Let’s take a moment to talk about Jordan Zimmermann. He’s the archetype for pitchers who focus on elite ERA/WHIP numbers while lacking a bit in the K department, and was expected to sit with a near 3.00 ERA and a WHIP under 1.15. Well, he’s been struggling to get there this season and after last night’s outing of 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks he now holds a 3.36 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Not horrible numbers, but when you’re stomaching a low strikeout rate and sacrificing 1/3 of the stats that starters can control (Wins are very finicky, Drew Hutchison is 9-2 this year), you best be getting an excellent return in the other 66%. This is why I’m lower on guys like Keuchel, Wacha, and Miller than the rest of the pack – it’s tough to salvage starts when the ERA/WHIP isn’t there. I understand that JZ stepped it up in 2014 and had an above average K rate, but it’s looking like a career year, and he’s back to the old ways, with the worst xFIP (3.88) he’s ever had. He’s still in the 40s since he has a decent floor, but I would be shocked to see him change either way in the final months of the season.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Sonny Gray – 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Really good to see this from Gray. Really good.
Noah Syndergaard – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks. Now that’s a beautiful line. He was flirting with perfection, but he’s a Met, so it didn’t work out. Don’t worry about an innings limit – the Mets will be fighting for a playoff spot down the stretch and they’ll make sure he gets those last two starts to give them a shot.
Mike Leake – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. That’s four straight starts of 1 ER or fewer from Leake. He also has a 6.30 K/9 and a 3.38 xFIP in that span. Just saying, enjoy the ride but know the risks.
Trevor Bauer – 9.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. As he’ll tell you, a regression is coming. You may get one more gem out of him before then, though.
Jake Odorizzi – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. There’s the Odorizzi we wanted to see. Gotta love his next five starts against the ChiSox, Mets, Rangers, Oakland, and Twins. Good time to be an Odorizzi owner.
Ubaldo Jimenez – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Is your hair sufficiently pulled out yet? At least he didn’t allowed 7 ER this time.
Jose Fernandez – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks. Four walks? JoFer, this isn’t you.
Brett Anderson – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Looks pretty lame, but you’ll take it.
Yohan Flande – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Flande has limited upside, pitches his home games at Coors Field, and doesn’t deserve a spot on your team. This should be the blurb for every Colorado starter.
Wily Peralta – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. I’m so thrilled that Peralta is back from the DL. Who am I kidding, I’d be happier if the McRib came back and I don’t eat at McDonald’s.
Jaime Garcia – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. This is why I’m hesitant to start guys in their first outing back from the DL. He should be solid moving forward, but I’m still wary that he’ll be able to finish the year without a hitch.
James Shields – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Shields hasn’t had a start with a WHIP under 1.00, at least 7 Ks and a 2.00 ERA or lower since April 11th. Yeah, it’s been that kind of season.
Jeff Samardzija – 8.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. I was thinking about doing a Breakdown on Shark, but we all know who he is. I highly doubt he’ll be moving all too much in the rankings the rest of the way, as he has some upside but it’s way too inconsistent for you to trust in it, especially when he collects an extra 2 ER in the 9th because Ventura refuses to pull him.
Adam Morgan – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. What is this? Value made for ANTS? How can we teach kids to play good if they can’t even see the value?
Chris Young – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. The Royals are cool with it. I am not. Well, that’s implying I had any stock in how Young did.
Mike Pelfrey – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. The Mayor of Bleghtown has returned. Fake-plastic-that-doesn’t-look-close-to-being-real keys to the city for all!
Zack Godley – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Guess he is mortal after all. WHODATHUNKIT.
Charlie Morton – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks. I really want nothing to do with Chuck.
Matt Cain – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. Same with Cain for the most part.
David Price – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Price, come on man. You were on a roll – 11 of your last 12 games were 2 ER or fewer. Don’t be like that, against the freakin’ Rays.
Julio Teheran – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. And the headaches continue.
Collin McHugh – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. Speaking of headaches…There was a glimmer of hope that McHugh was recovering to his 2014 self, but I think that idea has been squashed.
Wade Miley – 5.2 IP, 7 ER, 10 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. Don’t.
Felix Doubront – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Start.
Chris Capuano – 0.2 IP, 5 ER, 3 Hits, 5 BBs, 0 Ks. These.
Martin Perez – 1.0 IP, 8 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks. Pitchers.
Hisashi Iwakuma – 5.2 IP, 6 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Dang this one hurts a bit. He was showcasing his solid floor since his DL stint, but he was never able to get into a groove after a shaky first inning. He should bounce back in Minnesota.
Dallas Beeler – 1.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks. Just a Cup of Schmo. You were never here.
C.J. Wilson – 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Y’all know how I feel about CJ. He’s that guy that seems to be popular with a bunch of people, but you just don’t understand it. Was it all the propoganda about his shampoo?
Today’s Streamer
Patrick Corbin vs. Seattle Mariners – He gets the game in SafeCo against one of the worst offenses in the land on the heels of a 10 K outing. Sign me up.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Matt Shoemaker vs. Houston Astros – Not too high on this one, but Shoemaker is coming off a 10 K outing and faces a team that strikes out more times than my friend Ricky at a bar.
Game of the Day
Lance McCullers vs. Garrett Richards – I’ll be giving McCullers the GIF Breakdown treatment as these two high upside fellas duel in Houston.