Chris Bassitt gave up five runs -- three earned -- in 3 2/3 innings Sunday in a loss to the Rangers.
Well, Bassitt isn't the first quality pitcher to get roughed up by the Rangers this year. Still, this makes two lousy starts in a row for him, and his ERA is back up to 4.16. His 73 pitches tonight produced just one miss on 35 swings. The good news is that he gets the A's next.
Jon Gray, who missed his last start with a blister, lasted just 2 1/3 innings and was lit up for six runs by the Blue Jays on Sunday.
Perhaps the blister was a factor, as Gray gave up one more run tonight than in his previous six starts combined. Still, he managed to avoid a loss after a Rangers rally. That makes up for last time out, when he threw a complete game against the Cardinals and took a 1-0 loss.
Leody Taveras finished 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI as the Rangers topped the Blue Jays 11-7 on Sunday.
The Rangers overcame a 6-0 deficit by banging out 15 hits today. The homer by Taveras was his sixth in 15 games this month. He was hitting well before this, too, but he had just two homers in 42 games through the end of May.
Ezequiel Duran went 4-for-5 with a double and three runs scored against the Blue Jays on Sunday.
Duran was making his second straight start in left after sitting in favor of Travis Jankowski the previous two days. It's tough using him in mixed leagues when he's not an everyday player, but he's been excellent in hitting .309/.356/.509 with eight homers and three steals in 188 plate appearances.
Corey Seager went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI against the Blue Jays in Sunday's win.
Seager is hitting a crazy .424/.479/.788 with 17 RBI in 16 games this month. He doesn't qualify for the batting title after missing time with a hamstring strain, but among everyone with 100 plate appearances, he's second in the majors in OPS, barely behind Aaron Judge (1.076 to 1.078).
Louie Varland was tagged for six runs in 4 1/3 innings Sunday in a loss to the Tigers.
Kenta Maeda hasn't looked particularly strong on his rehab assignment, but with Varland fading fast, the Twins might go ahead and make the switch. Sending Varland down would allow the team to bring up a fresh arm in advance of a four-game series against the Red Sox.
Alex Lange gave up three runs without retiring a batter in the eighth inning Sunday against the Twins.
Lange walked two, hit two batters and gave up a double before being pulled in the eighth. A stellar reliever for two months, he's walked five and given up 10 runs over four innings in his last six appearances. With Jason Foley seemingly supplanting him in Detroit, he's droppable in fantasy leagues.
Jordan Balazovic pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings out of the pen in his major league debut Sunday against the Tigers.
Balazovic needed just 40 pitches to get 11 outs, which seems big for his short-term future. Perhaps he'll be sent back to Triple-A anyway, but since he should only be unavailable for two days, he has a chance of sticking around.
Joey Gallo struck out all four times up against the Tigers on Sunday.
Gallo went 3-for-10 with just one strikeout in four games since returning from the IL, but he had an ugly game today in his second golden sombrero of the year. He's sitting at .191/.320/.467.
Andy Ibáñez went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in the Tigers' 6-4 takedown of the Twins on Sunday.
Ibáñez is 11-for-23 with two homers and just two strikeouts in his last seven games, taking his average from .172 to .230 and his OPS from .497 to .689. He'll surely keep playing until he cools off, but there still isn't enough here to warrant a pickup in most mixed leagues.
Casey Schmitt was removed from Sunday's contest against the Dodgers after being hit in the arm by a pitch during the eighth inning.
Schmitt was drilled on his right arm. He remained in the game initially to run the bases for himself, but was ultimately lifted for defensive purposes the following inning. He'll head for further evaluation -- and likely imaging -- just to rule out any potential fractures.
Alex Bregman went 3-for-5 with a triple, a double and a walk against the Reds on Sunday.
Unfortunately, the good Bregman did offensively was undone by his throwing error on a bunt in the 10th, opening the door for the Reds to score three times in the inning. Bregman had gone hitless in four straight games coming into the day.
Jonathan India hit his 10th homer Sunday in the win over the Astros.
India's homer tied the game in the eighth. He later went down hard after being taken out on a double play in the ninth, and he appeared to be shaken up. However, he remained in the game then, only to exit for a pinch-runner after being hit by a pitch in the 10th. He said after the game that he was fine and that he'd be ready to go Monday.
Ronel Blanco surrendered five runs in 5 2/3 innings Sunday in a no-decision against the Reds.
Blanco was penciled in to start today regardless, but he was essentially handed a spot in the Astros rotation with the decision to send down Brandon Bielak before the game. Unfortunately, he didn't do much with it today in his first appearance in 11 days. Blanco will probably get another chance next weekend, though the Astros have both Thursday and next Monday off, giving them a chance to go with just four starters for a spell if they'd like.
Jake Fraley homered in the second and drove in runs in both the sixth and 10th innings as the Reds topped the Astros 9-7 on Sunday.
That's a nice first game back from the injured list. Dating back to June 3, Fraley has homered in three of his last four starts. He'll have to remain in the lineup against righties after Wil Myers and Joey Votto are activated.
Kyle Tucker had two hits, two walks, a steal and three runs scored versus the Reds on Sunday.
Tucker is batting .328 with two homers and five steals in five tries this month. Batting third today, he was able to score three times for the first time this season. He's scored a total of 30 runs in 70 games while typically hitting too low in the Astros lineup.
Starting in left field against a righty, Connor Joe went 0-for-4 and struck out three times against the Brewers on Sunday.
Joe has been starting against righties about half of the time, but that figures to change with Henry Davis coming up. With Davis available to start in right field and DH, Joe should be more of a platoon guy, maximizing his usefulness. He currently has a 1.029 OPS versus lefties and a .634 OPS against righties.
Tigers acquired RHP Blaie Calvo from the Rockies for cash considerations.
The right-hander was subsequently optioned to Triple-A Toledo. Calvo had been designated for assignment by the Rockies earlier in the week. The 27-year-old hurler has registered a 7.43 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and a 32/10 K/BB ratio over 23 innings at Triple-A Albuquerque this season. He'll add bullpen depth for the Tigers.
Tigers designated RHP Braden Bristo for assignment.
The Tigers' needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster for Sunday's acquisition of Blair Calvo from the Rockies, and it looks like Bristo was the odd-man out this time around. The 28-year-old hurler has registered a 2.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a 5/4 K/BB ratio over seven frames between the Rays and Tigers this season. He could pique another club's interest on waivers once again.
Chase Anderson was torched for seven runs over three innings on Sunday in a loss to the Braves.
Anderson has pitched extremely well over the last few weeks for Colorado, but he ran into an absolute buzzsaw in this outing. He walked four batters and gave up seven hits, including three-run homers to Eddie Rosario and Ozzie Albies, respectively. He'll bring a pedestrian 4.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 27/12 K/BB ratio across 39 1/3 innings (nine appearances, seven starts) into a home outing Saturday against the Angels.