Risers
Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies: Arenado was incredible this past week, going 9-23 (.391) with seven home runs, a double, 14 RBI, and 10 runs in six games. His recent power surge has made him tied for third most home runs this season with 24, behind Todd Frazier’s 24 and Giancarlo Stanton’s 27. Arenado also leads the league in RBI with 68.
Brett Gardner, New York Yankees: Gardner went 13-26 (.500) last week, collecting the most hits in the league in that span of time. Four of his hits were doubles and two were home runs, all the while scoring nine runs with six more batted in.
Curtis Granderson, New York Mets: Granderson had a break-out week, going 11-24 (.458) with four home runs, two doubles, six RBI, and four runs. His recent power surge has caused people to question him remaining in the lead-off spot, as he may have a chance to drive in more runs if he was in the heart of the order, seeing as all four of his home runs were solo home runs.
Kyle Lohse, Milwaukee Brewers: Lohse made one start last week, in which he allowed four runs on six hits and one walk in six innings with two strikeouts. While this does not appear all the impressive, Lohse picked up the win against the Twins, making him the 14th player in MLB history to defeat all 30 major-league teams. The last player to achieve the feat was Dan Haren in August of 2013.
St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals went 6-0 last week, outscoring their opponents, 30-9. They held their opponent to one run on four occasions, two runs once, and three runs once, sweeping the Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs. St. Louis owns the best record in the MLB, and became the fastest team to 50 wins since the White Sox in 2005.
Fallers
Trevor May, Minnesota Twins: May was pulled after just one out in the first on Friday, as he allowed five runs on six hits in a loss to the Brewers. The terrible outing raised May’s season ERA to an unimpressive 4.62.
Wandy Rodriguez, Texas Rangers: After showing promising improvement with a stretch dating back to May 21st, in which he didn’t allow more than three runs a game, Rodriguez gave up eight runs on 11 hits and three walks in four innings with four strikeouts. Rodriguez now owns a 4-3 record this season with a 4.06 ERA.
Dellin Betances, New York Yankees: Betances was possibly the best reliever in the league entering this week, as he had only allowed one run this season. However, after taking over the closer’s role for injured Andrew Miller, Betances allowed four runs on two hits in a blown save on Monday. He has since converted both of his save opportunities without any hiccups.
Johan Santana, Toronto Blue Jays: Santana, who has not pitched in the majors since 2012, was attempting a comeback bid this season on a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays. He had to suspend that bid after being sidelined with a toe infection. Santana, who has a no-hitter to his name, will try another comeback next season.
Miami Marlins: The Marlins went 1-5 last week, being outscored, 9-26. They were swept by the St. Louis Cardinals and lost the series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Miami was shutout once, held to one run thrice, and held to three runs twice. The Marlins also lost slugger and home run leader Giancarlo Stanton to the disabled list with a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. They now stand at a 31-46 record for fourth place in the NL East.