lengthy rain delay. After sporting a 3.74 ERA last year - his highest mark since 2012, Scherzer has come back with a very solid season lowering that mark to 2.67 overall while continuing to rack up Ks (12K/9) and limit walks (2.2 BB/9). While his fb velocity is down ever so slightly from last year (94.7 to 94.3 mph) opponents have hit just .203 vs it compared to .264 a year ago. His secondary offering in 2021 have been more effective than a year ago as he has baffled batters with a 85mph changeup (.106 batting average against) and an 86 mph slider (.130 batting average against, 46% whiff rate). Scherzer has only been able to nab 9 wins in 20 trips this year but should be able to be on the winning side more often than not with his new club. Owners may want to keep an eye on his next start if it is moved due to his short start in this one.
Aaron Nola (SP-PHI)
Nola pitched 4 shutout innings, striking out 7 before not returning to the game following a lengthy rain delay. Nola was dominant in this one generating 13 swinging strikes. Nola has had a down year and although his 3.55 FIP is almost a full run lower then his ERA he has struggled with this year. First his groundball rate is down to 40% - compared to a career mark that sits at almost 50%. His K rate is also down to 10.83 - still the second highest of his career but not the 12 K/9 he put up a year. These decreases mean batters are doing other things with them at bats - most notably fly balls. His flyball rate is up to a career high 37% and while his HR/FB rate of 14% is actually lower than the past few seasons his HR/9 is at a career high 1.35 as he hasn't gone as deep into game as the Phillies would like. If Nola can get back to inducing more ground balls he may slowly be able to inch his ERA to the 4.00 mark over the next 2 months - but Zach Wheeler has become the rotation Ace at this point.
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