Olson Twins
Matt Olson (ATL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.
Two home runs on Sunday? You got it, dude.
Matt Olson continued to make fantasy managers happy with a pair of home runs and five RBI to lead the Braves to victory. Now the National League leader in home runs and the MLB leader in RBI, Olson has been everything that fantasy managers envisioned when they either drafted him in the first five rounds or traded for him more recently.
Matt Olson (ATL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.
Matt Olson continued his torrid pace on Sunday against the Brewers with a pair of home runs, including the game-winner in the eighth to lead the Braves to an 8-6 victory. In the third inning, Olson took a 2-2 sinker down and in and yanked it down the line 361 feet in the direction of the Chop House for a three-run shot to put the Braves ahead, 5-3. With the game tied in the eighth inning, Olson stepped up and hammered a two-run blast 430 feet to left-center to give the team an 8-6 win. Olson notched his 34th and 35th home runs and drove in five RBI to bring his season total to an MLB-leading 88.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday
Gary Sánchez (SD): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The Kraken continued his assault on the baseball so far this season, smacking his 11th and 12th of the season as the Padres defeated the Rangers, 5-3. Since signing with the Padres, Sanchez has recorded a top-100 xWOBA (.342) while maintaining a respectable 27.4% hard contact rate. Most notably, he’s reduced his strikeout rate to a career-low 22.7% this season, which has made a crucial difference in his game. At one of my in-person salary cap drafts this spring, my fellow fantasy managers and I laughed audibly when Sanchez was taken for a $1 bid (before he signed with a team). Who’s laughing now?
J.P. Crawford (SEA): 2-3, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB.
Crawford mashed a couple of extra-base hits as the Mariners blanked the Diamondbacks, 4-0. Crawford smoked a 3-1 fastball into the right field bleachers in the second inning and added a late inning double to bolster his day. Though Crawford doesn’t boast the exciting tools of the elite shortstops in the league, he’s a solid choice at middle infield in deeper leagues.
Josh Palacios (PIT): 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Palacios received more than two at-bats in a game for the first time since July 3rd, and it paid off for the Pirates as he posted three hits including a walk-off two-run home run. Palacios took advantage of the Phillies bullpen, tagging a single in the sixth, a double in the eighth and then a walk-off bomb in the 10th. Palacios lifted a 2-0 slider into the right field stands as the Pirates earned the win over their turnpike rivals on Sunday
Joey Votto (CIN): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
The Reds blasted the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon, and Joey Votto made the most of the hit parade with a double and a home run. Votto crushed a 2-1 cutter into the right field seats in the third inning. In a spectacular piece of hitting, Votto added an RBI double in the ninth, placing a 49-mph Miguel Rojas eephus pitch into left center to score. Since returning from the All-Star Break, Votto has hit just two home runs with his batting average dipping to .194. He’ll need to get right for fantasy managers to consider him down the stretch.
Jean Segura (MIA): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Despite batting just .222 so far this season, Segura provided the Marlins a big lift on Sunday with a late-inning solo home run, providing crucial insurance in the bottom of the eighth of an 8-6 win. Segura homered off a fastball straight away to dead center, swatting it 432 feet. Though he hasn’t lived up to expectations this season, Segura’s positional eligibility and consistent playing time make him at least viable in deeper leagues on a streaming basis.
Adam Duvall (BOS): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.
Duvall homered for the Red Sox, but it wasn’t enough as Boston fell to the Giants in extra innings on Sunday. He smashed a 2-2 changeup to left center for a solo shot to get the Red Sox on the board in the seventh. Duvall hit four home runs through seven games in April before suffering an injury. Since returning on June 9, he’s homered just five times. Obviously, he was never going to keep up the ridiculous pace from the first week of the season, but he’s been largely disappointing since his return.
Carlos Santana (MIL): 1-4, HR, R, RBI, BB.
Settling in in his new surroundings, Carlos Santana lifted a solo home run in the third inning as the Brewers fell to the Braves, 8-6. Most notable for Santana on Sunday may not have been his home run, but his position in the batting order. He batted third against a right-handed starter, smack dab in the middle of a pretty dangerous Milwaukee lineup. This makes Santana an interesting name moving forward for the rest of the season, assuming he’ll see the lion’s share of playing time at first base for the Brewers.
CJ Abrams (WSH): 2-3, R, 3 SB.
If the season began after the All-Star Break, Abrams would be in the conversation — well behind Ronald Acuña Jr., but IN THE CONVERSATION — for National League MVP. In 16 games since the break, Abrams has batted .308 (20-for-65) with three home runs and 10 stolen bases. He contributed to those totals on Sunday with a pair of base hits and three stolen bases, but the Nationals fell to the Mets, 5-2. He stole second twice and added a steal of home (as part of a first and third double steal play with Jeimer Candelario). Abrams is a buy-high candidate. He’s breaking out before our eyes.