IF YOU READ ONLY ONE THING…

Led by Edwin Encarnacion, the Blue Jays offense continue to mash the ball at an unprecedented clip. While defeating the Angels 12-5, Encarnacion went 4-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Jose Bautista also contributed with three hits of his own and a home run. Over the weekend, the Blue Jays set franchise records in runs (36), hits (48) and batting average (.393). After the weekend sweep of the Angels, the Blue Jays now have a one game lead over the Yankees. With their offensive firepower and the addition of David Price who has been excellent since the trade, Toronto will be a tough out for any team having to face them in October.

JUST AS WE EXPECTED…

While Clayton Kershaw performed exactly as we expected on Sunday, the Dodgers were unable to come away with a victory following an untimely Kenley Jansen blown save leading to a 3-2 Astros victory. Kershaw pitched eight solid innings striking out 10 Astros and only surrendered one run before giving way to Jansen to finish off the ninth. The Dodgers have now lost five straight games including two gems pitched by Kershaw and Zach Greinke.

The Cubs offense was clicking on all cylinders on Sunday including two home runs by rookie Kris Bryant. In route to a 9-3 victory over the Braves, the Cubs got five home runs from their offense including home runs from Kyle Schwarber, Dexter Fowler and Miguel Montero. Bryant, now with 19 home runs on his rookie season, finished the day with three hits, four runs scored and three RBIs. While Bryant is still striking out at an alarmingly high rate of 30.4%, his power production down the stretch will be critical for the Cubs as they enter the last five weeks of the season.

BUT WE DIDN’T SEE THIS COMING…

Logan Verrett was the unexpected winner for the Mets on Sunday after the team decided to push back Matt Harvey’s outing. Verrett had pitched well in seven relief appearances for the Mets but nobody could anticipate the 25-year-old righty going eight innings of one run ball at Coors Field. Verrett kept the Rockies lineup off balance all day striking out eight. The lone run scored by the Rockies was a Carlos Gonzalez home run in the fourth inning. The Mets, now leading the National League East by 4 and a half games over the National, open up a four-game series at Philadelphia on Monday with Jacob deGrom pitching.

Stephen Piscotty, with his third and fourth home runs of the season, led the Cardinals lineup past the Padres 10-3. Piscotty finished the day with three hits, including a triple and the two home runs, to go along with five RBIs. After being called up on July 21 to help the Cardinals’ injured outfield, Piscotty did not hit his first home run until August 16^th. He now has four home runs in his last six games and may be a good fantasy depth option if he is able to stay hot as we enter the fantasy playoffs in a number of leagues. The home runs are likely an anomaly but he may be able to provide value in other categories down the stretch.

THE REST OF THE DETAILS

SAVE CHANCES

–Cody Allen, CLE (26)

–Junichi Tazawa, BOS (blown save)

–Zach Britton, BAL (blown save)

–Kenley Jansen, LAD (blown save)

–Shawn Tolleson, TEX (25)

–Ken Giles, PHI (10)

–Wade Davis, KC (11)

–Tommy Milone, MIN (1)

–Tom Wilhelmsen, SEA (3)

INJURIES

–Johnny Giavotella remained out of the lineup on Sunday with an illness.

–Jed Lowrie left the game early for the Astros with a right thumb contusion.

–Andrelton Simmons was not in Sunday’s lineup for the Braves due to left knee discomfort.

–J.J. Hardy remained out of the lineup on Sunday with groin discomfort. The Orioles are considering the shortstop day-to-day.

-After leaving Saturday’s game early with an apparent head injury, Derek Norris remained out of the lineup on Sunday. X-rays were negative.

-The Pirates placed Travis Ishikawa on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain.

-After being sidelined the last four days with neck stiffness, Glen Perkins pitched in relief for the Twins in the eleventh inning. Perkins surrendered two hits and struck out one while picking up the win for Minnesota.

–C.C. Sabathia exited the game early on Sunday with right knee pain.