Sandy Alcantara somehow received a no-decision on Wednesday after firing nine shutout innings against the Nationals, limiting Washington to just six hits and no walks while striking out six. Alcantara went nine innings for the second time in four starts, but unfortunately for him Miami didn't score until the 10th inning. The no-decision ended his streak of winning four consecutive starts, although it still lowered his ERA to a minuscule 1.61. Alcantara has now allowed one earned run or less in six straight starts while completing at least seven innings in all of those outings, cementing his status as one of the best pitchers in baseball with his recent run of dominance. Even with a tough road start against the Phillies up next, Alcantara will be a must-start in all formats.
Yordan Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a double, a run, and two RBIs against the Mariners on Wednesday. Alvarez continued his strong 2022 with another three-hit game -- already his third of June -- to lift his average up to .299. The double was only his sixth of the season, but he's shown plenty of power with 17 homers (more than halfway to last year's 33) and a pair of triples, fueling his impressive 1.025 OPS. After an underwhelming May, Alvarez caught fire around Memorial Day and is batting .500 (19-for-38) over his last 10 games with seven multi-hit games, eight extra-base hits (five homers), and 13 RBIs during that stretch. The 24-year-old is already making good on the six-year, $115 million contract extension he signed with Houston a few days ago, setting him up to be a mainstay in the Astros' lineup for much of the remainder of the decade. Given how well his career has gone thus far, he'll likely be a centerpiece of fantasy lineups during that time as well if he stays healthy.
Tony Gonsolin maintained his perfect record with another win on Wednesday, tossing six innings of one-run ball against the White Sox with three hits and one walk allowed while striking out five. Gonsolin was close to perfect outside of the solo homer he served up in the fifth inning, which was only his fourth dinger allowed in 57 innings this year. Gonsolin is now 7-0 with a 1.59 ERA, emerging as another ace for the Dodgers to rely on. He's been the definition of reliable, allowing two earned runs or less in all 11 of his starts this year. His command has also been extra sharp lately, as he has a 24:3 K/BB ratio over his last four outings spanning 24 innings. while Gonsolin has yet to complete more than six innings or whiff more than seven batters in a start this year, he's still notched five straight quality starts and has been a massive boon to fantasy teams. He'll look to keep rolling in a home date with the Angels next week, who are an absolute mess at the moment.
Aaron Nola picked up an easy win over the Brewers on Wednesday, spinning eight scoreless innings en route to a 10-o victory. He also scattered four hits (all singles) and walked none while striking out six. The Phillies struck for four runs in the third inning and Nola took it from there as Philly cruised to its sixth straight win. Nola displayed his usual excellent command, throwing 74 of his 103 pitches for strikes and attacking the zone all night long against a middling Brewers lineup. Nola now has a remarkable 85:10 K/BB ratio to go along with a sparkling 0.88 WHIP. While his 4-4 record and 3.50 ERA don't scream ace, his stellar peripherals sure do, so expect more positive regression on the horizon, especially with a juicy home matchup against the Marlins up next.
Tyler O'Neill went 2-for-4 with a homer and three runs against the Rays on Wednesday. O'Neill accounted for all three of the Cardinals' runs in their 11-3 defeat, getting St. Louis on the board with a solo homer in the fourth (his first round-tripper since May 4) and drilling a two-run single in the sixth. This is the kind of production that's been sorely lacking from O'Neill this year, who's batting just .213 with three homers and a .599 OPS in 34 games. Despite the lack of power, he's had good timing with his hits at least, driving in 23 runs on 27 hits. On the plus side, O'Neill has come back strong after spending three weeks on the IL, going 4-for-9 in his first two games back. The Cardinals are continuing to show patience with him as well, as he batted cleanup on Wednesday despite his poor numbers. Poor plate discipline (11:45 BB/K ratio) continues to be an issue for him, but fantasy owners should continue to be patient with the streaky 26-year-old based on last year's 34 homers and .912 OPS.
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