Cristian Javier erupted for a season-high 14 punchouts on Friday against the Angels, holding LA to just one run on one hit and no walks over seven outstanding innings. Aside from giving up a first-inning solo shot to Shohei Ohtani, Javier was pretty close to perfect for the second start in a row. After ringing up 13 whiffs over seven hitless frames in his previous start, Javier now has an absurd 27:1 K/BB ratio in 14 innings with just one hit allowed over his last two starts combined. That's probably the best two-start stretch we've seen from any pitcher this year, and it's helped Javier improve to 6-3 with a 2.58 ERA. He has an impressive 95 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings this year with just 43 hits allowed, only five of which have cleared the fences. On a great team like the Astros, that's going to lead to plenty of success, especially against an Angels team that entered the game with MLB's highest whiff rate (26.1%) against RHP this year. Javier will shoot for his fourth straight win in a friendly home start against the Royals next week.
Nolan Arenado hit for the cycle on Friday, going 4-for-4 with a double, a triple, a homer, and three RBIs against the Phillies. Arenado knocked in all three of the Cardinals' runs in their 5-3 loss to Philadelphia, tripling home a run in the first before belting a two-run homer in the third. He later added a double and a single to complete the franchise' first cycle since 2005. The four hits raised his average to .288 and matched a season-high for Arenado, who also tallied four hits during his second game of the season on April 9. The star third baseman now has 15 homers, 20 doubles, and 52 RBIs in 75 games with an .872 OPS. He's also in a prime run-producing spot in the St. Louis lineup, batting cleanup directly behind Paul Goldschmidt, who's been an on-base machine and is having a monster season. If he keeps it up during the second half, he'll finish with his seventh season of at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs.
Christopher Morel helped power the Cubs to a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the Red Sox at home on Friday afternoon, going 1-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. After notching an RBI groundout in the fifth to help Chicago cut the deficit to 4-2, he swatted a game-tying two-run homer off Hansel Robles in the following frame to tie the game at 5-5. The long ball was Morel's eighth in 41 games this season, boosting his RBI total to 23. That makes three straight games with a dinger for Morel and four straight games with a hit/RBI. The 23-year-old rookie has been a force for the Cubs since debuting in mid-May, rising to the top of the lineup and being surprisingly consistent for a first-year player. With his combination of power, speed (seven steals), batting average (.281), and premier lineup spot, Morel is helping in all categories and has immediately established himself as a fantasy asset in the big leagues.
Lourdes Gurriel paced Toronto's 9-2 win over Tampa Bay on Friday, going 3-for-3 with a double, a solo homer, three runs scored, and a walk. Gurriel had close to a perfect game at the plate while falling a triple shy of the cycle. The last of his game-high three hits was the loudest, as he put the exclamation mark on the Blue Jays' win with his seventh-inning solo shot to cap the scoring. While the dinger was only his fifth in 70 games this year, he's hitting a rock-solid .292 with 20 doubles. Gurriel has been swinging the bat well over the past four weeks, batting a scintillating .398 with 12 extra-base hits, 16 RBIs, and 17 runs over his last 23 games dating back to June 4. He's still batting in the bottom half of the lineup, but Toronto's offense has so much depth and firepower that it hasn't hampered his fantasy value too much.
David Peterson pitched the Mets to victory over the Rangers on Friday, limiting Texas to three runs on five hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts in six innings. Peterson served up a couple solo homers but still managed to rack up a season-high 10 strikeouts, continuing a recent trend of missing bats for him. Over his last three starts, Peterson has a whopping 25 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings while issuing just two walks, going from a streaming option to a must-start in fantasy. While Peterson has faced three pretty easy opponents during that stretch, he also has a strong bullpen and lineup backing him up to increase his chances of getting a win. Peterson is now 5-1 with a 3.24 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings, so don't hesitate to add him if he's still available. With a friendly road matchup on tap against the Reds, Peterson has a great opportunity for another productive outing.
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