Entering The Strattonsphere

The Giants are in need of a starter with Cueto on the mend and they turned to reliever Chris Stratton for his third career start, rendering a sparkling 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks, against the Nationals no less. Holy Wade Boggs’ mustache! Is this the latest Spice Girl who we need to grab instantly? In short, maybe? The problem here is that I don’t know who the real Stratton is. In this game against the Harper-less Nats, Stratton’s deuce was fantastic. It was his go-to strikeout pitch and overall a very effective pitch across the 21 he threw. His Slider was a mix, sometimes having great movement at 87mph, other times hanging in the zone for a hit. His Changeup is the worst of the lot, not being a pitch he should trust often. Fastball had its moments as well, though not as dominant of a pitch that I would like to see if he’s essentially going to be a 2.5 pitch pitcher (the half point going to Slider/Changeup). That might be enough for you to chase in a deep league, but I can see times with him missing with his Fastball too much that his Curveball can’t save him. It’s possible he pitches just like this rest of the way, but a low chance with a better bet being he has flashes of this mixed with mediocrity. And who knows how long he sticks in the rotation! At the very least, he gets the Phils next and I think you’re safe to roll with him there. Let’s take this start-by-start and play it by beer ear.

Let’s see how every other SP did yesterday:

Jake Arrieta – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. Arrieta did a great job of pounding the zone today with his Fastball, and spread across all three breaking balls tonight, getting strikes with everything. Today was a day like that rap song that I can’t remember.

Parker Bridwell – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Is this because I keep calling you Patrick? Or That I’m forced to call you a TEEs? Because that’s what you are with your 5.50 K/9, 2.88 ERA and 4.51 FIP/4.83 xFIP. That doesn’t spell long term success.

R.A. Dickey – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. I can do this every start. No you can’t Dickey, you had 10 ER total in three of your last four starts and this makes the fifth in six starts tallying 5 or fewer Ks. If it weren’t for a ridiculous five game stretch starting in June, no one would even blink an eye at this. Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer.

J.A. Happ – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks. Looking at Happ’s game log, there was a small stumble for four starts as he faced the Astros, Red Sawx, Indians, and Angels, but otherwise, he’s been quietly your fantasy #3 and that continued against the Pirates. Hard not to be on board now and I’m starting him until he gives me a solid reason not to, regardless of the team.

Dallas Keuchel – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. Phew, there’s Keuchel. Kinda. 3 Walks isn’t really Keuchel, but 1 ER and 7 Ks will let me forget that and move on.

Jordan Montgomery – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Great to see The Bear back and even better to see him succeed in the role against a tough Red Sox offense. The Yanks don’t have much of a choice but to let him keep starting as their staff is hampered with injuries, which means he gets the Sawx again, followed by the Tigers, Indians…and Sawx for a third time. NOT FAIR.

Chris Sale – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 12 Ks. Aces gonna ace. He’s really good.

Andrew Cashner – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. So this is the third straight low ER start for Cashner (1 ER each time prior) but here’s one stat that will hold you back from chasing the waiver wire. Cashner has fanned more than four batters in a game just once  the entire season. Once. IN 18 STARTS. Shudders. No way am I chasing that Grave Mistake. But he has a 3.32 ERA on the year! And a 4.42 FIP, 5.16 xFIP and 3.47 BB/9. How can I possibly believe Cashner can be productive?

Chris Flexen – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks. I can see Chris asking if I had tickets on the beach. No, I don’t want to go to the Gun Show, Mr. Flexen.

Zack Godley – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 8 Ks. Okay those four walks are far from what we want and 12 K+BB will take you out before the sixth. Still love Godley. Fun fact, Godley got 4 Ks in the first. Fun Fact 2: The Quickening – Godley earned the coveted Gallows Pole with 18 whiffs today. I wonder if that’s the most common result…I’m looking at you random reader who keeps track of all our random stats on the site.

Kendall Graveman – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. Alright, here’s Graveman’s true upside. Nah, I can’t even say that, this is far beyond the ceiling we’re even hoping for from Graveman. Eight strikeouts? Really? I don’t buy this at all.

Matt Moore – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks. If there were ever a time this season to name a start a Birthday Party, it’s this one. Man it’s been a rough 2017 for Moore.

Ervin Santana – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Ehhhh that 1.80 WHIP is terrible and a 3.80 ERA is questionable, but fine. I guess it’s six Ks too. Still hate Santana save for weak opponents.

