It’s been the loneliest week of the year for baseball fans. The last real games were played on Sunday, so there is very little to recap over the course of the week. The American League won the all-star game again to give the American League home field advantage in the World Series. Giancarlo Stanton won the home run derby in spectacular fashion as he hit 61 home runs across three rounds including a 490 foot bomb that was the longest in baseball this season.

It’s been a disappointing season for Stanton and his fans, but hopefully he has discovered something that will get his numbers back to where we normally expect. He already has two hits tonight as the Marlins and Cardinals are entangled in a close game late at press time. He is likely on pace to hit 35 home runs and could drive in 90 runs. Most teams would love to have a hitter that struggles to put up those numbers.

If you read one thing

Most baseball fans enjoy when history is made and we are witnessing history in Washington. Stephen Strasburg improved his record to 13-0 with eight strong innings. He moved his ERA to 2.51 and added six strikeouts on the effort. It’s hard to say whether he should win the Cy Young award even with his record. He likely isn’t the best pitcher in the league, but you have to expect some of the voters to be swayed by his awesome won-loss record to this point. If he finishes strong he still might win it even though Jake Arrieta, Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner, and Clayton Kershaw have been better.

We Kind of Expected

The Indians just keep on winning and they started off the second half of the season in winning fashion against the Twins. It seems if the Twins aren’t playing the Texas Rangers they are completely done. Carlos Carrasco continued his strong season with six and two thirds innings to get his sixth win on the season. His 2.49 ERA is certainly better than most people would think and he has nearly as many strikeouts as innings pitched.

We didn’t expect 

The Brewers came up short on Friday night, but the play of Jonathan Villar continues to overwhelm fantasy fans. He was a fringy guy when he played for the Astros, but regular playing time and low pressure has fit him like a glove. He’s now hitting .300 on the season with six home runs, 32 runs and RBI, and 32 stolen bases. The steals in particular make him one of the more valuable shortstops in fantasy baseball.

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