⚾️ MLB 7/8: SM Daily Notes 🏟️
A daily report of everything you need to know for today's MLB slate
Hey all! We had more history made on Monday as Manny Machado became the fifth active player to reach 2,000 hits. He also became just one of 11 all-time players in MLB history to have 350 home runs and 2,000 hits before his age 32-season.
Before we get into today’s preview we have a quick scheduling note. This will be the last write-up before the all-star break as we will be taking a few days off for some traveling. We promise to be back next week with content to get you set-up for the second half of the season.
Until then, enjoy today’s action and have a great week!
Pitchers
Logan Gilbert (vs. NYY)
Gilbert has struggled to go deep into games the past week times out, but the right-hander still has six our more strikeouts in five of his last six appearances. Gilbert’s xERA (2.61) is almost a full run lower than his actual mark (3.40) indicating some positive regression coming soon. He has elite marks in K % (36.8) and Whiff % (36.9) while having one of the best extensions in the game (7.5). Yankees have the 5th-highest K% in the league this season (22.9%).
Eury Perez (vs. CIN)
The 22-year-old threw a gem last time out when he went six-shutout innings with seven strikeouts vs. Minnesota. He faces a Cincinnati team that is striking out at a 24.3% clip over the last week. Perez ranks in the top 5% of the league in fastball velocity (98) and has been limiting hard-contact at an elite clip (31.1). Reds are top five in the league in strikeout % vs. RHP (23.2).
Jose Soriano (vs. TEX)
Back to the well with Soriano. He was fantastic last time out vs. Atlanta where he struck out seven in seven shutout innings. He faces a Texas lineup that is bottom five of the league in wOBA vs. RHP (.298). Soriano has been elite at getting teams to hit groundballs, doing so at a 66.9% rate. The right-hander has a 2.35 ERA in 15 IP vs. Texas for his career.
Merrill Kelly (vs. SDP)
Kelly has been solid over his last 15 starts, a 2.93 ERA with 96 SO in 89 IP and a WHIP of exactly one. Kelly ranks in the top 2% of the league with his off speed pitches, generating a 8 run value. Petco Park is in the top five hardest places to pitch, according to park factors. Kelly has a 3.49 ERA in nine games started at Petco for his career.
Robbie Ray (vs. PHI)
Ray has been absolutely locked-in over his lasts even starts, he has 48 punch-outs in 44 IP and a 2.86 ERA and a WHIP at exactly 1. He is back at Oracle Park where he is even more dominant (2.57 ERA) and ranks as a great place to pitch. Ray has been leaning on his elite fastball as it has a whiff rate of 24.1% and has ranked in the 10% of the league in run value (8).
Others to Consider
Ryan Pepiot (vs. DET)
Seth Lugo (vs. PIT)
Nick Pivetta (vs. ARI)
Batters
Jordan Westburg (vs. NYM)
If only this man could stay healthy for a whole season. He has some tremendous upside and just needs to be on the field more. He is back from injury and has hits in three-straight including a home run. Westburg ranked in the top 10% of the league last season in xBA and xSLG and is showing what he can do when fully healthy. He is facing the Mets who he has a career OPS of 1.189 with a home run in three games.
Jorge Polanco (vs. NYY)
Polanco is trending up recently and comes into this game with a favorable matchup vs. Will Warren who he has a 1.167 OPS against. In just five games this month he is hitting over .300 with a .982 OPS in his 19 at-bats. Jorger has a career .867 OPS with nine home runs in 32 games started. His squared-up % of 32.6 puts him in the top 10% of the league.
Roman Anthony (vs. COL)
The 21-year-old may have officially arrived after his three-hit performance last night, including a home run. After a slowish start, Anthony is slashing .346/.414/.538 in his last six games with nine hits and five runs scored. He is seeing the ball well with an average exit velocity of 94.2 on the season. Fenway ranks as the second-best place to hit for left-handers over the last three seasons.
Agustin Ramirez (vs. CIN)
Ramirez had two hits last night, including a home run which was his 14th of the season which puts him first among all rookie catchers and 4th overall. He is slugging .554 over his last 15 games and has hit 10 of his 14 home runs away from home this season. His road OPS (.870) is more than 200 better than his home mark (.644) and is playing in Great American Ball Park which is the 5th best place to hit.
Nathan Lukes (vs. CWS)
Lukes has an 1.000 OPS vs. Aaron Civale and had a home run in last night’s victory. In his last seven games, Lukes is slashing .389/.500/.667 and has four walks to just one strikeout. Look to see if he is batting lead-off again tonight, he has an OPS of 1.379 on the season in the first slot of the lineup. He has elite ranks in his whiff % (14.9) and K % (11.6) this season which is helping him get on-base with better at-bats. The Blue Jays have won nine straight and should look to stay hot vs. a team with a bottom 10 ERA.
Others to Consider:
Spencer Steer (vs. MIA)
Tommy Pham (vs. KCR)
Michael Busch (vs. MIN)