IF YOU READ ONLY ONE THING…

Corey Kluber pitched a complete game and carried a no-hitter through seven and a third innings to defeat the Twins 8-1 on Sunday. Kluber only needed 100 pitchers to pitch the full nine innings as he struck out ten batters and only walked one. The Twins, having now lost seven of their last eight games, suffered another critical loss as they try to remain in the American League wild card race. The win moves Kluber to 6-12 on the year with a FIP of 2.62 and an ERA of 3.60. Over the past five starts, Kluber has been Jekyll and Hyde alternating between dominant and mediocre starts. After pitching a career high of 235 innings last year, it will be interesting how Kluber fares over the last 7 weeks of the season.

JUST AS WE EXPECTED…

Jake Arrieta has now posted ten straight quality starts after the Cubs defeated the Giants 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Arrieta went seven and two third shutout innings while only surrendering four hits on the day. Arrieta struck out six and limited his walks to two after having trouble with giving up free passes in recent starts. As the Cubs make a push towards the playoffs, Arrieta and rotation mate Jon Lester will be heavily relied upon to continue producing quality starts.

Carlos Gonzalez is once again on a tear in the middle of the Rockies lineup after hitting four home runs in the last four games. Gonzalez’s two home runs on Sunday set the pace for the Rockies offense as they downed the Nationals 6-4. After starting the season slowly, Gonzalez now has a respectable wRC+ of 119. With the loss of Troy Tulowitzki to the Rockies’ lineup, Gonzalez has replaced the lack of power production with his latest power surge. Especially when the Rockies are at home over the last two months of the season, Gonzalez must be considered in all DFS tournament formats.

BUT WE DIDN’T SEE THIS COMING…

The Yankees’ offense continued to struggle against Marco Estrada and the Blue Jays as they were swept by Toronto. The Yankees only scored one run over the three game series at Yankee Stadium. After Toronto’s series of deadline deals, they now only trail the Yankees in the American League East by one and a half games. Marco Estrada led the way for the Blue Jays as he went six and a third scoreless innings striking out six Yankees and only surrendered three hits. The weekend sweep is as much about the Yankees struggles at the plate as it is about the Blue Jays resurgence. This weekend definitely set the tone for an interesting finish to the American League East battle over August and September.

Coming into the game batting a robust .121, Jackie Bradley had the best game at the plate of his career going 2-for-5 with five RBIs and a home run as the Red Sox beat the Tigers 7-2. Bradley, known widely for his defensive prowess, has struggled to stay at the major league level over the past two seasons because of his ineptitude at the plate. As the Red Sox are well out of a playoff position, he is one of many young players who will likely continue to see regular time in the Red Sox lineup. Bradley has never had any problems hitting in the minor leagues but it remains to be seen if this will translate at the majors with consistent playing time. If he can, Bradley could be a surprise player to keep an eye on heading into the 2016 season.

THE REST OF THE DETAILS

SAVE CHANCES

–Roberto Osuna, TOR (10)

–Jake McGee, TB (5)

–Tommy Kahnle, COL (2)

–Ryan Madson, KC (2)

–Francisco Rodriguez, MIL (26)

–Hector Rondon, CHC (19)

–Ken Giles, PHI (6)

–Carson Smith, SEA (12)

–A.J. Ramos, MIA (18)

INJURIES

-Luckily, no structural damage was found after Jose Fernandez was announced to have a right biceps strain. The Marlins are still likely to place Fernandez on the 15-day disabled list.

–Nori Aoki injured the game early on Sunday with an apparent head injury.

–Franklin Gutierrez was held out of the lineup again Sunday due to flulike symptoms.

–Hanley Ramirez was scratched from the lineup on Saturday and remained out of the lineup Sunday with a sore left foot. As of Sunday, he was unable to put any weight on the foot.

–Pablo Sandoval is reportedly day-to-day after he remained out the lineup on Sunday with an arm injury.