You want to know something stupidly silly? Jeff Locke gave any owner that was crazy enough to start him an outing of 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks last night. Take five and consider all the nutty things about that line. He now is the MS Score leader with an MS of just four and did it in an extra inning. Locke allowed a .111 BABIP and probably sacrificed his first born son, Poppin, to the baseball gods so that he could get through 27 outs with just one strikeout. Yes, I am well aware of Locke’s ability to induce weak contact, but come on, he’s far far away from actually being this good. Don’t run to the wire after him, the look of shock on Locke’s face that you’re even talking to him should be enough to convince you to stay away.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Jhoulys Chacin – 9.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks. Speaking of super amazing starts from not-so-super-amazing pitchers, Chacin went the distance against the Tigers and in resounding fashion. Do you want to pick him up? Ehhhh not really. I mean, I understand the argument given his near 8.00 K/9, 2.38 BB/9, and 3.66 FIP/3.45 xFIP with a GB rate above 50%, but that sample size under 10 games isn’t enough to sway me given his history of being pretty fantasy irrelevant. If you want to take a flier in a super deep league, by all means ride it out, this was the Tigers after all. Anything else I’m letting it be someone else’s risk.
Carlos Martinez – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. Finally CMart has a start to be happy about! Oh…what’s that?…You’re saying…ah. Blame it on the Brewers. I still encourage you to sell CMart if you’ve got him.
Marco Estrada – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. Can you guess Estrada’s ERA after this start? Would you believe me if I told you it was 2.63? No? Then you definitely won’t believe his actual 2.43 ERA. Too bad it comes with a 3.71 FIP and much much worse 4.50 xFIP as his BB/9 soars above 3.50 per 9. That would be a prime sell high, my friends.
Justin Verlander – 7.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. Seriously JV?! He allowed just one hit entering the seventh inning. It’s just not cool and aggravates me to no end that pitchers have already produced award winning stuff then allow a couple of singles that burn their ERA for the evening. If there is an owner that thinks this is a regression back to his major bumps before, I would jump on it ASAP.
Matt Harvey – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Ohhhhh snap! Two straight days of Mets pitching, two straight days of ‘IS HE BACK!?!?’ The anticipation of favorite characters returning is like Jon Snow all over again. But seriously, believe in the Harvey, believe that he’s fixed, and believe in starting him moving forward. You think I should? YOU GOTTA BELIEVE. Is that a Ghostwriter reference? No, it’s the Mets’ slogan from years ago (and maybe still…?), but I like where you mind is.
Jeremy Hellickson – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks. And now Hellickson has a 9.19 K/9 and a BB/9. WHAT. xFIP down to 3.35, despite his 3.68 ERA and 3.86 FIP…alright let’s get down and dirty here. So yes this should obviously warrant a giant BUY BUY BUY ala the wacky-waving-inflatable-arm-flailing-tube-man, but after his next start against the Brew Crew – which you best be rolling with him for – he’s lined up for the Nationals, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Giants, Royals. I’ve referred to him as the Devil (they warned me satan would be attractive) and I’m going to sit this one out for the most part. I don’t blame you at all if you dive into the pool, I think rational me would most likely do the same, I simply feel obligated to tell you how I feel however irrational it is.
Steven Wright – 9.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 5 BBs, 7 Ks. I know I have the DTAKB bit that I do with Knuckleballers, but it’s getting harder and harder to deny that Wright is giving owners some solid stuff – 2.45 ERA, 7.88 K/9 over nearly 70 innings thus far. Still, I’m cautious given the inconsistent nature of knuckleballs, his high walk rate (3.36 BB/9) and 5.1% HR/FB rate that is over four points lower than his career average of 9.3%.
Collin McHugh – 9.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. Seriously, so many guys look to be a new man tonight, with McHugh taking yet another solid step forward to the road of recovery. The biggest change today was the ability to throw strikes with his secondary pitches, especially his Curveball. I don’t think he’ll return to his 2014 self at any point given his lower reliance on his Slider/Cutter getting through games, but his deuce is looking much better than it did in April and that’s something to be happy about.
Jose Quintana – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. Quintana gonna Quint. That’s a thing, right?
Ian Kennedy – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 5 BBs, 6 Ks. Ugh, fine I’ll take it Kennedy, but don’t make me feel so dirty with those five walks. I just took a shower like 20 minutes ago.
