This week has been filled with debuts and returns to the hill, and Ervin Santana capped off the exciting week as he went 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks. Okay, I definitely did not expect this kind of showing against a Royals team that avoids the strikeout best in the league. He earned all eight Ks on the Slider, which was working through the day, and should continue to grant Santana a solid amount of punchouts in future starts. I don’t believe he’s this good of a pitcher though, and if I’m picking him up, I’m playing the matchups and not blindly starting him. However, if you need some solid K help, Santana can certainly be of value. Just don’t be shocked when the ERA and WHIP aren’t glistening this season.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Mat Latos – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. If you want to pick up Latos, sure, go ahead. I’m just words not a cop. But I’ll tell you that I dont’ trust Latos and the Miami offense won’t help in the dub column.
Steven Matz – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. You own him in your league, right? You should. There is some concern as he revealed arm tightness in both starts, but current signs point to him starting next time out.
Jordan Zimmermann – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. It’s only the second time all season he’s had 8 Ks, and now that’s only 1 ER across three straight outings. I don’t think he’ll keep up this K rate, which means you best hope he keeps up the ERA/WHIP.
Lance Lynn – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks. The walk rate is still not ideal, but he’s clearly still super effective despite the brief DL stint. Hard not to love him moving forward.
Kyle Hendricks – 7.1 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. The solid K/BB is back, this time with no ER. Alright!
Taylor Jungmann – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. In his six starts, he has never gathered over five strikeouts, making his upside rather limited. He’s been able to keep the walk rate low, but his minor league history speaks otherwise. If you’re desperate for an ERA/WHIP guy, then fine go for Taylor, but I don’t believe he’s a long term BABIP specialist.
Cole Hamels – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. That’s quite a pretty line Hamels. Just like how I hate my steak, Well Done.
Shelby Miller – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. I’m am so conflicted on Miller. My gut tells me to avoid him still, but I can’t deny that he has 21.6% soft contact after adding a Cutter this season, which has already accumulated 13.0 Runs Above Average. Absurd. Then again, his xFIP is around 3.75, walk rate hints at 3.00 and this start was against the Phillies. Okay, I’ll give him a bump to near 30, BUT THAT’S IT.
Gerrit Cole – 8.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Glad to see that he only allowed one walk across 8 innings this time around. Sure, the 3 ERs aren’t ideal, but he got Singled Out and cruised for five straight after. He may take a small dip (really Greinke deserves to leap-frog him), but all is well.
Miguel Gonzalez – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Don’t worry guys, this Miggy is still healthy! Oh, you don’t care? Shucks.
Erasmo Ramirez – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Blegh.
Rubby De La Rosa – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. It was The Battle of the Roses Round #2, and Jorge had the upper hand this time around. It’s hard not to be sympathetic to Rubby after facing the tough Rockies bats, and I like him in his next outing against the Mets.
Jorge De La Rosa – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Even though he did better, Jorge isn’t the rose of the ball. Remember, 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.
Eduardo Rodriguez – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. So let’s get this out of the way. He had one horrible start against the best offense in the majors, and another blowup against a Top 10 offense when he allowed 7 straight hits (possibly from tipping his pitches) after going perfect for the first 3.1 IP. You want him, I want him, WE ALL WANT HIM.
Mike Montgomery – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Right, so we know he doesn’t strike out guys. You’ll still take this start as you signed Monty up for his ERA/WHIP. Keep riding it til the cops pull you over.
Danny Duffy – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks. Duffy doesn’t even start himself in his fantasy league.
Chris Bassitt – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Who? You know, the guy subbing in since Sonny Gray had to be pushed back to Tuesday with an illness. Oh, so he’s A Cup of Schmo? Damn straight.
Marco Estrada – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. We never expected Estrada to continue his unreal streak, but at least he put on the brakes instead of hitting a wall to slow himself down.
Ryan Vogelsong – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks. Go away Vogelsong.
C.J. Wilson – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. There’s the CJ I know and hate.
Ian Kennedy – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Kennedy is still making a giant shroud to prevent us from finding his upside.
Carlos Rodon – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 7 Ks. It’s very tough to go with Rodon these days when those walks just won’t go away.
Lance McCullers – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Speaking of walks, McCullers’ minor league rate is showing itself more frequently than in his first few weeks. I’m still all abaord the LMJ train, but I think the current walk rate is here to stay.
Mike Leake – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Leake, we all know you’re in the wrong career. Clearly you were supposed to be a romance writer.
Ivan Nova – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks. Boooooo. Nova, you were supposed to build from your last start, not give us a K/BB of 0.33 and a 1.80 WHIP! I think he can be a solid add at some point, but he’s a bit risky right now.
Danny Salazar – 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. He was locked in until the 5th inning where everything fell apart. It’s the second time in his last three starts he’s allowed 5 ER or more, but only 1 walk makes me think it’ll rebound next time against Oakland.
Mike Bolsinger – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. He never looked all too sharp against the Mets – of all teams – and labored his way through the start. I still like him moving forward, and I leaning towards this not being a sign of things to come.
Justin Verlander – 5.0 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Yeah…it’s possible for him to still squeeze out some value at some point – it’s not out of the question that he brings back some K upside to the table – but there’s really no reason to expect that in the near future. He shouldn’t be rostered right now.
Today’s Streamers
Wei-Yin Chen at Minnesota Twins – He’s been on a nice roll and the Twins grant a solid matchup for the Orioles lefty to get a win.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Brett Anderson vs. Philadelphia Phillies – Um yes please. One of the easier streamer picks so far.
Game of the Day
Hisashi Iwakuma vs. Minnesota Twins – Iwakuma comes back from long, long time off as he’s only had three starts all season. It will be good to see him and his nasty Splitter back in action.