There has been a good amount of talk regarding Derek Holland as he’s returned from the DL for the Rangers. Some were expecting him to return to his 2013 form and be a stable member of a 12 teamer staff, while others – myself included – see him more like waiver wire fodder. Now it’ll be tougher to defend that position after he went 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 11 Ks against the Orioles, but I still stand by my previous assessment. Let’s for all purposes assume that Option A actually comes to fruition and Holland pitches the rest of the season like his 2013 self. Those numbers were a 3.42 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 3.68 xFIP with a 7.99 K/9 and 2.70 BB/9. That would put him hovering around the 50s with a little room for more. This is the best case scenario for a guy who has been injured often and is now two years removed from his pinnacle. Sure, this outing was super nice but his floor is still gazing at you from across the room, making sure you don’t forget his 7.09 FIP entering this start. Moving forward, I see Holland as more of a decent matchup guy – a Lacky-lite if you will – instead of a guy I’m starting every time out.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Jake Arrieta – 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 1 BBs, 12 Ks. Aces gonna OHMYGOD ace. Can’t say I’m too shocked Arrieta got in on the no-no action this year as his command has been top notch nearly all season. Don’t be upset at the walk as an ‘error’ from Castro prevented the perfect-o from early on. I could see an argument of sticking Arrieta Top 5 but since he wouldn’t have been stretched this far without history at stake, I don’t believe we’ll see another 10 K game this year from the guy. That alone essentially knocks him out of Top 5 candidacy despite how much I adore him. :-/
Ervin Santana – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 10 Ks. The Astros are a team that can either kill you or make you look like you’re wearing a suit from Men’s Warehouse. Before you start thinking that you should be sticking with Santana, I’m going to remind you that he accumulated 22 ER in his last four starts. That’s 5.5 ER per start. You don’t want none of this.
Jorge De La Rosa – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. It looks pretty, but rules are rules. De La Rosa 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.
James Shields – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. Whoa whoa whoa, Shields are you trying to inflate your draft value for 2016? You’ve put so many owners in a ditch they can’t climb out of, but now you’re trying to make it up way too late but just enough to make peeps in January and February think you could have a major turnaround. Not gonna happen bud. NO WAY.
Josh Tomlin – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks. I like it. I like it a lot. Tomlin should have already been picked up but if he’s still there, he could be a guy that gives you that extra push down the stretch.
Wily Peralta – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. This is what we call A One Night Bland.
John Lamb – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks. The major difference in this game was the return of his Changeup, which was completely gone last week when I did his GIF Breakdown. It’s a really nice sign to see that it’s returned, but I’m still cautious given that he can be rather poor when it’s missing. Moreso, his Fastball command still wasn’t all too great and he was only 11 for 21 on first pitch strikes. So there’s still some risk and it hinges on whether you believe in his Changeup sticking around, though I’m leaning towards yes and I’d start him in a repeat matchup next week against the Brew crew.
Mark Buehrle – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. The Burly Buehrle keeps doing his thang. You do realize this is as high as Buehrle goes, right? Don’t be that 17 year old kid who is still 5′ 6″ and refuses to accept that he won’t be six foot in his lifetime. You’ve peaked fella, it’s alright but you need to accept it.
Lance McCullers – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks. Blegh, reduce dem walks McCullers!
Alex Wood – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. He allowed a 2-run shot to Bryant in the first and mostly cruised the rest of the way. It’s one of the better starts we’ll see from Wood and I wouldn’t expect this moving forward. Just a slight tick worse.
Nathan Karns – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Okay, I’ll take the one walk and blame the Rays coaching staff for sticking to their “no SPs go through the lineup a second time” bonanza.
Danny Duffy – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. It’s the wrong Duff Man.
Noah Syndergaard – 6.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Something is clearly up with Thor, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets skipped in one of his next two starts.
Charlie Morton – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Meh. Morton has a little upside and can run the show with his Curveball but it seems those days are more of the exception than the rule. Ain’t that right Chuck?
Jesse Chavez – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Okay, I’m alright with this. He really isn’t exciting anymore though.
Allen Webster – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Don’t waste your time looking up Webster, he’s not going to be around long and he can be found between “Meg” and “Mehaan”. Yeah that’s right, a dictionary joke. DIDN’T SEE THAT ONE COMING.
Wade Miley – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. He couldn’t focus after seeing the perfect foam finger to steal for his appearance at the VMAs in the evening.
Edgar Olmos – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 5 BBs, 2 Ks. He was previously in the bullpen and got the start since Felix is missing his start tomorrow. Is Edgar worth a spot on your roster? Olmos…nah who I’m kidding, he’s not even close. Just a Cup of Schmo.
Miguel Gonzalez – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Miguel…no.
Alec Asher – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Alec was one of the pieces in the Hamels trade and will see some time on the hill to close out September in Philly. I see Asher like a Wisler type with a slightly better K rate at the cost of worse walk rate. Not the kind of guy that I’d go after and only reserved for NL only types.
Alfredo Simon – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Your dinner sir…handed a plate of Alfredo…No no no no TAKE IT BACK I SAY!
Jaime Garcia – 6.1 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks. There are times when having a low walk rate means you’ll get Singled Out if you don’t have elite K stuff. This was one of those times for Garcia, but don’t worry we still love your music. Well…kinda, I’m not really a deadhead unless it’s of the Devin Townsend variety.
Nathan Eovaldi – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. I will admit, the 7 Ks are encouraging against a stingy Braves team, but the rate stats don’t shock me as Eovaldi isn’t a guy that will suddenly get fixed. Sure, he can provide some value here and there while his increased Splitter velocity will help keep these Ks up, but I’m not going to be trusting Eovaldi to save my playoff team.
Stephen Strasburg – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. So he allowed a 3-run HR in the first, but most importantly is that he left with back discomfort, the same injury that sidelined him for an extended period before. It’s still up in the air if he’s making his next start – I’d imagine not – and every just sucks. This is stupid :(
Jose Quintana – 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks. When guys with K stuff get Singled Out, you’ll see elevated K totals despite few innings. The 3 BBs aren’t like Quintana and I’d still be running him next time out.
Brad Hand – 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Put your left Hand in…OH GOD TAKE IT OUT!
Jered Weaver – 6.0 IP, 8 ER, 9 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks. There’s a reason why I made you sign a contract saying you wouldn’t pick up Weaver after his shutout performance two starts ago.
Chris Heston – 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks. Welcome back from the Minors! Heston simply rested as the Giants were attempting to reduce his innings this season, but it appears to have messed with Heston’s groove. While he may still be shaky next time out, I expect him to recover by his final couple of starts.
Julio Teheran – 4.1 IP, 8 ER, 9 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. The long ball and Teheran are clearly not buds after Julio allowed three HRs tallying seven runs in under three innings of work. Not sure why they hate each other – Maybe Teheran said “your momma was so confusing they had to review her for 5 minutes before saying she was a goner – but I hope this start prevents you from in any way trust Teheran when you need stability.
Today’s Streamers
Wei-Yin Chen vs. Tampa Bay Rays – A solid floor awaits you if you start Chen as this is as good of a matchup as you’ll find for the Oriole lefty.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Joe Ross vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Shocked to see he’s still owned in under 40% of ESPN leagues, and even though the Cards can make it tough, Ross is still your best option.
Game of the Day
David Price vs. Danny Salazar – Two aces enter, two will leave still as aces, but most likely one with an extra loss and one with a win.