Nailed It

Collin McHugh made his return to the hill after missing his last start with a torn fingernail and cruised to a 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks line across 87 pitches. People didn’t want to start him because of his fingernail issue and because the ChiSox “lit him up” last time out. I put that in quotes because I like how people got really emotional about it. It wasn’t “he had his one bad start the in his last nine games against the ChiSox back at the start of August” it was “dude got absolutely crushed last time against the ChiSox. NO THANKS.” And now I’m getting emotional about it. LOOK WHAT Y’ALL MADE ME DO. Anyway, McHugh did more of the same, as he’s now allowed 5 total ER in his last five games with his injury behind him, facing one of the worst offenses in baseball. Angels are next on Sunday (if Lance McCullers isn’t starting instead) and you want that. If he gets bumped, it’s the Rangers in Arlington on Monday and I think I still want that.

Let’s see how every other SP did yesterday:

Chase Anderson – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks. Anderson was lucky to face the Pirates twice in a row and didn’t slack off like last time. Cause he’s dope n stuff. Seriously, he hasn’t allowed more than 3 ER in his last 14 starts, good for a 1.82 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 8.96 K/9, and 2.27 BB/9. It does come with a 4.22 xFIP, .224 BABIP, and 87.6% LOB rate though, and I can’t decide where I want to put him for next season. Velocity jump is real, though it could come down next season and he’d turn into a possible Panda or Toby. On the other, he’s pitched like an ace this season.

Yu Darvish – 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Yes Darvish, just like that.

Kevin Gausman – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Splitters were up, 20 called + whiffs from his Fastball…yep that’s a good Gausman start. And now he gets the Pirates. SWEET.

Drew Pomeranz – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. The Dirty Cheerleader cruised against the Orioles for six frames and needed under 100 pitches to do it too! Now he gets the Jays and I’m all for it.

Mike Clevinger – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. And the Clev train continues, with another 6 IP start, just two walks, and a strikeout per inning. Hard not to fall for him, especially now that he’s featuring more Curveballs than ever, previously using This is a pitch that has a 44.0% K rate with a 20.8% whiff rate on the year as batters chase it out of the zone 46.2% of the time. Batters are hitting .184 off the 241 thrown this season. Yes, I want you to throw more of those. Then there’s his Slider that also carries a 20%+ whiff rate, which means he has two secondary pitches he can turn to as he misses bats. But that’s actually not the most important part. During this five game run, the #1 stat that is making me pumped is Clev’s First-Strike rate. Prior, he was holding a 61.3% mark. Last three starts? 71.9%. That’s letting him get ahead and turn to his strong breaking pitches to end at-bats. That’s what I’m talking about, WOW.

Mike Leake – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. Leake just can’t be stopped right now, allowing just six ER total in his first four starts for the Mariners. Sure, the only tough outing was in Arlington last time out, but it makes me question if we should be benching him against Cleveland next time. Maybe not if you’re desperate…?

Seth Lugo – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Ehhhh it’s just so boring. I feel like I’m sliding off a summer couch.

Mike Montgomery – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. It’s most likely the final start of the season for big Monty as Jake Arrieta returns this week and I didn’t have the brass to let him fly. There’s a chance the Cubs go six-man with him and he snags a start against the Cards next week…though I don’t think I’d do that, even with his no-hitter flirtation here.

Martin Perez – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Sure, whatever Perez.

Marcus Stroman – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. That’s mighty fine Stroman. Miiiighty fine. I can see him being in the Top 25 across the board next season, though I wonder if I will. He’s essentially at his ceiling now as I don’t expect the strikeouts to rise and I wonder if he’s plateauing or on a hill.

Trevor Williams – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. This is surprisingly solid from Williams, someone who averaged under 5 Ks in his previous five starts. I don’t have faith that he’s worth the stream against the O’s next.

Chris Archer – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Hey look at that! Archer was a popular sit and he made it hurt as he rolled through the Cubs. Next up is Baltimore and you should take that gamble.

Johnny Cueto – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks. That WHIP hurts, but if you rolled with it, Cueto served you well. I have my hesitations sending him back out there in Arizona next time, though.