Mike Foltynewicz – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. I want to love Folty, but the memories of last year still hurt deep in my heart. There’s also the FIP/xFIP above 4.00 and the lack of consistent K production, but really it’s that hole in my chest that is really doing the talking here.
Tanner Roark – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. The Roark train isn’t popping like it can, but it’s still cruising with no sign of the cops showing up. That future schedule is mighty purrty.
Matt Andriese – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Sooooo boring Andriese. He’s a BABIP lover and you know I dislike them. When they don’t help out in ERA/WHIP, there aren’t any strikeouts to salvage and that’s no fun. Oh, and they are super loud way past 1:00am. SOME PEOPLE HAVE WORK IN THE MORNING.
Derek Holland – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. A ton of boring starts tonight, eh? Well that’s three starts now with 2 ER or fewer since the Dutch Invasion so I guess he can be included in streamer choices once again.
Jason Hammel – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. He left early due to cramping in his right hamstring. Does this mean TJS? No. No it does not.
Nate Karns – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Our Call Boy did his duty, overcoming the Padres with ease, though I know he can do better than six strikeouts. Whatever, be happy and move forward.
Ervin Santana – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. You put in Santana for the possible strikeout upside and you were given a plate of blegh instead. It happens.
Kendall Graveman – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. Graveman is one of those guys that I feel like I have to make a joke about every time. Y’all know he isn’t someone you want to roster and his name just asks for it. So let’s agree on one phrase to say each time, the Kendall, be all, if you will: Starting Kendall will put you in a Grave, man. I think that will do.
Junior Guerra – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. You know, I’ve been expecting Guerra to fall on his face a lot harder than what he’s been doing, gotta give him props for that.
Andrew Cashner – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. We Cashed Out ages ago, right guys?
Alex Wood – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. The good (7 Ks), the bad (3.60 ERA), and the ugly (2.00 WHIP). What’s even uglier is his future schedule following his next outing with the Braves: Giants, Diamondbacks, Nationals, Pirates, Rockies…yikes. Sell ASAP, especially if someone wants him for the Atlanta start.
Tyler Wilson – 6.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Wilson was bad, more at eleven.
Justin Nicolino – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Even his name acts like a warning. Nicoli? NO!
Ivan Nova – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Welp, the Nova experiment is working out just like it did for Blizzard. Yay somewhat obscure video game jokes!
Jeff Samardzija – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Here I am actually hoping for Samardzija to do well since he’s now in my Top 25, and he gives us this start against the freakin’ Braves. Guess it’s back to calling you Loose Lips! In all seriousness, it’s a safer bet that this is just an occasional blip, though that start next week against the Cards is mighty scary now…Oh boy, here we go.
Dan Straily – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. It’s about time Straily had a bump in the road so I can FINALLY use one of the lesser known terms on the site: The Balls Have Dropped. It’s referring to jugglers, get your mind out of the gutter. Okay fine, there’s an innuendo there about him becoming the man we expected WHATEVER.
Chad Bettis – 3.2 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Bettis 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 not named Gray and maybe even Gray.
Josh Tomlin – 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks. I like Tomlin, but starts like these are what prevent me from elevating him anywhere close the Top 50.
Edwin Escobar – 3.1 IP, 7 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Waiter, WAITER! …Yes? I’ll have one Cup of Schmo please, hold the sugar. Siiiipppp. Ahh yes, nice and bitter.
Today’s Streamers
Tyler Duffey vs. Oakland Athletics – I know it’s been a bit rough lately, but this should be very helpful.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Danny Duffy vs. Tampa Bay Rays – Oh boy for the record I wouldn’t recommend any stream today. The options just aren’t good enough. If I had to pick one it’s this one featuring a guy I don’t like much at all and believe is overrated in Duffy. There’s also Sean Manaea against the Twins, but he’s so inconsistent without enough upside to warrant a stream.
Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer
Michael Fulmer vs. New York Yankees – I love how much Fulmer is relying on his Changeup these days and I think he keeps it going against the Yankees. Jerad Eickhoff against the Brew Crew isn’t a bad choice either.
Game of the Day
Aaron Nola vs. Joe Ross – I love watching both of these guys pitch and so should you.