Tyler Glasnow (SP-TB) dominated the Yankees on Monday, holding them to one run on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over seven innings. The only run Glasnow permitted was a harmless fourth-inning solo shot by Jake Bauers, by which point Tampa Bay already had the lead. Glasnow threw 61 of his 94 pitches for strikes, improving to 5-3 with a 3.15 ERA. He's now gone at least seven innings in three straight starts and has allowed two earned runs or less in five straight outings, rounding into form in July after missing the first two months of the season with injury. Assuming he stays healthy (always a risk with him), Glasnow looks like a bona fide fantasy ace the rest of the way with a whopping 96 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings. He draws the light-hitting Tigers on the road for his next start, which should be another gem.
Joey Meneses (DH-WSH) powered the Nats to a 5-3 upset win over the Brewers on Monday, going 3-for-4 with a double, a homer and three RBIs. Meneses fell a triple short of the cycle and wasn't intimidated by former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, torching him for a solo shot in his first at-bat of the game against him. Meneses ended up contributing the bulk of Washington's offense with, driving in three of the team's five runs and accounting for three of its seven hits. He ended July on a high note with multiple hits in three of his last six games, boosting his average to .283 and his OPS to .733. Both numbers are well below his .324 average and .930 OPS from his rookie season last year, however, as the 31-year-old has regressed with a major sophomore slump (much of which was expected based on regression). Even so, he's still helping out with his batting average, making him a viable fantasy option despite his light power numbers.
Whit Merrifield (2B/OF-TOR) was one of the few bright spots for the Blue Jays during their 4-2 loss to the Orioles on Monday, going 1-for-5 with a solo homer. His eighth-inning bomb was too little, too late to save the Jays, but it did extend his hitting streak to eight games. He has three homers during that span and nine on the season now, marking his seventh season in a row with at least nine long balls. He's also driven in at least one run in five straight games as well, raising his season total to 50. With a .303 average, a .781 OPS and 21 steals, the All-Star leadoff man has enjoyed a nice renaissance at age 34 after a disappointing 2022 campaign. With so much offensive talent behind him in Toronto's lineup, he's in an ideal spot to keep producing.
Nick Pivetta (P-BOS) took the loss on Monday despite turning in another strong performance against the Mariners. He surrendered three runs on five hits and no walks over 7 1/3 innings, racking up 10 strikeouts in the process. Two of those runs came on solo homers by Cal Raleigh, but for the most part Pivetta was magnificent, throwing 67 of his 104 pitches for strikes. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get much run support as Boston only managed two runs. Pivetta has now recorded double-digit whiffs in two of his last four outings, wrapping up a stellar July where he had a 1.91 ERA, a 3-1 record and a 43:6 K/BB ratio in 28 1/3 innings. Fantasy GMs should be careful with Pivetta, however, who is extremely streaky for a pitcher and has been unable to sustain these hot streaks in the past. Pivetta's next scheduled start is expected to come against the Blue Jays at home this weekend.
Cal Raleigh (C-SEA) went 2-for-4 with two solo homers against the Red Sox on Monday, propelling the Mariners to a 6-2 victory at home. Both of Raleigh's homers came against Nick Pivetta, with the first one tying the game at 1-1 in the second inning and the second one giving Seattle the lead for good. Raleigh's fourth multi-homer game of the year boosts his dinger total to 16 and gives him at least one hit in seven of his last eight games, raising his average to .231 in the process. It's still below the league average but is 20 points higher than his mark last year, so at least he's trending in the right direction there. The 26-year-old slugger is on pace to top 20 homers for the second straight season, making him one of the best power-hitting catchers in the game at a position with few major offensive threats.
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