In the 2014 offseason, the Yankees traded away longtime prospect Manny Banuelos to the Braves in exchange for a pair of middle relievers. The Yankees saw a history of command issues that didn’t seem destined to fix itself and shipped him out before he was forced into a reliever role. Amid the hype for Moore, Fernandez, and Cain all returning from the DL Banuelos made his MLB debut last night with little fanfare and dominated with a line of 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. He would have stayed for longer had he not been dehydrated, causing cramps and an early exit in the 6th inning. He should be good to go against the Brewers on Tuesday – which I recommend – but his stuff isn’t good enough for an elongated stay on your roster. His Fastball hovers around 90 MPH without drastic movement, and though he did have great command of his Changeup, he needs it to be perfect in order to succeed like last night. Roll with him for now, but get ready to cut the cord.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Jose Fernandez – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. It was incredibly exciting to watch him pitch again, and he looks to be just as amazing as we all remember him. I wrote a GIF Breakdown about this start, so I suggest you take a look to get all giddy about his return.
Scott Kazmir – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. Outside of maybe his first outing of the season, this was Kazmir at his best. Don’t sell high.
Kyle Gibson – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 7 Ks. I trust Gibson like I trust Adam Sandler to keep making amazing films.
Jake Arrieta – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. Fun Fact: Arrieta has had a least 7 Ks and 1 or fewer walks in seven outings this season. Baller.
Max Scherzer – 8.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Sad that his final ER came in the 9th to lose the game.
Jeremy Hellickson – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. Don’t forget, he gave up 7 ER last time out. Stay away.
Kevin Gausman – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. It’s a great start for Gausman, but all signs point towards him heading back down to AAA. That is, of course if the O’s get smart and bounce someone like, say Nud Borris from the rotation. I wouldn’t sign up until I heard more.
Francisco Liriano – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. He had a very tough matchup against the Tigers who are 2nd best in the majors against lefties.
Yovani Gallardo – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks. Our Call Boy YoGa is still cruising with his Two-Seamer/Cutter combo, but recognize the lack of upside. If it cracks, he crumbles. I don’t trust it longterm.
Corey Kluber – 8.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 14 Ks. This is just absurd.
Roenis Elias – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Not bad, and the Ks are awesome – there’s his upside y’all – but I doubt there will be a time you throw him while expecting anything under 3 ER.
Tim Cooney – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. He was covering for an injured Jaime Garcia who should be returning next time out. Welp, that was fun.
Chris Rusin – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Rusin 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.
Chris Young – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. It’s…just…so…bleggghhhh
Tyson Ross – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 5 BBs, 6 Ks. I really need to lower Ross. There are no signs that his walk rate is going to shrink anytime soon.
Kyle Ryan – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 5 BBs, 4 Ks. He had an excellent matchup lined up last weekend vs. the ChiSox only for the rain to…rain on his parade. Then he gets this one against Pittsburgh that isn’t horrible but just not the same.
Jacob deGrom – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. That’s the second start in his last three where he’s failed to acquire at least 4 Ks. I don’t think anything is wrong with deGrom, but I’m now anxious for his outing.
Matt Garza – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. A WHIP of 1.80 and ERA of 6.00? Once again, Garza makes owners feel like this.
Matt Moore – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Moore had the unfortunate timing of having his first start on the same day as JoFer, removing nearly all hype he may have deserved. Well, I was never all that excited for the Rays youngin’ as his command is way too inconsistent for me to trust this early into his return to the hill. I’m sure he’ll have one excellent start in the near future that gets his value inflated for a moment, but I’m not signing up ROS.
Wade Miley – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 7 BBs, 2 Ks. If you’re thinking about getting ankle high in water to see how Miley feels, don’t do it. Just don’t.
Matt Cain – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks. He actually looked alright for the first few before a troubling fifth that included a bomb from JoFer himself. I’m not a fan of trusting Cain moving forward, and I wouldn’t run to pick him up.
Chad Billingsley – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 10 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks. Man, Philly must be thrilled to have you back.
Matt Boyd – 0.0 IP, 7 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 0 Ks. Um, what. I hope he has some solid music to listen on his ride back to AAA. It’s too bad because he does have some decent stuff, it’s just not all there yet. The story of young Blue Jays pitchers…
Today’s Streamers
Jesse Chavez vs. Seattle Mariners – He’s somehow still owned in under 50% of ESPN leagues and faces one of the worst offenses in the majors. Possibly worse than the Phils. Yeah, that bad.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Kendall Graveman vs. Seattle Mariners – He’s been great at limiting the ER since his return from the minors in May, and the Mariners are one of the worst offenses around.
Game of the Day
Clayton Kershaw vs. Noah Syndergaard – Two of the more exciting pitchers in baseball square off today. Oh hell yes.