Giancarlo Stanton (OF-NYY) powered the Yankees to a 6-3 win over the Cubs on Saturday, going 2-for-3 with two homers, three runs, three RBIs and a walk. Stanton enjoyed his first multi-homer game of the season, bashing a solo shot in the first and a two-run jack in the fifth. The big game featured Stanton's first big flies of July and snapped him out of a 4-for-20 skid to begin the month. The former NL MVP hasn't looked like himself this year, missing over 40 games with injuries and batting just .208 with a .716 OPS. He's still showing strong power, though, with nine homers and 23 RBIs through 40 games. He's been unable to step up in Aaron Judge's absence and was downright horrendous in June (.538 OPS), but Stanton is notoriously streaky and still has a whole second half to salvage his season if he stays healthy. Given his age (33) and injury history, however, that isn't necessarily guaranteed.
Gerrit Cole (SP-NYY) picked up another win on Saturday, holding the Cubs to three runs on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings. Just another day at the office for Cole, who logged another quality start and improved to 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA in the process. He's now allowed three earned runs or fewer in seven straight starts. Cole threw 70 of his 103 pitches for strikes and was stellar for most of the afternoon, yielding just one run through seven frames before faltering for two runs in the eighth. The Yankees are now 14-5 in Cole's starts this year and 35-36 when he doesn't start, proving to be a legitimate MVP candidate and Cy Young contender. After ending the first half on a high note, Cole is scheduled to make his next start against the Rockies at Coors Field next weekend.
Riley Greene (OF-DET) returned from the injured list with a bang on Saturday, going 2-for-2 with a run scored and two walks. Greene reached base in all four of his plate appearances in his first game since May 30. The 22-year-old outfielder slotted in at DH after missing all of June with a stress fracture in his left fibula and probably won't return to the field until after the All-Star break. Still, it was encouraging to see him pick up where he left off at the plate, boosting his average to .302 and his OPS to .822 from the two-hole. The former first-round draft pick has now hit safely in nine of his last 10 games and has taken a major step forward offensively in his second season. He's a must-start in all formats and fantasy GMs need to get him back in their lineups immediately.
Sonny Gray (SP-MIN) got rocked by the Orioles in his worst start of the year on Saturday, giving up a season-high six runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over six innings. All of the damage came during the second inning when Baltimore got to Gray for six runs. Surprisingly, he remained in the game and pulled himself together, finishing six frames to help preserve the bullpen. The rough outing resulted in his third straight loss, however, lowering his record to 4-3 and raising his ERA to 2.89. Gray has not earned a win since April 30, as the Twins are just 3-9 in his last 12 starts. Saturday was Gray's first start this year with more than three earned runs allowed, snapping a 17-game streak to begin the season. While he ended the first half on a poor note, Gray has still been an All-Star caliber pitcher this season and has also stayed healthy, which he hasn't done in several seasons. The 33-year-old righty will look to bounce back when Minnesota returns to action after the All-Star break.
Miles Mikolas (SP-STL) turned in one of his best starts of the season on Saturday, firing seven shutout innings against the White Sox. He scattered four hits and walked none while striking out six, throwing 71 of his 95 pitches for strikes. It was a much-needed rebound performance for Mikolas, who was 0-3 with a 6.39 ERA over his previous five outings. Saturday's gem marked his first win since May 30, evening his record at 5-5 and lowering his ERA to 4.23. The main issue for Mikolas is that he's been allowing too many hits (9.8 H/9), which tends to happen when you're only striking out 6.2 batters per nine innings. He'll need to do a better job of limiting hard contact going forward if he wants to be more effective in the second half.
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