Sandy My Darlin’

(Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire)

I’ve been looking forward to seeing Sandy Alcantara on the hill for a while and his 2018 debut returned 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 5 BBs, 2 Ks against the Mets. Well this is interesting. I thought he might walk a lot and wanted to avoid it. Well, that happened…but still allowed just 1 ER. I obviously watched this one and while I didn’t hate his shtick, it wasn’t what I was hoping for. Good bite on his two-seamer and I like his slow ball to match it with some potential on the slide piece, but save for some tight two-seamers, there wasn’t much of the “wow” factor you want from a rookie. He opened his front shoulder up a ton, causing balls flying up-and-armside often, leading to inconsistent command. That can be tweaked and corrected, but I heard about a curveball and it wasn’t here. I wanted to see more strikeout upside and I can fathom it getting better, though it isn’t enough for me yet. I think you can hold off on chasing Alcantara for now, let’s see what happens next time.

Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:

Tyler Anderson – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. I had hesitation going after this start from Tyler and he silenced all worries, shutting out the Dodgers in eight frames. 31/96 CSW as his cutter and four-seamer did all the work. He gets the Giants in Coors next and I think you’re okay with that.

Paul Blackburn – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. I have an anthem for you if you believe in Blackburn after this start. Nobody’s Pault But Mine. Yes, it’s one of the worst jokes I have here. No I don’t care because you’ll seriously regret owning Blackburn.

Joe Musgrove – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Great rebound from Musgrove who now holds a 3.79 ERA across his seven rollercoaster starts. That’s what I think Musgrove is, save for a WHIP around 1.30 instead of 1.39. There’s a little bit of Blame it on the Padres here, but he’s essentially a Toby.

Felix Pena – 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. This Pena kid ain’t so bad. 10/30 whiffs on his Slider with 34% CSW overall as he had a fine time with the Orioles lineup. He’s still a little limited pitch count wise – 76 here – and with the Mariners next, I think we take a backseat. Thanks for the Win, though. Streaming Record: 49-27.

Julio Teheran – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. On the road and against the Cardinals? Seems like this was destined to be a great outing from Teheran. Why was I so blind? On the real, I still super hate Teheran save for these perfect matchups that I overlook.

Chase Anderson – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Anderson cruised through six frames and I’m a little surprised he was pulled before the seventh as he only had 76 pitches to his name. This was his standard 93mph and nothing really to write home about, but this is the third start in four games with 1 ER or fewer. 20 Ks and just five hits in those outings as well…Twins + Marlins + Pirates to end the first half…that’s not so bad for those needing some SP help.

Gerrit Cole – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Ish. yeah, you’re okay with this – no HR! – even if the WHIP is a little high and it’s under a strikeout per inning. Super weird to see just 10 whiffs and 21/103 CSW from Cole, though. 29 Foul balls as your difference maker.

Patrick Corbin – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. So the Giants have had plenty of trouble with Corbin’s slider all year and it didn’t change last night in the slightest. I still have longterm worries about Corbin not being a Top 20 starter, though he will probably look like one against the Cards next week. However, it is Coors and Atlanta after and I wonder how that will go.

Wilmer Font – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. I have to hand it to Font, that’s three starts against the Yanks + Astros and he’s allowed just 4 ER total. Too bad it’s a 4.34 SIERA rooted in a 4.3% HR/FB and .200 BABIP as he’s carrying a 9.3% whiff rate on top of how he was limited to just 76 pitches and not fully stretched out yet. Too bad.

Marco Gonzales – 9.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. After getting dealt a tough hand against the Sawx and Yanks in his last two starts (11 ER!), Marco was served the Royals and had himself a day, earning a Gallows Pole in the process with 17 whiffs – 32/96 CSW. Pretty awesome how he stayed under 100 pitches here as his changeup carved up the Kansas City lineup. Next up are the Angels twice and I’m all for it.

Rich Hill – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 10 Ks. Whoa whoa whoa. 40 foul balls?! Haven’t seen that yet as Hill pounded the zone with strikes. This is everything you dream of from Hill, especially following a disappointing result against the Mets. 110 pitches is more than I can remember Hill tossing in any game, which makes me a little more comfortable moving forward. With a lot of SP options suddenly in the mix for the Dodgers, it’s possible they don’t need to be so conservative with Hill. Regardless of why, there’s no reason to take your foot off the gas pedal now.

Miles Mikolas – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. That’s a 2.61 ERA and 0.99 WHIP for Mikolas now…with a 17.5% strikeout rate as well as he got one – JUST ONE – whiff in 94 pitches. It’s super weird as I’m normally 100% anti-low whiffs and yet I still believe in Mikolas. His command is great, he had 18 called strikes, and I still think we’ll see the whiffs come around at some point. Either way, feel good about the start against the Braves and let it ride.

