I didn’t expect a whole lot from Reynaldo Lopez as he made his MLB debut against the Dodgers, and even though his 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks may make you more confused how to feel than winning a free pack of football cards, I came away feeling much better about the kid than I expected. A super lively heater sitting 96+ through the start, with an excellent hook to boot. I was actually a bit frustrated watching him in the first inning since he continuously hit his spot and the Dodgers still hit the ball. Nats Announcer F. P. Santangelo suggested it was tipping pitches, I say Jose Loboton calling bad pitches, like an elevated 0-2 fastball to Justin Turner that was smacked for a double. But I digress. I think it’s a lot harder to go 9/1 K per BB than it is to drop those ER from 6 to 2, and Lopez has good enough stuff to make an impact…at some point. It’s uncertain if he’s going to spend much more time up as Joe Ross will need to be covered about two more times before heading back into the rotation. If Lopez gets one more shot, I absolutely love him against the Padres next week and so should you.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Blake Snell – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks. Wow, super impressed by Snell going into Coors and not getting demolished. I’m totally on board with Snell against the A’s + Yanks + Twins ahead. Just be cautious if you’re in a H2H league as Snell will be getting the trio of AL Beast teams again at the end of August through September and it could be super rocky for your playoff run.
Scott Kazmir – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks. Also really impressed with this Kaz start against the Nationals. That’s 23 Ks in his last three games, but bad news is that he gets the Cards/Dbacks (fine)/Coors next.
Jake Arrieta – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. Aces gonna ace.
Tommy Milone – 8.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Milone Schmilone. Seriously, we want Berrios and this isn’t helping.
Vincent Velasquez – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks. He did his job against the Marlins and VV is hanging out at 85 innings. I still think it’s a bit possible the Phils let him fly outside one or two starts at the end – and maybe even those too – though if you’re expecting a 10.30 K/9 to be realized often, you’ll be disappointed to find out he’s earned 7 or more strikeouts just five times in 16 starts this year.
Rick Porcello – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Porcello keeps on rolling. He’s holding a 2.47 ERA in his last seven starts, though just collecting 32 Ks in that time and a 4.2% HR/FB leading to a 4.27 xFIP. That’s not particularly encouraging, but I’d keep rolling with him, especially against the Twins.
Aaron Sanchez – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. Man, I’d easily consider Sanchez Top 25 if it weren’t for his innings limit, which I understand isn’t set in stone, but I’d be shocked if the Blue Jays suddenly went against convention and let him ride. Anyway, enjoy it while it lasts.
Jose Urena – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. The Fish gave Urena a chance in the rotation and it worked out for them. Safety Not Guaranteed for the next start. They have only done it once before, after all.
Jameson Taillon – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. Dude gets hit in the head at 105 mph with a line drive and stayed in the game. YOU’RE MY BOY TAILLON.
Junior Guerra – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. Great all around outing from Guerra, not amazing but solid stuff all around. Too bad he gets the Cubs next, but it’s pretty smooth sailing after that for a bit.
Cody Reed – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Our Call Boy did his thang against the Braves. Beautiful, now don’t trust him against the Giants.
Jose Quintana – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. Great to see a rebound from Quintana even if it came with a 1.50 WHIP. Whatever, I want those Quality Starts back!
Noah Syndergaard – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. This was against the Cubs and he escaped without an ER (one unearned, though). Kinda nuts that he’s pitching again so soon after that 93/91 mph scare. I love Thor when he pitches and if the Mets feel safe pitching him then you should too. I wonder what this does to his 2017 stock though…
Dallas Keuchel – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. Keuchel has become a solid Toby and I’m totally fine with that.
Nathan Eovaldi – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. In Eovaldi’s return to the rotation, he didn’t fall on his face, which is a serious plus for the kid! Especially since the Yankees are trying to deal him (FINALLY!)
Jake Peavy – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Crazy to see all of his baserunners score on him, and that WHIP/K production is solid. Problem is that he should be better against the Angels and you can’t trust he’ll be better against an team that can swing a bat proper. UPDATE: I’m an idiot and this was against the Red Sox. Definitely more forgiving, and impressed by his WHIP. I’d be shocked if you ran with him though, and it’s tough to believe he’ll do the same with a lower ER against a weaker offense given his shaky season.
Anibal Sanchez – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks. So it’s a 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. Yeah, 10 Ks are cool n all, but there’s zero indication that Sanchez can give you strikeout production without dragging your team down. It’s a really bad road ahead.
Tyrell Jenkins – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks. He’s Cup of Schmo who got his chance to start after six relief appearances. Check please!
Danny Salazar – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Salazar has been an easy “sell” candidate, though this isn’t enough to feel vindicated yet. Still, that hard hit contact is still at 33%+ with just 15.2% soft contact…which is actually kinda better than it was earlier in the season. I contest with the idea that Salazar will present Top 20 value ROS, but it’s hard to put full stock in the notion that he’ll be out of the Top 30 ROS as well. He’s not going to be as good as he has been, okay?
Wade Miley – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Blegh. That would be a Miley start alright.
Dillon Overton – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. You don’t remember Overton? You know, the Cup of Schmo for the A’s? Nah? Well he remembers you…
Zack Godley – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Ah yes, The False God.
Vance Worley – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. Man the Orioles are desperate for pitching. Here’s to praying you’re not just as desperate like an attention-neglected sorority girl and don’t have to start Worley either.
Tim Lincecum – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. Don’t Freak out at the 7 Ks as this Lincecum revival isn’t worth anything for your fantasy team.
Kyle Lohse – 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 0 Ks. Oh Lohse, you just can’t be good can you?
Tyler Chatwood – 3.0 IP, 7 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. Chatwood 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 not named Gray and maybe even Gray.
Brian Flynn – 2.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. The Royals are trying to fill that fifth spot in the rotation and their latest shot was reliever Flynn. Yeah, I don’t expect this to be a Danny Duffy situation, which in itself is trending in the wrong direction.
Today’s Streamers
Wei-Yin Chen vs. Philadelphia Phillies – Yeah, I know we kinda gave up on Chen, but the Phils are the worst team in the majors against lefties and Chen has enough in him to make this a serviceable outing.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Matt Moore vs. Oakland Athletics – There’s like nothing out there and I wouldn’t recommend this stream but it’s the best we’ve got. Other poor considerations were Tom Koehler against the Phils and…nothing. It’s a really bad streaming day and I’m not claiming these guys as proper call boys.
Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer
Zach Eflin vs. Pittsburgh Pirates – The Bucs are 27th in the majors in wOBA over the last 30 days and Eflin is a decent streamer that can be serviceable in these situations. Jon Gray is also a good start against the Braves, but he’s much more owned.
Game of the Day
Felix Hernandez vs. Chicago White Sox – He’s returning off the DL after way too long and I’m super curious to see where he is. I think you’re safe starting him.