There’s this guy at the bagel store I go to nearby who is obsessed with Fantasy Baseball. I was talking about his AL-only league the other day and he told me that the hero of his team was none other than Erasmo Ramirez. THAT Erasmo. Thing is, he picked him up at the end of May and rode him and his astoundingly low 3.03 ERA across 18 starts. Despite how much I warned him, Erasmo kept getting plugged into his lineup, despite the fact that since July 25th that low ERA has ballooned to 4.64. All while, of course, Erasmo sports a 6.36 K/9 for the season, but I digress. What I didn’t expect is for the fella to no-hit the Yankees through seven and put up a solid line tonight of 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. I’m going to tell you what I told my awesome bagel friend – quit while you’re ahead. I don’t trust him, he allowed 4 ER in three of his last four starts before this diamond, and he’s K’d at least 7 batters just three times all year. Be happy, hug it out, swear that you’ll call and keep in touch and walk away. You don’t want your season to come down to a performance from Erasmo, right?
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Taijuan Walker – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. He’s a Cherry Bomb in its purest sense as he allowed 5 ER last time out. Can’t say I enjoy his next start in Texas, though.
CC Sabathia – 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Whoa, this is a top 5 2015 start from CC. Blame it on the Rays.
Kevin Gausman – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 7 Ks. Nice going Gaus, hard not to like him against the Rays next time out.
Clayton Kershaw – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Aces gonna ace, but come on Kershaw, only 5 Ks? Even Greinke had more than that.
James Shields – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Finally, Shields is relevant again. Problem is that he disappeared for months and still expects his girlfriend to be by his side. Dang boy, it doesn’t work like that.
Carlos Carrasco – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Kinda, I know he hasn’t been an ace in its true form this year, but I see great things in 2016.
John Danks – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. Johnny hasn’t been good since Bubble Gum cost a nickel.
Eduardo Rodriguez – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks. EDU took the Orioles to school, but the WHIP is a pain to look at. This is why I love guys who don’t walk batters…
Tyler Duffey – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. Solid Duffey, very solid.
Scott Kazmir – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Kaz has one of the better floors around for someone outside the Top 25, and despite his recent shakiness I still like him to close out 2015 on a high note.
Logan Verrett – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Our Call Boy did…fine. The rates are great but 3 Ks leaves us wondering why we didn’t order dessert.
Cole Hamels – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Yeah, I can’t say I’m a big fan of Hamels these days. I had a feeling he would step up to the occasion now that he’s on a winning club and that feeling proved to actually be my turkey sandwich from lunch. My bad.
Tim Hudson – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks. Blegh. I’ll allow it since you’re retiring but it doesn’t mean I have to start you.
Jon Gray – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. The eight Ks are tasty, and I can understand those rolling with him outside of Coors, but Gray…well…Gray 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. Well, Gray has some value outside of Coors.
Justin Nicolino – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Just don’t.
Garrett Richards – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks. There have been few pitchers more infuriating than Richards this year, so just promise yourself not to agonize again next season. Just don’t do it.
Jordan Zimmermann – 6.0 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. Don’t I have a theory about high ER, high K nights? Like a pitcher who often relies on BABIP is getting hammered, so the only way he can collect outs is via the strikeout. Too bad it’ll raise his K/9 higher than it should be.
Edinson Volquez – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Volquez just isn’t good. Alright guys, I lasted 4 1/2 months finding interesting ways to tell you a pitcher isn’t startable in standard leagues, but I th
Keyvius Sampson – 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 0 Ks. I’d rather have a Monkey than a Keyvius. Not a Donkey though, they’re weird.
Aaron Nola – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. So glad that he didn’t get shutdown. So glad…
Jeremy Hellickson – 1.0 IP, 4 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. He was so bad they took him out early. Remember when I compared him to Justin Masterson earlier in the season? I wonder why…
Kyle Lobstein – 1.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. The Blobstein has still done nothing to earn him a better nickname.
Sonny Gray – 3.0 IP, 7 ER, 8 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. I know I’ve been harsh on Gray all season, but I can’t say I expected an outing like this against the ChiSox. This marks the second time in three starts that Gray has allowed at least 6 ER. Look for him to recover against the Astros next week.
Today’s Streamers
Brett Anderson vs. Colorado Rockies – It’s Colorado outside of Coors and Anderson has the skill set to keep the Rockies at bay while playing for a team with a solid chance at winning.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Ervin Santana vs. Detroit Tigers – Believe it or not, Detroit has been a bottom third offense in the second half, and Santana can rack up the Ks better than anyone else on your waiver wire.
Game of the Day
Gerrit Cole vs. Jon Lester – Two top-of-the-rotation guys (yes I couldn’t call Lester an ace. That would Arrieta.) battle in a slight preview of the NL Wild Card game. Slight only because Lester will not be anywhere near it.