Manny Machado (SD): 4-5, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI.
Only four home runs on the month obviously wasn’t sitting too well with Manny Machado heading into Sunday’s game. The Padres’ third baseman had finally gotten over the four homer hump by knocking out six in July and surely was not going to go backwards in August. Enter the four hit game Sunday, his fourth of the season, that included a pair of long balls, a double, three runs scored, and four batted in. August has been good to Machado, who now sits with an impressive .340/.400/.631 slash on the month through 115 plate appearances.
Call it a change in approach if you want, as Machado has kept the ball away from right field wall pretty much all season, but the results are all that matters in fantasy. Manny has pulled the ball at a 43.1% clip this season, 5.5 pts higher than his career average, sending all of his homers over the left and center field fence this season. There’s not much reason to believe things will (or should) change as we get closer to September and with the former Nationals sandwiched around him in the order, both sets of standard fantasy counting stats should continue to benefit from Manny’s power leaning approach to ball placement.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday
Isaac Paredes (TB): 2-2, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB.
Perhaps Isaac Paredes missed those late June performances as much as everyone else, because it sure looks like he’s trying to recreate them in late August. Paredes now has 6 hits in his last 21 plate appearances, four of which have left the yard and he’s reached base in over half of them. Look, that final two weeks of June spewing into July was a special time, with Paredes hitting eight long balls in that time. So, he’s halfway to recreating it completely as we turn to page into September.
Corey Seager (TEX): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB.
The third member of double bomb club joins for the second time this season, knocking out numbers 27 and 28 on the year against the Tigers’ bullpen Sunday afternoon. Seager has recorded ten multi-hit performances in his last 27 games, including now five homers built into a .305/.383/.505 slash across 120 plate appearances. He’s locked into the second spot of the Rangers’ line up, as he has been most of the season, and should easily make good on the first year of his big contract in Texas.
Jake Cave (MIN): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI, SB.
The only combo meal ordered on Sunday goes to none other than Minnesota’s Jake Cave, obviously. Sunday marked Cave’s second homer of the season and just first stolen base, but each of those shouldn’t be too surprising considered he’s only logged 48 plate appearances on the year, re-joining the Twins’ line up in early August for the first time this season. The injuries to Alex Kirilloff and Miguel Sanó made room, but Max Kepler’s return has pushed Cave to a fourth outfield position on the roster at best.
Kolten Wong (MIL): 3-5, 2 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
These last two days have been a nice change of pace for Kolten Wong as he collects five hits through nine plate appearances with a pair of homers and raising his season-long wRC+ to 110. This weekend’s performance was a welcome change after collecting just 12 hits in the month prior, three of which came in one game at the start of August. Wong is locked into a bit more than a strong-side platoon at the keystone for the Brewers, so if you took a chance on him this weekend then congratulations, but don’t feel compelled to hold for any extended period of time.
Franmil Reyes (CHC): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Someone sure seems to have taken to his new stomping grounds, and that someone is Franmil Reyes. Sunday marked his third long ball in a Cubs’ uniform to go along with a .280/.304/.520 slash through 79 plate appearances. The Franimal is locked in to the middle of that line up as the every day DH and should continue to provide a fun power boost the rest of the way, for both Chicago fans and fantasy managers alike.
David Peralta (TB): 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.
It’s all or nothing lately with David Peralta, with this recent three hit game being his third multi-hit performance in his last five starts. The Rays, unsurprisingly, have kept Peralta on a pretty strict platoon role in left field and though it is the strong side, it makes it him a bit difficult to roster beyond deep daily move leagues and DFS plays.
Michael A. Taylor (KC): 3-6, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Sunday’s performance for Michael A. Taylor was simply a reminder to all those outside of Kansas City who forgot that he still plays baseball that he’s still around. The four runs batted in was the most he’s put up in a single game since he knocked in five on September 8th of…2017. So, there’s that.