Jack Flaherty – 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Wow, the Cardinals pulled him for a pinch-hitter in the third inning. Jeeeeeez. Doesn’t speak well for the team’s trust in him. Even with a good matchup against the Pirates, it’s hard to believe he’ll even go five frames now.

Lucas Giolito – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. This is actually pretty impressive coming from Giolito against the Astros. The Royals are next and I’m game.

Ian Kennedy – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks. Hey, Kennedy can be productive! Maybe. Sometimes. Not often. Probably not next time.

Aaron Nola – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. Mmmmm, you make me proud to own one of these shirts. Don’t Trust a Knuckleballer? Ugh, no. Obviously not that one.

CC Sabathia – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. I’ll take this from CC, but man would I hate making this gamble often.

Max Scherzer – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Aces gonna ace. You made me a little scared earlier in this game Scherzer, I’ll be honest. We cool now though, we cool.

Tyler Skaggs – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. Blegh. That’s a bad WHIP and just 1 K to show for it? I mean, this was a clear bench anyway with the Indians n all…and so is the next against the Astros. I can see Skaggs being a last round pick in some leagues next year, but I think y’all know I won’t be making it.

Travis Wood – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. It’s the wrong Wood!

Chad Bell – 3.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. Don’t have a Cow, Bell. I’m challenging myself to have a new Bell joke every time. This is the clear by product of my dumb life goals.

Jose Berrios – 3.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. Blegh. I’ve seen a lot of talk about Berrios’ Home/Road splits and with this game on the road, I can imagine this affirming that belief. I’m more inclined to favor the fact he said he was fatigued during his last start. I mistakenly didn’t see that quote until after I put out the Sit/Start for the week – my bad ya’ll – and I apologize if you followed that into last night.

Odrisamer Despaigne – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Hey Jeff! Yeah? Who was that guy for the Marlins that put up a PQS last night and shouldn’t be trusted to do it again? Despaigne… What? Despaigne… I can’t hear you when you whisper it like that. DESPIAGNE, ALRIGHT? Yeah, still sexy sounding.

German Marquez – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. It’s a VPQS for Marquez as he left Coors and went into AT&T park and I think we’re cool with this. He gets the Pads next again outside of Coors and I’m game.

Luiz Gohara – 6.1 IP, 4 ER, 11 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Awwww, he had a PQS after six, but they threw him out for another inning and ruined it. Womp womp. He was struggling to have faith in his third pitch, which is a big need if he is to grow into a complete arm, and his Fastball command needs a little more polish. Still, I think I’m rolling with him again versus the Phils on Sunday (if he does indeed get that start instead of Folty). Almost forgot, Streamer Record 77-58-17. Womp womp. Magic number is six for me to end above .500…

Zack Godley – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. Noooooo. This was my final start for Godley as the finals end this week (Godley gets two golden starts next week against the Giants and Royals), and of course he had to go and ruin it. I want to believe that he can has sub 3.00 ERA upside for a full year, but man I can’t ignore the walks. This came after a pair of 0 walk games too!

Jackson Stephens – 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Jackson with a 5 spot is so poetic. I also like the fact that resisting making the add is easy as 1, 2, 3…

Daniel Gossett – 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. I’m tempted to label bad starts from Daniel as “Gosse Eggs” as they are clearly the anti-thesis of what you’d want them to be.

Today’s Streamer

Jakob Junis vs. Toronto Blue Jays – I think Junis brings enough upside to make this the best streaming option. Tyler Chatwood against the Giants is another option but without the same ceiling.

Tomorrow’s Streamer

Tyler Anderson vs. San Diego Padres – I know some of you are going to be chasing Danny Salazar against the Angels. I’m not doing that. I doubt he goes far in the game, he’s showed how inconsistent he can be, got demoted oh-so-recently and the Angels aren’t the “bad” offense you think they are with Mike Trout and Justin Upton.

Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer

Kyle Gibson vs. Detroit Tigers – I know Gibson didn’t do well against the Jays last time, but he also fanned 8 and had to deal with Josh Donaldson being ridiculous. Other considerations are Reynaldo Lopez against the Royals and Ben Lively against the Braves if you need an extra arm.

Game of the Day

Chris Sale vs. Baltimore Orioles – I get the feeling Sale is going to go nuts today.