1. Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs. OK, there were some great pitching performances on this night, but I wanted to talk about Rizzo because it's time we talk about Rizzo. The Cubs first baseman belted a three-run home run in the third inning to give the Cubs a 4-0 lead on their way to a 7-1 victory over Braves. He's now hitting .291/.402/.538, with 24 home runs and 73 RBIs. Considering his numbers, his importance to the Chicago lineup, his designation as team leader, and the Cubs' place in the playoff race, he's become a strong MVP contender.

Rizzo turned on a first-pitch, 97.7 mph heater from Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, hooking it just inside the right-field foul pole. Rizzo stands right on top of the plate, daring pitchers to throw inside fastballs past him. That leads to a lot of HBPs -- he's been hit 24 times, a Cubs record -- but gives him outstanding plate coverage.

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By standing close to the plate, Rizzo can still yank those outside pitches with authority -- only one of his 24 home runs has gone left of center field. When it comes to his power, he's a dead-pull hitter. Overall, he ranks ninth in the majors in wOBA on pitches in the outer third of the strike zone (or outside).

Rizzo is a rarity these days: a power hitter who averages fewer than one strikeout per game. Among the 58 hitters with at least 15 home runs, the only ones with a lower strikeout rate are Buster Posey, Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder. Only six of Rizzo's two home runs have come with two strikes, as he does his damage early in the count. In fact, what's interesting is that Rizzo isn't a great two-strike hitter, ranking just 47th among qualified hitters in two-strike wOBA; but with one strike or no strikes, he's hitting .387 and ranks seventh in wOBA. So you can try and get ahead of Rizzo with a fastball, but you better spot it in the right place: He has the sixth-best wOBA in the majors against fastballs.

As for the MVP race, here are the position-player WAR leaders entering Thursday:

Bryce Harper, 7.3

Paul Goldschmidt, 6.9

Brandon Crawford, 6.0

Posey, 5.6

Rizzo, 5.5

A.J. Pollock, 5.5

Joey Votto, 5.1

Only one of those guys is on a team currently in a playoff position, and that's why Rizzo's stock is rising. While some of us believe the MVP Award should simply go to the best player, that's not really how the award is voted on; it's a mixture of numbers, making the playoffs, headlines and big hits, and narrative. Rizzo's narrative is building: His team wasn't supposed to be here, he's been the one constant in a lineup that struggled to score runs at time, he has one of the signature moments of the season with his catch in the stands, and he has a great personal story, beating cancer as a minor leaguer. And did I mention he plays for the Cubs? Heck, he even declared before the season that the Cubs would win the NL Central.

That probably won't happen with the season the Cardinals are having, but making the playoffs is looking like a strong possibility. And that puts Rizzo in the thick of the MVP discussion.

1a. Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs. Can you say ace? Arrieta allowed 15 balls in play -- all on the ground, the first pitcher in the past 10 years to go at least six innings and not allow a fly ball.

2. Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays. Archer is probably a tick behind Sonny Gray and Dallas Keuchel in the Cy Young race, but with a late surge down the stretch -- like Corey Kluber had last season -- he still has a chance, especially since he owns a big edge in strikeouts over those two. Archer allowed only a fifth-inning single in pitching a one-hit, one-walk, 11-strikeout complete game victory, 1-0 over the Astros, improving to 11-9 with a 2.77 ERA and passing over 200 strikeouts. Not only did Archer throw the one-hit shutout, he threw a Maddux: a complete-game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches (in honor of Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, as originally coined by SweetSpot founder Rob Neyer).

Two lists. Here are the highest Game Scores of 2015:

Max Scherzer, Nationals, 6/14 vs. MIL: 100 (9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 16 SO)

Cole Hamels, Phillies, 7/25 vs. CHC: 98 (9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 13 SO)

Chris Heston, Giants, 6/9 vs. NYM: 98 (9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB 11 SO)

Corey Kluber, Indians, 5/13 vs. STL: 98 (8 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 18 SO)

Max Scherzer, Nationals, 6/20 vs. PIT: 97 (9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 S0)

Chris Archer, Rays, 8/20 vs. HOU: 95 (9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 SO)

Note: HBPs are counted against in Game Score; Heston hit three and Scherzer hit one in his no-hitter.

And here's the list of pitchers to throw a Maddux this year while striking out at least 10 batters:

Chris Archer.

That's it. He's the first guy. Two guys did it last season: Carlos Carrasco and Madison Bumgarner. Maddux himself had 13 in his career -- but never in a game in which he fanned 10 batters.

Whoa!! @ChrisArcher42 had a short memory!! Gotta have it...nicely done King!! — David Price (@DAVIDprice14) August 21, 2015

The Rays have Chris Archer through 2019 for $23M (w/ 2020-21 options at $18.25M total). Justin Verlander gets $28M every year through 2019. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 21, 2015

3. Alfredo Simon, Detroit Tigers. Hey, another one-hitter! When's the last time we had two complete-game one-hitters on the same day? May 10, 2013: Jon Lester of the Red Sox and Shelby Miller of the Cardinals.

Alfredo Simon gets first career shutout. Tigers get third straight win for first time in nearly two months with 4-0 victory over Rangers. — Jason Beck (@beckjason) August 21, 2015

4. Minnesota Twins offense. The Twins are hanging by the fingernails in the wild-card race. They really need something like a five- or six-game winning streak to get back in the thick of things with the Angels and Orioles. Crushing Baltimore 15-2 with an 18-hit attack in the first of a four-game series certainly. Oh ... how about early dibs on Miguel Sano, 2016 AL home runs leader?

5. Fair poles. Especially when Marcell Ozuna of the Miami Marlins hits a home run that bounces off the top of one.