CC Sabathia – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. CC just keeps cruising, Red Sox or not. It’s kinda amazing how he’s sporting a 3.02 ERA this season with a whopping 27% soft contact rate and don’t take the wheels off this lovely bus. I don’t even know how to do that. Did you parents teach you nothing as a kid?!

Andrew Suarez – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Okay, that’s cool Suarez. Sure, the 1.50 WHIP ain’t pretty, but the rest is solid against the Diamondbacks. Still just a decent streaming option in my mind (especially with that Giants rotation getting a bit cluttered in the next few weeks) and with Coors + Cubs next, there’s no reason to roster him.

Trevor Bauer – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Seriously, Bauer is dope and you should feel dope for owning him.

Sal Romano – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Blegh. That WHIP kills you, no Win in sight and a 3.60 ERA with 5 Ks just isn’t enough. There it is! There’s what? The true connection between Sal and the cheese. In both cases, it’s never enough. I WANT MORE.

Marcus Stroman – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Yeah, I definitely take this from Stroman. 30/90 CSW as he threw 33 sliders for 9 whiffs. I like seeing that, I also like seeing a ton of two-seamers at the bottom of the zone. This is good Stroman – the Tigers may have been part of it – and I’m all for the Mets up next.

Yovani Gallardo – 7.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Who is this and what have you done with my YoGa? I feel like I’m watching that episode of Futurama when Fry gets worms. You’re not supposed to be an adequate man.

Ian Kennedy – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Sure, whatever Kennedy.

Eric Lauer – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. He’s back to his El. O. L. self (Lauer Only Losses) and that’s the man we should remember him as.

Francisco Liriano – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. A VVVPQS from Liriano as he reminds us why he’s just so hateable.

Mike Montgomery – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. Blegh. Monty got served the Twins and gave you a 2.00 WHIP, making you feel a bit dirty for the dub he gave you. Keep the change, you filthy animal.

Erick Fedde – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Don’t start Erick – it’s Fedderal Law.

Eduardo Rodriguez – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Erod got the Yankees and they had their way in the fourth frame. Rodriguez never looked particularly sharp here – 21/95 CSW – but I’m not worried moving forward. Just don’t start him against the Yanks/Astros/Coors, okay?

Jose Berrios – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks. Berrios lives and dies with his curveball and it just wasn’t its dominating self here. Few located where he wanted it under the zone and everything struggled from there, with a pair of HRs tallying all six runs. Here’s to hoping we don’t have to wait another three starts before he gets that feel back again.

David Hess – 5.2 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. For disappointment this year, the Hess Truck’s here!

Corey Oswalt – 2.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. deGrom was a late scratch for a personal matter – he’s starting today – forcing Oswalt to come out of retirement for one last chance at redemption. On the real, this is the clearest Cup of Schmo we’ve had for a bit.

Nick Pivetta – 1.2 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Okay. On one hand, Pivetta threw some terrible fastballs and they got crushed, not just the three HRs, but the Rendon double as well. On the other, he got legit squeezed (should have been out of the second without any damage), and his final pitch of the game was poetic in a dribbler to Pivetta that turned into an infield single. As an owner, I hate this start and want nothing to do with it. As a non-owner, I’m salivating as you won’t find a better buy low. Yes Pivetta should have been better with his breaking stuff here. But this was not a Giolito 7 ER. This was a game where he was middling and got overly punished. Sure, I’ll drop him a little on Monday given the floor rooted in his fastball command, but Pivetta is so much better than his 4.71 ERA. I wouldn’t even call this a Pineda situation despite the 1.36 HR/9 and 15.1% HR/FB. Those will come down – not to what his 3.33 SIERA says necessarily, but even a 3.50/3.60 ERA with a 28% K rate and 1.15/1.20 WHIP is super good. That’s what I see.

Dylan Covey – 2.1 IP, 8 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 0 Ks. Don’t Covey Thy Dylan. When he’s walking batters, you know something is wrong.

Today’s Streamer

Matt Boyd vs. Toronto Blue Jays – Nothing is jumping out at me – Dereck Rodriguez gets the Diamondbacks, blegh – so I’ll go with Boyd and hate myself.

Tomorrow’s Streamer

Dan Straily vs. New York Mets – Not a huge fan at the options here with tough opponents for some other options, so I’ll go with the worst team in Straily and the Mets.

Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer

Nathan Eovaldi vs. Miami Marlins – This is a clear choice to me. I’d also consider Nick Kingham most likely getting that start against the Dodgers or even Mike Fiers against the Jays if I’m super desperate.

Game of the Day

Chris Sale vs. Sonny Gray – It’s Red Sox/Yankees and there’s Sale. That’s lovely.