First thing's first: We've got to give it up for Elly De La Cruz, who had not just one, not just two, not just three, but four stolen bases Thursday, bringing him to 30 in what's only been 44 games for the Reds. You have to go back to Kenny Lofton in 1996 to find a player with that many stolen bases through that number of games, and before that, Rickey Henderson in 1988. Ronald Acuna had only 18 through the Braves' first 44 games last year, and his final total of 73 was the highest we had seen in quite some time. De La Cruz is currently on pace for well over 100 steals, and while his hitting profile still has its drawbacks (namely the strikeout and ground-ball rates), it's sort of a moot point if he's going to be this prolific of a base-stealer.

(For those who delight in pointing out that it wouldn't be happening if not for last year's rule changes, that's probably true. But it is happening, and few of us have seen anything like it before. And certainly no one other than De La Cruz is doing it now.)

Though it's nowhere near as impressive (because what would be?), Bryson Stott's two stolen bases Thursday bring him up to 12 on the season, and he's also batting .409 (18 for 44) with three homers in his past 15 games. Perhaps the clearest indicator of his growth here in Year 3, though, is his near 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe continued to demonstrate his growth with his sixth home run and ninth stolen base on the year.

On the pitching side, Justin Steele struggled for the second straight outing, but it's probably just rust from his time missed with a hamstring injury. You can sit him for his next start against the Braves. Cristian Javier actually looked like his old dominant self against the Athletics, striking out eight and registering 15 whiffs over six two-hit innings. His velocity was down across the board, but it may have been intentional given the increased movement on his slider and changeup. We at least have some hope for now..

Of course, the most notable pitching performance Thursday belonged to Clarke Schmidt, who tossed eight shutout innings to lower his ERA to 2.49. He's among my 10 sleeper pitchers for Week 9 (May 20-26).

It's time to look ahead at Week 9 with our two-start pitcher rankings. Here are some of the highlights from who made the top-10 best two-start pitchers in our look ahead:

• No. 7: Logan Webb, SP, Giants: @ Pirates, @ Mets
• No. 8: Yusei Kikuchi SP, Blue Jays vs. White Sox, @ Tigers
• No. 9: Tanner Houck, SP, Red Sox: @ Rays, @ Brewers
• No. 10: Jose Berrios, SP, Blue Jays: vs. White Sox, @ Tigers

You can find our complete list of sleeper pitchers here.

Reese Olson, SP, Tigers

The only reason Reese Olson is so available is that he happens to be 0-4, but it's hardly his fault, looking at the rest of his numbers. Something tells me his luck is about to turn with the Royals and Blue Jays on the schedule, the latter of which ranks 29th in runs scored.

Taj Bradley, SP, Rays

Now recovered from a strained pectoral, Taj Bradley seems poised to take a step forward in his sophomore season, having delivered two strong efforts already. A two-start week seems like a good time to put his upside to the test, especially since neither of the matchups is an albatross.

Bryan Woo, SP, Mariners

Bryan Woo was able to extend himself to 5 1/3 innings last time out after his first start back from the IL was cut short by forearm tightness. Through it all, the pitching has been top notch, as usual, and having a second start this week should alleviate concerns about his longevity.

Michael Wacha, SP, Royals

After a rocky start to the season, Michael Wacha appears to have gotten back on track with back-to-back quality starts. He's a solid bet for two more with the Tigers and Rays on the schedule this week, two offenses that rank in the bottom half in runs scored.

Clarke Schmidt, SP, Yankees

Clarke Schmidt was harder to take seriously when he was throwing five innings at a time, but his last two starts have seen him extend to 6 2/3 innings and eight innings, respectively. While his 2.49 ERA is too good to be true, the ERA estimators are favorable enough, in large part because of his improved bat-missing ability.

You can find our complete list of sleeper hitters here. 

J.D. Martinez, DH, Mets

If J.D. Martinez has been passed over in your league, it's only because he signed late and wasn't available for the start of the season. But he's available now, playing every day, and beginning to get his timing down. Pick him up for a week of matchups like Ben Lively, Carlos Carrasco, Triston McKenzie and Keaton Winn and then maybe just hold onto him after that.

Wilyer Abreu, RF, Red Sox

With a patient approach at the plate and a swing that's optimized for power, Wilyer Abreu may have emerged as a must-start by now if he wasn't sitting so regularly against lefties. Well, there's only one on the schedule this week, which ends against the Brewers' not-so-illustrious trio of Bryse Wilson, Colin Rea and Joe Ross.

Andy Pages, RF, Dodgers

Andy Pages' recent downturn has led to him being dropped in enough leagues to qualify for this list again, and he still offers some of the most upside of anyone on it. Pitchers like Slade Cecconi, Ryne Nelson, Graham Ashcraft and Andrew Abbott aren't exactly known for being bat-missers, and the last three of Pages' games this week will be in homer-friendly Cincinnati.

Brenton Doyle, CF, Rockies

Brenton Doyle has cut his strikeouts down to a more manageable level this year while continuing to deliver power and speed. He's at his best at home, of course -- and the Rockies do have three games there this week -- but even the road games might be favorable given that they're against the Athletics pitching staff.

Zack Gelof, 2B, Athletics

Newly returned from an oblique injury, Zack Gelof has yet to find his groove at the plate this season, but his power/speed profile is still enticing at a position with few standouts. I'm hopeful this is the week he heats up with the Athletics facing the Rockies pitching staff for three games.

• The Dodgers announced that Emmet Sheehan underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery Wednesday. We probably won't see him until around the All-Star break next year.

• Sheehan isn't the only one. It turns out Ken Waldichuk underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday as well.

• Trea Turner went through a workout for the second day in a row. He went through agility drills, took grounders and hit in the batting cage. He's less than two weeks into a projected six-week timetable.

• Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said that Kodai Senga recently had "a good bullpen" session where he was making some strides. They still aren't sure when Senga will go out on a rehab assignment.

• Nolan Jones began a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Wednesday, and went 0-3 with a strikeout and RBI.
• Nico Hoerner has missed three straight with left hamstring tightness.

• Sean Murphy will begin rehab assignment next week. He's been out since Opening Day with an oblique strain.

• Jorge Soler started up his rehab assignment at Triple-A on Wednesday,and went 0-4 with a strikeout.

• Taijuan Walker left his start Thursday after getting hit on the foot by a comebacker. X-rays came back negative.

• It looks like the Jonny DeLuca experience didn't last very long. He's now sat three of the past four games. 

• DJ LeMahieu is in line to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A on Friday.

• Byron Buxton played another rehab game at Triple-A on Thursday and is targeting a return to the Twins on Saturday.