Justin Turner (DH-BOS) went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk against the Rays on Monday. Turner was one of the few bright spots for the Red Sox in their 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay during Monday's series finale at Fenway Park. Turner contributed Boston's only run with his sixth-inning solo shot off Shane McClanahan. The dinger was Turner's seventh of the season, five of which have come during the past four weeks. The 38-year-old DH has now hit safely in six of his last seven games and has seven RBIs during that span as well, so he seems to be finding his groove at the plate after a sluggish start (.723 OPS in April). Turner got off to a slow start last year as well before turning things around in the second half, and a similar pattern has happened this year as well. The veteran All-Star is hitting .282 with an OPS above .800 over his last 47 games, lifting his season marks to .266 and .767, respectively. Turner's not going to win anyone a fantasy league at this stage in his career, but he's proving that he can still be a solid glue guy in a fantasy lineup thanks to his decent pop, run production and batting average.
Shane McClanahan (SP-TBR) picked up another win on Monday, becoming the first pitcher to nine victories this season. He improved to 9-1 with a 2.02 ERA after tossing six innings of one-run ball against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, yielding five hits and two walks while striking out five. McClanahan kept Boston off the board until the sixth, when he surrendered a solo homer to Justin Turner. That was the only blemish on his otherwise strong performance, however, as he threw 64 of his 92 pitches for strikes. McClanahan has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 13 starts this season, so it's no surprise that he's 9-1 for one of the best teams in baseball. His FIP is still more than a full run above his ERA, however, so some regression should be expected as the season progresses. Still, he's putting together a Cy Young-caliber season in his third campaign and could very well win the award if he keeps it up, cementing his status as a fantasy ace after making the All-Star team last year. A tough home start against the Rangers is up next, but you're not benching McClanahan against anyone at this point.
Aaron Nola (SP-PHI) turned in his best start of the season on Monday, dominating the Tigers over seven innings of one-hit ball. Nola took a no-hitter into the seventh, when he finally gave up his first knock -- a three-run dinger. All the runs were unearned, however, and he finished with a season-high 12 strikeouts along with three walks, throwing 68 of his 108 pitches for strikes. The strong outing improved Nola's record to 5-4 and lowered his ERA from 4.70 to 4.30. It was also a strong bounce-back effort after he got tagged for nine runs on 12 hits in 12 innings over his previous two starts combined. Nola's been up and down this year despite a solid 77:21 K/BB ratio through 81 2/3 innings, largely because he's had trouble keeping the ball in the park. His 1.4 HR/9 rate would be the highest mark of his career if he maintains it, which has been hurting him even more with his increased walk rate and lower strikeout rate. Perhaps he's finally starting to hit a wall now that he's in his age-30 season and is losing some effectiveness. Nola may no longer be an ace, but he's still a quality fantasy arm, especially in plus matchups like Monday. He'll have a much tougher test his next time out against the Dodgers.
Luis Arraez (UT-MIA) continued his torrid stretch at the plate on Monday, going 3-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBIs against the Royals from the leadoff spot. Arraez enjoyed his third straight multi-hit game and is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now with multiple hits in seven of his last 10 games. He has 20 hits in that 10-game span along with 11 RBIs, raising his average to .399. Last year's AL batting champ is off to an incredible start with his new team after being traded to Miami in the offseason. While he's unlikely to challenge .400, he could conceivably finish in the .330-.350 range thanks to his absurdly low strikeout rate (4.8% this year). Unfortunately for fantasy managers, most of his hits are singles as he only has just one home run this year among his 17 extra-base hits, reminding older fans of Juan Pierre and Ichiro Suzuki. Expect Miami's leadoff man to keep racking up the hits.
Johan Oviedo (SP-PIT) settled for a no-decision on Monday despite going seven innings against the A's, yielding three runs (two earned) on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts. While the Pirates ultimately won the game, Oviedo was denied his fourth win of the year despite matching his season-high in innings and throwing 59 of his 100 pitches for strikes. After a brief rough patch at the end of April/early May, Oviedo has been much better over the last few weeks, giving up three earned runs or less in five straight starts. He has a 2.89 ERA over that stretch despite an unimpressive 25:17 K/BB ratio during that time. While his 3-4 record and 4.29 ERA aren't particularly impressive on the surface, his numbers are still inflated by a couple of disastrous outings. His ratios may not be the best, but he's proving to be a quality fantasy arm in most formats. The 25-year-old righty will look to keep building momentum at home this weekend against the Mets.
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