Roto Roundup: Cody Ross, Adrian Gonzalez, Clayton Kershaw and Others

Got a late start on today's Roundup, so it might be a little light today.

Red Sox outfielder Cody Ross had a night to remember last night, going 3-5 with 2 HRs, a double and 6 RBI in the Sox 10-1 win over the White Sox. Ross is now hitting .269-.345-.557 with 15 HRs, 16 doubles, 43 runs, 47 RBI and a 61-25 strikeout to walk ratio in 219 at bats. So he strikes out a bit, but he has solid power. I remember reading back in spring training that Ross was a perfect fit for the Green Monster, and that has proven to be very true.

I was watching the Braves-Giants game last night, and Mike Krukow stated that the brown spot on the bill of Craig Kimbrel's cap can only be one thing. Pine tar. It will be interesting to see if anyone ever checks Kimbrel's cap during a game.

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is having a solid start to the second half, huh? Teixeira went 2-3 with a HR and two RBI yesterday, and is now 6-18 since the All Star break with 4 of those hits leaving the yard. He is now hitting .255-.341-.506 with 19 HRs, 54 runs and 63 RBI. He is now on pace for 30+ home runs for the 9th straight season. He will probably need a few 40+ HR seasons to reach 600 for his career.

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw isn't winning as many games as he did in his Cy Young award winning 2011 season, and his peripheral stats are down as well, but he is still one of the best starters in baseball. Kershaw held the Phillies to one run in 8 innings yesterday, giving up just 5 hits, walking none and striking out 7. For the season, Kershaw is 7-5 with a 2.74 ERA, 2.99 FIP and 3.26 xFIP, with a 1.05 WHIP and a 132-35 strikeout to walk ratio in 134.2 innings pitched. Kershaw has given up 11 home runs already, after having given up 15 in 2011. His K% is his lowest since his rookie season.

More Roundup after the jump, including some discussion on Adrian Gonzalez, Pedro Alvarez and others:

Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was the subject of a recent article I penned, focusing on his drop in power this season. It appears he has found his power stroke. Gonzalez went 3-4 with a HR and 4 RBI last night, raising his slash line to .296-.339-.439 with 8 HRs, 45 runs and 55 RBI. Since June 20th, he has hit in 22 of his 23 games, going 36-94 with 4 HRs and 19 RBI and has raised his BA from .257 to .296. The power overall is still down, as he has just 8 extra base hits during the 23 game streak.

Paul wrote about Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez yesterday morning, and he is certainly an intriguing hitter, as he is displaying solid power this season, but the BA is pitiful. Alvarez went 2-4 with a HR yesteday and is now hitting .227-.299-.486 with 19 HRs, 42 runs, 55 RBI and a terrible 99-29 strikeout to walk ratio in 278 at bats. He is striking out in 31.8% of his at bats, while his walk rate sits at 9.3%, which is pretty good for a hitter more known for striking out or hitting a home run. Even with all the strikeouts and low BA, he is on pace for 34 HRs and 98 RBI. Is he the third base version of Adam Dunn?

I asked the question last night on Twitter, and i will ask it here. Right now, who is the NL MVP? Andrew McCutchen or Ryan Braun? But one guy I didn't mention was Reds first baseman Joey Votto, so I will include him here.