Brandon Young flirted with a no-hitter into the eighth, only to have Ramón Urías break it up with an infield hit that turned into a throwing error, ending the bid and leaving Houston silent at Daikin Park as Baltimore rolled to a 7-0 win.

Young, in his 11th big-league start, rode a fastball up to 95 mph and a cutter, mixing in a curve, splitter and change to navigate a righty-heavy Houston lineup. He exited after eight innings with 93 pitches, six punch-outs and a 83.7 mph average exit velocity against 19 balls in play. Offensively, the Orioles rewarded him with 14 first-half balls in play that yielded timely hits, including Coby Mayo’s two-out homer in the fourth. The Astros’ bats were quiet, with minimal hard contact through six innings, and Valdez yielded four runs, keeping the door open briefly but Baltimore closed it late. Lance McCullers Jr. showed progress on a Sugar Land rehab, signaling depth moves for Houston as the series opened with a notable pitching duel turned one-sided in the Orioles’ favor.

Orioles head to Minute Maid Park in Houston for a rematch with the Astros, with Brandon Young facing Framber Valdez. Valdez sits at 11-5 with a 2.97 ERA and a strong home track record (15-8 this season when he starts), while Houston has just taken a rest after a series win and carries a sharp bullpen presence. On the other side, the Orioles arrive off a pair of wins vs Seattle, led by Gunnar Henderson’s six-game hitting streak, and they’ll lean on Tomoyuki Sugano to bolster the rotation after a midweek win. Diaz’s two-run shot and Brown’s 10th win in a recent gem highlight the latest power on both sides.

Odds tilt Houston (-239) with Baltimore at +196 and a -1.5 spread, and the 8-run total reflects a cautiously optimistic view of the matchup. Trendlines favor Valdez at home, and the Under has hit in many Astros home starts with him on the hill (9-2). Baltimore’s recent success against left-handed starters and the leverage of plus-odds on the Orioles’ bats add intrigue for fantasy managers and bettors alike as this becomes a late-week barometer in the AL scene.

Houston's Hunter Brown extended his momentum, earning his 10th win of the season as the Astros toppled Boston 4-1. Brown delivered 6⅔ innings of one-run ball on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts, finally snapping a six-start winless streak. Offensively, Houston jumped ahead with a leadoff homer by Jeremy Peña off Walker Buehler and a two-run frame from Yainer Díaz, followed by Díaz’s two-run blast in the sixth to widen the gap. Ceddanne Rafaela provided Boston's lone RBI in the second, while Christian Walker made a highlight-reel defensive play to rob Trevor Story in the same frame. The win reinforces Houston's rotation depth and Díaz's continued breakout run, while Pena's early power gives the lineup a much-needed spark for fantasy managers relying on the middle of the order.

From a fantasy perspective, Brown’s efficiency and win upside stay appealing, especially in a favorable upcoming slate. Peña’s table-setter profile and Díaz’s multi-RBI power keep Houston’s top of the order firmly in fantasy consideration, while Rafaela’s speed and glove work add steal and run-improvement potential. Boston, meanwhile, will be chasing consistency from Story’s bat as Rafaela and the rest of the lineup try to sustain pressure on opposing starters. Defensively, Walker’s stand-in moment against Story underscores a few sharp defensive plays that can swing tight ballgames, a reminder that pitchers aren’t the only fantasy assets shaping outcomes on any given night.

The Week 20 sleeper slate centers on four hitters whose current hot runs threaten to outpace their familiar labels: Kerry Carpenter, Andrew Vaughn, Yainer Diaz, and Luke Keaschall. The analysis weighs luck against expected stats (xwOBA, xwOBAcon, BABIP) to separate real upside from daylight-dreams. Carpenter’s surge comes with air-ball tendencies and a career-low walk rate that threatens negative regression, but his elevated hard-hit and barrel metrics hint at sustainment above league-average. Vaughn’s move to Milwaukee has sparked a potential positive regression arc, supported by a rising xwOBA, strong hard-hit rates, and favorable four-seamer/slider matchups. Diaz shows clear signs of positive regression as his xwOBA sits comfortably behind a still-respectable wOBA, with top-pitch threats offering a solid floor. Keaschall, the late-season call-up, has flashed elite numbers in a tiny sample; his sky-high BABIP and rare strikeout mark are impressive but unsustainable, demanding careful roster handling. Collectively, these four offer a mix of proven timing (Vaughn) and breakout risk (Keaschall) that fantasy managers should weigh against playoff schedules and league settings.

Amed Rosario lands on the Yankees’ 10-day injured list with a left SC joint sprain after colliding with the right-field fence in Houston, leaving New York to navigate the outfield mix while he’s sidelined. He’s optimistic about a quick return, aiming to come back exactly when the 10 days expire. The club recalled catcher J.C. Escarra to fill Rosario’s roster spot. Rosario’s brief, productive stretch in four games since the July 26 deal from Washington (3-for-7, several starts in right) underscores the depth challenge for a Yankees club already juggling bodies. Austin Slater’s hamstring strain, suffered after a White Sox trade, adds another depth wrinkle. The mix could tilt toward Grisham and Volpe in the short term, with Escarra offering a catcher’s contribution behind the plate as the team monitors Rosario’s timeline.

Fantasy angles lean toward elevated opportunity for Anthony Volpe, whose run production can benefit if Grisham earns more starts in center and the Yankees optimize their outfield alignment. Rosario’s absence creates a window for reserve outfielders to seize at-bats, while Escarra’s debut behind the plate will be a peripheral fantasy note unless he absorbs regular time. Stay tuned for how Grisham’s defense and baserunning impact daily lineups as the Yankees bridge the next 10 days.