Sandy Alcantara, SP, MIA
Alcantara went the distance on Saturday night against the Yankees, giving up one run and fanning ten. He now has two complete games in his last four starts and has gone 8+ in three of those contests. With the recent surge, Alcantara has regained his prowess as the league's most durable pitcher. He currently leads the league in innings pitched (158.1) and complete games (3), just like he did a season ago when he took home the NL Cy Young award. However, while the longevity and durability have still been there, Alcantara has not been the Cy Young caliber pitcher in 2023. He has been giving up a lot more home runs (.97 HR/9) and his 4.09 ERA is a far cry from the 2.28 mark he toted in 2022. Alcantara's 3.82 xFIP is very similar to last season's 3.91 mark, so this might just be him getting less fortunate, and the baseball universe's way of evening things out. Regardless, a workhorse like Sandy isn't going to hurt your fantasy team in the vast majority of formats.
Matt Olson, 1B, ATL
Olson went 3 for 5 with two homers, a double, and four RBI in the first game of the Braves doubleheader against the Mets on Saturday afternoon. He went 1 for 4 with a walk in the nightcap. Olson now has 42 home runs on the season, which is a career-high, and overtakes Shohei Ohtani for the league lead. Additionally, his 105 RBI are a league-best by a wide margin. Olson has been a power-hitting, run-producing machine his entire career but is enjoying a career-best campaign in 2023. Not only are his .411 wOBA and 158 wRC+ career-highs but they each rank in the top six in the majors this season.
Tommy Edman, SS/2B/OF, STL
Edman went 2 for 3 with a pair of homers on Saturday evening in Kansas City. The speedy shortstop has found his groove since coming back from injury at the beginning of the month. Edman has hit in eight of his ten starts and is batting .325 (13-40) since August 1st. The switch-hitting 28-year-old has done most of his damage off left-handed pitching this season (both his homers Friday were off LHP) but has been great against righties since his return. He is hitting .346 with a homer, a triple, and two doubles in his last 28 plate appearances versus right-handed pitching. Regardless of handedness, Edman has been simply locked in at the plate in August. His chase rate is down 4.1% and his Z-Contact% is 100% this month. His blend of skills and various position availability (SS/2B/OF) make him an intriguing addition to fantasy teams down the stretch.
Emmanuel Clase, RP, CLE
Clase blew his league-leading 9th save of the season on Friday, giving up three runs on four hits to the Rays. Before yesterday's rough outing, Clase hadn't given up an earned run in 12 consecutive appearances. While the 25-year-old hasn't been as bad as the league-leading blown saves count would suggest, he hasn't been nearly as dominant in Cleveland's closer role in 2023 as he had been the past two seasons. Between 2021 and 2022, Clase owned a 1.33/2.34 ERA/xFIP and racked up 66 saves in 75 opportunities. This season he has a 3.21/3.19 ERA/xFIP and has converted 31 of his 40 save chances. The crux of Clase's issues seems to be with his slider. With an 11.9 wSL last season, his slider devested hitters. His wSL is just 1.4 this season as batters are not chasing it out of the zone. Clase's 34.7% O-Swing% is down 10.1% this season and his SwStr% is down 2.9%. He only throws two pitches, and with batters seemingly recognizing the slider better this season, his high-velocity fastball has also become less effective. Still, Clase is third in the league in saves and his spot as Cleveland's closer seems safe for the foreseeable future.
Zac Gallen, SP, ARI
Gallen shutout the Padres across 6.0 innings on Saturday evening. He struck out eight, walked one, and allowed four hits in the contest. Gallen has been solid this season but had given up three or more earned runs in six of his previous eight starts coming into Saturday. His current 3.24 ERA isn't as sparkly as the 2.54 mark he posted a season ago but certainly has proved his quality again in one of the league's most hitter-friendly parks. His 12 wins are tied for 3rd in the majors while his 155.2 IP rank second.
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