What a day for stud pitching performances eh? I’ve been praising the likes of Jaime Garcia since ranking him #33 in March (highest in the ECR) and he rewarded me greatly with a line of 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 13 Ks. Jeez dude, 13 strikeouts? Didn’t think you had it in you, but the Brew Crew makes magic happen. The sticky on Garcia has always been that he will be productive as long as he stays on the hill, though his strikeouts will most likely sit around 7+ K/9 or so. If you have him in roto, I’d be holding, but if it’s H2H, you sell sell sell. It will be a tough pill to swallow in the next month or two, but he will crumble at some point and you’ll still have your wonderful asset as you cruise into the playoffs. I will be there someday, if I can be strong…
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Vincent Velasquez – 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 16 Ks. The only reason I didn’t lead with our Call Boy Velasquez this time is because he got the headline last time he pitched. Anyway, y’all know I was super high on Velasquez pre-season and hohmygod this is unreal to see his upside realized so quickly. Now I hate to be a Debbie-Downer, but I’m going to be a Debbie-Downer. A) The Padres are a horrific offense who have now been shutout in 40% of their games this season. B) Velasquez did his damage by blowing his Fastball by hitters, which I don’t expect to happen when he plays an actual competent offense. C) I estimate Velasquez is going to throw around 140 innings this season since he only threw 88.2 last year. Good news is that he is inside the NL Easy and will avoid good teams for the most part, though like Garcia, I’d be selling in H2H if you get a great deal given that he won’t be around playoff time. Enjoy the ride in roto, though there will be bumps when he faces better contact teams (I imagine the Marlins may give him some trouble with Gordon/Yelich/Ozuna/Stanton).
Ian Kennedy – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. Oh and then Kennedy continues rolling through a really good offense in the Astros. I don’t know guys. I’m fully aware that I’ll be going against convention when I say that I still don’t like him and I totally understand if you want to ignore that. I just get a really bad feeling about him and his not so good Fastball. It was working today, but who knows tomorrow? He’ll get a bump come Monday because you can’t just ignore his performances so far, but I’m not convinced. Sue me.
Danny Salazar – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks. Above average walks? Check. Above average Ks? Check. Under 7 innings? Check. Yep, it’s a Salazar outing. The Rays helped with the whole 0 ER, 3 Hits part, and it should continue as he gets Seattle and Minnesota next.
Marcus Stroman – 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. You have to believe me. The Ks are coming. It won’t be 10 strikeout evenings, but 7-8 are coming.
Stephen Strasburg – 7.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. Aces gonna ace. For the most part. I talked to my friend today about how Stras’ starts are stress inducing any way you look at it (They are Strasful…? Nah, I can do better). He rarely seems completely locked in where you’re confident an elite line awaits. He slogged through the first three innings tonight, then cruised before allowing a single and getting pulled. Of course that run came in to score. Of course it did.
Mat Latos – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. I don’t trust Mat. You could say that he gets walked all over too often. I could too, and I just did. BAM.
Jason Hammel – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. Jeez, way to make us feel bad about a low ERA start, Hammel. Should I bring back the ole’ Dusty Donut term? Nah, I’ll just stick with the classic blegh. BLEGH.
Drew Pomeranz – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks. Our secondary Call Boy was very serviceable as well, giving us solid ratios and eight strikeouts for the cost of free. I like that price.
Doug Fister – 5.2 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks. Here I was, prepared to talk about how rostering Fister is all about sacrificing a high K total for a chance at a good ERA/WHIP (I even had the joke ready! I was calling it a Grave Mistake since we’re giving up Ks/Saves for Wins/ERA/WHIP), but nooooo you instead remind people why you shouldn’t go after guys who barely strike people out unless they are super talented at their J-O-B (i.e. Garcia and even he has his days…). This is why no one likes you Doug. I thought it was because of my love for submarines. What? No. No one was thinking that.
