Entranced By Lance

I don’t know why I’m leading with Lance Lynn, but here I am. Fine, I know why but I think you guys know the drill. He went 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks against the Mets last night and that’s three straight 0 or 1 ER starts under his belt…against the Pirates and twice against the Mets. There’s just nothing here that makes me say “Awesome! I can’t believe he can be consistently good for me. He’s had one game above 5 Ks in his last seven, his BABIP is .238 with a 5.09 FIP over his last ten starts, and he’s still walking a hefty amount as well. He’s the purest of Tobys, where I don’t love owning him but I understand that he can be good for my squad in a 12-teamer. I would prefer not to have him around but if no one else is able to do the dirty work for me, I guess it will have to be Lynn. Have the shortest of leashes, please and don’t hesitate to make a swap with someone else on the wire.

Let’s see how every other SP did yesterday:

Luis Severino – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Only Kershaw has more 7+ IP games under 2 ER this year.

Patrick Corbin – 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. I led with Corbin last time he pitched, talking about how I didn’t see much of a change to dictate a trend that could stick. Well, he trusted his Changeup more once again and it has paid off. Now he was supposed to get the Nationals but faced the Reds instead, leading into the Braves and Giants next, which I just can’t say no to. There’s a major chance this falls flat on Corbin’s face, but he’s owned in about 20% of leagues and I think that should be a bit higher. He will be my streaming picks for those games if he somehow stays that low.

Felix Hernandez – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks. Daaaaaang this is vintage Felix! That’s three straight solid performances…all against teams ranked in the bottom third of wOBA in the last month. These Yanks are now the 29th – Ouch – so I’m still a bit hesitant to buy into Felix keeping this up through August/September. So far so good,

Seth Lugo – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Here I was saying that I disliked both streaming options and they both had themselves a night. I still don’t trust Lugo and I’d let him sit on your wire.

Jhoulys Chacin – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Do I really have to retire my Chacin line now? Chacin will do well when Jhoulyst expect it. It’s a top-5 terrible joke here, but it’s not entirely true as I did pick him as my streamer and it paid off. I still don’t want to trust him save for the worst opponents, but in the meantime, let’s get that dub on the board! Streamer Record 48-35-12.

Jameson Taillon – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. Taillon’s deuce was all kinds of pretty yesterday but what I’m most shocked about are the 116 pitches in under six frames. A) I expect you to go longer and B) I’m surprised the Pirates let him fly into the sixth at 102 pitches. Either way, keep loving Taillon and let’s hope the Ks stick around.

Mike Foltynewicz – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. I’m pretty impressed by this against the Dodgers, and the face that he’s somewhat survived three straight starts against the Nationals, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers. I’m not impressed with essentially everything else though (16 Ks in three games, xFIP well above 4.00 in that time, etc.) and I’m not interested in owning Folty. He’s still a ways off from getting APPEASED in my mind.

Madison Bumgarner – 6.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Blegh. Bumgarner, you’re making it tough for me to keep you at #5 on Monday. It’s two starts back now – both against the Padres – and you haven’t looked dominant yet. Alright, you’ll still be #5, but pick it up, will ya?

Luis Castillo – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Castillo walked his first batter of the game, then a double, then a 3-run bomb on a poor 0-1 Changeup that Lamb smacked to center. It was a terrible beginning of the day, but let’s be thankful Castillo was able to allow just two hits in six innings after, while fanning seven. Yep, this train ain’t slowing down. Also, congrats on your first Gallows Pole award, even if it is a tie for first with 15 swings-and-misses.

Danny Duffy – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Ohhhh snap. #DuffyVelocityWatch2017 has taken any turn, as Duffy averaged just 92.3mph on his heater last night. That’s the lowest of the season and three straight sub 93mph games after going under 93mph just once before. I can imagine Duffy’s stock varying wildly in leagues, but if someone is paying a good price for him, I’d sell him ASAP. This is a bad trend for the southpaw.

Jimmy Nelson – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. You’re still my boy Nelson, but I can trust you take advantage of a good matchup next time it comes your way, right?

Michael Fulmer – 2.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Man, this start just wasn’t fair. Fulmer got screwed in the first by three Tigers errors, which obviously gasses him early. Even after an easy second, he clearly was affected by his laborious opening frame. On a different note, I wonder if we’ll see more of his new Curveball in the second half.

Wade Miley – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. Yep, that’s Miley alright.

Doug Fister – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. Looking at Miley then Doug, it’s like we got Double Fister tonight. *Packs things, walks out the front door* I don’t deserve to be here.

Francisco Liriano – 1.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. The Legend of Liriano continues as he was pulled for being flat out bad in the second inning. I’m super happy that acronym turned out to be LoL.

Brandon McCarthy – 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. You may have thought that I’d miss this blister too. HAHAHA NOPE. But seriously, I’m a bit upset that McCarthy is easily droppable now, with a blister issue that will obviously force him to miss at least one start given the Dodgers “situation”. It’s been fun, McCarthy.

Cole Hamels – 5.1 IP, 7 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Dude. No. I led with you last time calling you a solid buy low target for the second half and after your Changeup was looking excellent, it was trash yesterday. Everything was trash. Even his cleats? TRASH TOO. This shouldn’t be a clear path to the wire and I’d even consider banking on him recovering in time for his next start against Miami. Not loving that, but it’s not a “MUST BENCH” scenario.

Today’s Streamer

Ian Kennedy vs. Chicago White Sox – Okay so I’m bumping up the minimum to 30% today because there are no options. Understand this, I am bending the rules for Ian freakin’ Kennedy. I feel so dirty.

Tomorrow’s Streamer

Luis Perdomo vs. San Francisco Giants – Not an exciting pick at all, but the best floor of your options as he faces a meh offense.

Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer

Dinelson Lamet vs. San Francisco Giants – Y’all know my overall distaste for Lamet, but he can strikeout a bunch and gets the Giants.

Game of the Day

Zack Godley vs. Max Scherzer – I have a good feeling Godley can rebound today. I have faith.