Max Scherzer – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks. Aces gonna ace. This would have been better save for a Pablo Sandoval monster shot. Just sayin’.

A.J. Cole – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. It was a double header and Cole was called upon to get the job done…which he did via a VPQS and a strikeout per inning. Ehhh I’ll take it if someone ran with it, but this is a Cup of Schmo that you don’t want.

Matt Garza – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 5 BBs, 2 Ks. Ah yes, Garza is once again making owners feel like this.

Corey Kluber – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Yes I can say that with 3 ER when it comes with 9 Ks and a sub 1.00 WHIP.

Kenta Maeda – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. Aha! For once Maeda didn’t allow 1 ER in his limited time on the hill and it hurt your ERA…but it came with a sub 1.00 WHIP and 8 Ks too. So let me get this straight. The one time he doesn’t get out of his sub six inning start with just 1 ER, he makes up for it in the WHIP/strikeout department. OH COME ON. You guys do see where I’m coming from, right? I’m not just taking crazy pills? Be honest, tell me if I am.

Austin Pruitt – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. I will most definitely take a sub 1.00 WHIP from Pruitt over six innings with a PQS to boot. Not like we could expect anything better.

Jason Vargas – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. Yet another PQS as Vargas faced the ChiSox. Don’t forget, Vargas had allowed 6 ER in three of his previous six starts and this was the ChiSox. Eight of his previous nine starts had four Ks or fewer. Don’t let this fog your memory.

Vance Worley – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. If you told me I had to guess between Kluber getting under 10 Ks or Worley getting only one, I probably would have guessed Worley getting just one.

Matt Boyd – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. Sun shining but not sharp enough to distract with the ocassional breeze to remind us we’re in the great outdoors. Today was a lovely day for Boyd Watching. 

Zach Eflin – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. Yeah, you don’t want no part of this schtuff, Dewey Cox.

Chad Kuhl – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 5 BBs, 6 Ks. Great, thanks for nothing Kuhl. With his high velocity and great Slider, we might be waiting until next year for him to find the proper third pitch that puts it all together. Until then, I’m not sure I’ll pick him as the Call Boy much anymore. Streamer Record 60-45-14.

Ariel Miranda – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 6 BBs, 6 Ks. Ho’ Boy. At least we call agree that starting Miranda is a bad idea, right?

Michael Wacha – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. Wacha. Dude. This was the Braves and you had been rolling right along. Note that Wacha had just 82 pitches and was pulled in the bottom of the fifth for a pinch hitter since they were already down 4-0. #BanTheDH. Search deep inside yourself, y’all know I’m right.

Luis Perdomo – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. Perdomo had a tough start against the Dodgers and it went as expected. For the most part, he’s a Young Gun in my book where he could put it together in future years given his good foundation of inducing a ton of grounders. For now, let him sit on your wire.

Jeremy Hellickson – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. The Devil has return. Freakin’ woodland critters.

Sal Romano – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Okay, see? He has some K upside! But yeah, Romano’s mechanics are way too volatile for me to believe he can command well and often.

Derek Holland – 2.0 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks. The Dutch Invasion continues. I wonder who’s lead negotiator…I’m lead negotiator!!!! Okay okay, you don’t have to scream it. Yeesh.

German Marquez – 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Interesting thing here is that his whiff rate was back above 10% again this start. Nothing like the opposing pitcher knocking in two runs and Giancarlo Stanton ripping a homer to right on a solid pitch on the black. I’m actually willing to write this one off surprisingly. He hosts the Brewers next following by a date in Kansas City then hosting the Tigers. I wonder if he’s okay for all three of those. At the very least, the KCR start.

Today’s Streamer

Jerad Eickhoff vs. San Diego Padres – The Padres are bad and Eickhoff can spin off a solid start here. I can see someone going with Adam Conley against the Giants if you really need a start here.

Tomorrow’s Streamer

Dinelson Lamet vs. Philadelphia Phillies – It’s hard to turn this outing away as Lamet could fan over 8 batters and not kill your ratios against a poor Philly offense.

Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer

Nick Pivetta vs. San Diego Padres – I know it didn’t go well against the Mets, but this is still your best bet.

Game of the Day

Collin McHugh vs. Zack Greinke – Yeah I know Michael Fulmer is coming back and I’m excited to see him pitch again, but I want McHugh to recover and also get the pleasure of watching Greinke do his thang.