Jordan Zimmermann – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Can I please use it here instead? I’m using it here instead. Ahem. Starts like these are constant from JZ, meaning you’re making a Grave Mistake when you stick him into your lineup.
Gerrit Cole – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. If you’re owning Cole for the first time this season, get used to outings like these. He’ll put up overall good numbers, but he will have few dazzling outings mixed with only a handful of real blowups. He’s the (Nat) King Cole of pretty good.
Robbie Ray – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 5 BBs, 6 Ks. Ray looked pretty dang good outside of the walks, and his two ER came after he was pulled. I’m not saying he should be rostered in 12 team rotos, but if you need the help in a deep 12 teamer, Ray can provide.
Ross Stripling – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. He’s a Toby and nothing more.
Jorge De La Rosa – 6.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. I don’t care if he had 7 Ks. 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.
Ervin Santana – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. The Chi Sox aren’t much to be feared when in Target Field, making this a good stream for those in need. I want to emphasize the matchup with Santana as you can get burned if you let him fly against, say, the Royals.
Nathan Eovaldi – 6.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. Eovaldi is a pitcher that will never be Top 50, but he won’t fall out of the Top 100. He just doesn’t have enough deception to consistently strike out batters, and let’s be honest – those Blue Jays love to K these days. He’ll still do well enough to provide a sub 4.00 ERA without a completely horrendous WHIP and a fair share of Wins on the Yankee staff, meaning he’s like that rich kid who you can’t get rid of no matter what you do.
Chris Archer – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. Are we looking at the first guy to shift inside the Top 20? Maybe, and his walk issues from the second half seem to be carrying over like my emotional issues from one relationship to the next. That’s worrisome. Maybe you should see a psychologist. Maybe you should see a job application. Noted.
Julio Teheran – 7.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Someone on Reddit was freaking out that I placed Teheran past #90 on the List. Yes, I’d much rather stash a high upside prospect pitcher than endure the suffering that is Teheran once – sometimes twice – a week.
Cole Hamels – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. On a day of many stud outings, Hamels had trouble with the Orioles. That’s understandable, but I didn’t draft you to understand. I drafted you to Win. Stick with Hamels, he goes through swings here and there but he’ll be a great asset through the entirety of the season.
Raisel Iglesias – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. He was matched up against the Cubs, which isn’t a fun time for anyone. I’ll be frank with you guys. If there is a pitcher I think I was a little too bullish on in the rankings, it was probably Iglesias. Him or Pineda. I’m not saying that I’m changing their rankings on The List next Monday, but I think it’s important to let you guys know who I’m a little worried about beforehand.
Wily Peralta – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Last year our phrase for pitchers who pitched poorly was in honor of Jerome Williams. I think we have a new man in town. Stop Being So Wily!
Matt Cain – 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. The last time Cain was a solid pickup we were wondering if this Mayan Calendar thing was legit (it wasn’t).
Chris Tillman – 5.1 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. If you’re going to be like that. then I have no choice. You can’t spell win with Tillman.
Today’s Streamer
Joe Ross vs. Philadelphia Phillies – I’m kinda cheating because anyone who reads this A) knows I’m in love with Ross and already has him if he’s on the wire B) he’s owned in about 48% of ESPN leagues. But whatever, go start him everywhere you can.
Bartolo Colon vs. Cleveland Indians – Fine, I’ll give another option because that wasn’t fair. Colon can fight through outings well and the Indians aren’t looking so hot lately.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Josh Tomlin vs. New York Mets – We talked about how poor the Mets are lately and Tomlin has strikeout upside that could make you a very happy owner as you catch up over the weekend.
Brandon Finnegan vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Don’t forget, his last start was against the tough Cubs while the Cardinals aren’t the gritty tough offense they once were.
Game of the Day
Chris Sale vs. Jake Odorizzi – We’ve already seen enough of Kershaw vs Bumgarner, and this could be the outing that we see some vintage Sale. Odorizzi ain’t so bad either.