Freaks of the Week

FOTW 9/1-9/7

Tyler Glasnow, Tampa Bay Rays

Glasnow is looking to be fully healthy for the first time in a long time and it could not have happened at a better time for the Rays in a year where their starting pitchers have been utterly decimated by injuries, ironic right? The oft injured Glasnow has been an anchor for this team since returning from the injured list and his dominance was on display this past week. In a two start week, Glasnow almost came away with two gems. In his first game, the Rays left Glasnow in a little too long resulting in him blowing the win by giving up 2 runs in the 7th but he still finished with a quality start and 6 Ks. Glasnow came out in his second start of the week pissed off by his previous late game falter and the Red Sox paid the price. Across 6 innings of 1 run ball, he was nearly unhittable striking out 14 BoSox. Rays need Glasnow to stay in top form if they want any chance of succeeding in the ultra competitive AL playoffs.

Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

Altuve is back and he might be better than ever. Altuve was single handedly willing this team to multiple wins this week and it could not have happened at a better time with the Astros entering a crucial series against their rival Rangers. The Astros did not just sweep the Rangers but crushed and demoralized them scoring 10+ in each game and it all started with their captain Altuve at the top of the lineup. Altuve came away from this three game series with 7 hits 6 runs and an epic 5 homers, the man was scolding. This Astros offense has looked reinvigorated over the past month making them a very dangerous unit heading into October.

Justin Steele, Chicago Cubs

Steele is trying his hardest to push Blake Snell for the NL Cy Young. Two weeks in a row now, Steele has completely shut down his opponent. After a clutch 1-0 win over his division rival Brewers, Steele turned up his intensity even higher against the Giants. You could tell from the first pitch that this was going to be a long day for the Giants. Steele went 8 scoreless innings while whiffing 12 displaying a strikeout ability that he has been lacking all season. If Steele keeps up this pace, Blake Snell will need to have an impeccable final month to stay atop the NL Cy Young Award list.

Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs

After a respite in early August, Seiya Suzuki has turned into a new man. Suzuki has been an engine for this team over the last week with him hitting safely in all 8 games they played, but he has not just been getting hits, he has been getting hits in the clutch. Not typically known for his run production, Suzuki looked like an RBI machine against the Giants totaling 3 RBIs in each game against the Giants playing an instrumental role in the home sweep. This is the Cubs' sixth hitter so look out for this Cubs team because their offense is deadly.

Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks

Kelly has to be one of the most under appreciated players in the entire MLB. It may be due to playing in Arizona at the funky 9:40 ET time slot or it may be due to the fact he does not have any elite pitches. But simply put, Kelly is just good at everything. He is not afraid to attack hitters, he has great control and he keeps his pitch count low allowing him to work deep into games. Kelly was on top of his game in his start against the Rockies this week, striking out 12 Rockies allowing 1 run across 7 innings all within just 91 pitches. Kelly paired with Zac Gallen gives the DBacks a top of the line 1-2 punch so if they can hang around and make the playoffs, this team could make a surprisingly deep run into the playoffs.

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