Bobby Dalbec (BOS): 3-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 7 RBI.
There’s not much generic about Bobby Dalbec lately, who now has seven RBI in his last seven starts. The kicker here is that they all came in one game, but what a game it was. Thursday marked Dalbec’s second two-home run game of the month, giving him 16 on the season, and despite just 94 plate appearances since the All-Star break, the Red Sox slugger is tied with Matt Olsen for third-most RBI by a first baseman in the American League in that time (Olsen has 158 plate appearances) with 23 runs batted in. That may seem a bit more specific than you’d like, but the point remains that even with Dalbec’s struggles to the tune of a 35.5% strikeout rate on the season, he’s been able to come through in most situations with the power, which has been driven by a constant ability to drive the ball and seen in his 44.3% hard-hit rate and an average launch angle of 16.8 degrees on the season.
Dalbec’s three-hit game Thursday was just his third such performance of the season and 23rd multi-hit game of the year, though five of those games have come in August where he’s slashing an impressive .347/.429/.755 and finding a way to shove himself into the potent Boston line up most days, even if it’s typically at the bottom or as a pinch hitter.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Thursday:
Jorge Alfaro (MIA): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Don’t look now but Jorge Alfaro might be useful again down the stretch. Through August, Alfaro has made the third most trips to the plate among major league catchers with 73 and in that time he’s slashing .296/.319/.585. Now perhaps it’s a bit of empty batting average as his Thursday home run was just his fourth of the season and first since July 5th, but in a two catcher league in the final five weeks of the season, even empty batting average out of your second catcher spot can do wonders, especially if it comes with the amount of volume Alfaro has been given in Miami.
Carson Kelly (ARI): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Carson Kelly joined the double-digit homer club with his second long ball in as many games. The pair of home runs were his first since mid-June, but much of that is due to the missed time he experienced through the end of June and just about all of July. Since returning from his IL stint on July 30th, Kelly has been a fixture in Arizona’s lineup, batting clean up in just about every start and slashing .266/.390/.422 with a 15.6 walk rate through 77 plate appearances. Even with the lack of counting stats in that time (11 runs scored, eight RBI), Kelly continues to be a useful second catcher in most leagues and does wonders as the primary catcher in leagues that use OBP.
Christian Walker (ARI): 4-4, R, BB.
Stop me if you’ve experienced this before: you’re scrolling through the box scores and see a team scored eight runs. That team happens to roster one of your fantasy players so of course, you get excited that possibly your player got in on the action. You get even more excited when you see your player had a four-hit affair, but you’re quickly brought down to earth to see that even with the four hits (and a walk), your player was only able to score one run and was not responsible for any of the eight runs batted in throughout the game. Enter Christian Walker’s Thursday night.
Marcus Semien (TOR): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
The man better get paid this offseason.
Ramón Urias (BAL): 3-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Now filling in at shortstop as Jorge Mateo battles back issues, Ramón Urias continues his recent hot streak with a three-hit performance Thursday, marking his fifth multi-hit performance in the past seven games. Urias has been playing all around the infield for the Orioles, carving out an everyday role in Baltimore since the end of June. In that time he’s slashing .288/.362/.449 through 174 plate appearances and has recently driven in a run in six of his last seven games. He will seemingly find a way onto the field even with the recent infield shake-up and should be considered for a bench piece in daily move formats to fill in as starters get random days off between now and the end of the regular season.
Bradley Zimmer (CLE): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, SB.
The Thursday combo meal marked Bradley Zimmer’s third of the season as he continues to have moments in the spotlight among Cleveland outfielders. Zimmer is behind to only Jose Ramirez and Amed Rosario in Cleveland in stolen bases, which is not a bad spot to be considering this is a team that doesn’t mind sending runners when they seem to know what they’re doing, now stealing the third most bases since the All-Star break with 37. If you need a speed boost down the stretch with occasional power output, Zimmer may be the guy for you.
Michael Chavis (PIT): 4-5, 2B, 2 R.
Somewhat surprisingly, since being traded from the Red Sox to the Pirates, Michael Chavis has only recently seen time in Pittsburg after initially being assigned to AAA Indianapolis. Chavis has now seen action for four straight days in Pittsburg, starting at second base in each game and collecting seven hits through his first 17 plate appearances in a Pirates uniform. He’s seemingly been allowed to hit at the top of the lineup as well, making him a slightly more intriguing option down the stretch assuming he can stay there for the final five weeks.
Colin Moran (PIT): 4-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Thursday marked Colin Moran’s third long ball since returning to almost everyday playing time at first base for the Pirates on August sixth. In that time Moran is slashing .304/.339/.500 through 59 plate appearances and has solidified himself as the Pittsburg clean-up hitter once again. Those desperate for a hitting ratio stabilizer down the stretch could do worse than Moran in their corner infield slot.
Gregory Polanco (PIT): 3-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI.
Gregory Polanco now has six hits in his last 10 plate appearances since clearing waivers on Tuesday, which totals his combined hits in his previous 15 games. The recent production shouldn’t be seen as anything beyond an attempt to prove his worth, as there’s a reason he cleared waivers. Slashing .209/.283/.355 through 381 plate appearances on the season will do that.
Featured Imaged by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter)