Back In The Ring

After throwing just one game in 2016, we finally had some Tyson Ross action once again as he went 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks against the Mariners last night, which seems like it was a success. Meh. I was a bit disappointed, actually, as he throwing just Four-Seamers according to Pitchf/x, which were coming in at an average velocity under 90mph. That’s not good. He only got two whiffs on his Slider the entire game. That’s not good. He threw under 25% Sliders after throwing over 40% in previous years. That’s not good. Obviously super small sample and he can build up over time, but there’s clearly more benching I need to do before having faith in Ross as a Top 50/60 arm. For now, it’s still wait-and-see mode for a pitcher that makes a decent stash. I want to see those Two-Seamers with more Sliders, with a more comfortable approach on the hill before I’m slotting him in there regularly.

Let’s see how every other SP did yesterday:

Max Scherzer – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks. Aces gonna ace. It just don’t stop.

Alex Wood – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. It’s blowing my mind how much Alex has evolved and been so dang dominant. Don’t leave us again, okay?

Joe Biagini – 1.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 0 Ks. Soooo yesterday was the worst. Seriously. Biagini got destroyed against the White Sox and many other guys I love took a beating. There’s no denying that this start was just terrible and his next start will define him – was this just one bad day like we’ve seen with plenty other pitchers or was this a greater indication of who he will be for a while? My gut is on the former and he’ll rebound like every other cat around as he faces the Rangers, but he obviously takes a dip on Monday. Streamer Record 35-24-10.

Aaron Nola – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Okay okay, we need to talk. It’s no secret how much I like Nola and believe he has the makeup of an ace. But man, this is rough and I obviously am hurting seeing him struggle like this. His Two-Seamer was sitting at 90-91 last night, which is far from what we want, and collected just six whiffs on the night. AS an owner, yeah, this sucks. I was hoping to not roll with Nola against the Dbacks as I wanted one consistent start here to make me confident moving forward, but seeing him labor a bit (starting in the fourth, albeit, when he velocity started dipping) makes me feel like we have to play this matchup by matchup. He gets the Cardinals next, which I’m…meh about. I know it’s crazy, but I don’t think you drop Nola unless you need the starts now. I can see a major breakout ahead, he has too good of a repertoire and the strikeout/weak contact/command/groundball skill set you want with three above average pitches. But for now, I understand if you’d rather chase something else.

James Paxton – 3.2 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Then there was Paxton, who had his third straight disappointing outing. One super cool reader that goes by DGM sent me this article discussing Paxton’s mechanical flaw that is holding back his velocity and preventing him from locating as effectively as we saw in April. I guess I’m happy there’s an explanation that isn’t an injury, though it makes you wonder how soon the turnaround will be.

Jeff Samardzija – 6.0 IP, 8 ER, 11 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. And here I was thinking that Shark could survive Coors. NOTHING CAN SURVIVE COORS. Maybe another chance to buy low? Please?

Sean Manaea – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. And now we have Manaea, who had the toughest matchup as he faced the Yankees. He did such a good job of neutralizing them last time that I had faith he could do it again. But a three-run jack from Judge and a tough fifth inning did him in. Womp womp. Of all the bad starts today, this is the easiest for me to write off – still seven strikeouts and six frames – and I’m still starting him against the Astros on Wednesday.

Steven Matz – 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Well at least this one was a bit expected as Matz wasn’t polished in his first start against the Braves and he had to face the Nationals here. I’m not docking any points based on this.

Dan Straily – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks. But of course Straily killed it against the Braves after 4 ER and 3 Ks against the Pirates. Duh.

Ian Kennedy – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Kennedy, this is a true Birthday Party, you got your first Win of the season in twelve starts! Loving those odds for his next game with a 5.04 ERA…

Carlos Carrasco – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Good to see Carrasco give us an all-around baller start.

Mike Fiers – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. So Fiers does well and the people I actually like do poorly. I hate this game. Also, don’t own Fiers.

Carlos Martinez – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Welcome, CarMart. For those interested, I dove into what changes he’s made this year to be a more consistent strikeout arm for Keri’s The 10.

Drew Pomeranz – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. See? Pomeranz is a Toby and you’re gonna like it.

Jose Quintana – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Well that’s three in a row that are acceptable..ish, and now he’s 7-for-14 in the QS department. That’s…okay? I’m still not sold that Quintana is the dude you want to own and I actually think he’s droppable. I don’t like a 50/50 chance at a QS and I think streaming or chasing a Spice Girl is better. Remember, he’s still boasting a 3.53 BB/9 here.

Jesse Chavez – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Good job doing this against the Royals. So proud of you.

Patrick Corbin – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. Oh no. No no no. Not this again. Blame it on the Phillies.

Tim Adleman – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. Adleman is so boring and is sporting a 5.15 FIP…which gets worse to 5.86 if you look at his last three outings that spouted only 5 ER total. This isn’t going to last.

Trevor Williams – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. I feel like Trevor deserves a spot on the Anti-List.

Junior Guerra – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. It’s a PQS with a 1.00 WHIP. With everything being terrible today, I’m glad something went decently well. Streamer Record 36-24-10.

Daniel Norris – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. A VPQS for Norris but it came with 8 Ks! Nothing’s really popping out at me under the hood and I wouldn’t put stock into this as he faced the Royals, Angels, and Rays in three of his last four games.

Luis Severino – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks. YOU TOO SEV?! Worst. Friday. Ever. If someone is scared his run is “over”, I would jump all over this. But no one would sell Severino at a discount now, right? I’ve seen crazier things.

Sean Newcomb – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. It’s a VPQS and four walks over three strikeouts. Sounds about right given he’s essentially a two-pitch pitcher.

Antonio Senzatela – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. And this is why Senz-a doesn’t have a spot on The List.

Eddie Butler – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 0 Ks. Bleeegggh. Here’s to hoping Butler leaves and Monty stays when Hendricks returns.

Miguel Diaz – 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. The latest Reliever turned Starter is Diaz, who doesn’t have enough excitement to warant the Spice Girl title. More like S Club 7.

Kevin Gausman – 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. I miss the old Gausman, straight from the O’s Gausman…

Nik Turley – 4.2 IP, 8 ER, 9 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. I feel there are so many puns to be made with this name…but I’ve got nothing for Tik Nurley. Whatever, complete Cup of Schmo.

Erasmo Ramirez – 4.2 IP, 8 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. I hate saying this stuff, but I’m kinda happy Ramirez did poorly since it might mean Faria has a more stable role and guys like De Leon or even Honeywell down the road have more of an open door. Nothing gets me more excited than rookie starters with potential.

Today’s Streamer

Mike Clevinger vs. Minnesota Twins – He should be owned and he’s probably not. Welcome back Clev.

Tomorrow’s Streamer

JC Ramirez vs. Kansas City Royals – I went back-and-forth here between a few options, but I’m going to Ramirez here as the Royals are just bad. Other options if you need to cram in starts on Sunday are Buck Farmer against the Rays, Tyler Chatwood against the Giants (though, this is in Coors and Chatty is really bad in Coors), and even Luis Perdomo against the Brewers.

Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer

Brad Peacock vs. Oakland Athletics – He’s right around the 25% owned threshold and I think a good amount of you can take advantage of this matchup.

Game of the Day

Chris Archer vs. Michael Fulmer – Here’s to hoping Fulmer can be dominant even with that shoulder inflammation.