Down in Houston, Texas last night Mike Fiers tossed a no-hitter as he silenced the visiting Dodgers going 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 3 BBs, 10 Ks. Teammate Dallas Keuchel may think this means one thing, but what you care about are the implications for fantasy baseball. Sad to say, this changes very little. Fiers has always been a high risk-high reward guy, and while it is a bit shocking that excelled against a potent Dodgers offense, he could easily turn around and give you a 4 ER clunker next time out against the Yankees. Sure, he’s been on a nice three-game run, allowing just 1 ER in that span, but he’s still the same low 50s guy that doesn’t have the consistency to feel confident each time out.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Henry Owens – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. This is more or less the ceiling I expect from Owens, maybe with another K or two. He’s a finesse guy who can get through lineups but won’t blow you away with Ks and is prone to getting Singled Out.
David Price – 8.0 IP, 2 ERs, 6 Hits, 1 BB, 9 Ks. Aces
Carlos Carrasco – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BB, 11 Ks. Gonna.
Chris Sale – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB, 14 Ks. Ace. Fun fact, his K-BB% is 28.6%. Waaaaaat.
Justin Verlander – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB, 8 Ks. Well this is interesting. He’s only allowed 1 ER in three starts while collecting only six walks and 22 Ks along the way. I’d roll with him against the Angels, but I really think we’re in line for a blow up either against LA after that against KC. I just can’t believe he is suddenly fixed.
Andrew Cashner – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. This was Cashner’s best start of the season. Only direction he can go now is down.
Colby Lewis – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BB, 2 Ks. It pains me to say, but Lewis can do this every so often. I just never want to be a position where I have to rely on it.
Jerad Eickhoff – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BB, 5 Ks. It was his MLB debut and looks to be entering the Philly staff for the foreseeable future, but should you be interested? He throws his Fastball around 91 MPH, and mixes in a Slider + Curveball about 25% of the time. His minor league track record dictates decent strikeout ability – his Slider was the main weapon last night – with an average walk rate. I wouldn’t invest much outside of deeper leagues as his stuff relies heavily on good command and seems very hittable when he doesn’t hit his spots. Definitely possible for him to go on a run if he’s feeling great, but don’t get too swept with emotion.
Rubby De La Rosa – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BB, 6 Ks. Not bad Rubby, and if you streamed him you’re happy.
Drew Smyly – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks. Good Smyly, good. Sounds like the Rays aren’t letting their starters often go through lineups for a third time though, which means in a QS league, Smyly’s value takes a hit.
Chris Bassitt – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. The glass slipper is still on his foot, but it is glass…He features a 4.21 xFIP and a sub 7.00 K/9 isn’t all too encouraging. Feel free to keep rolling with Bassitt, but I’m cautious.
Wei-Yin Chen – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Our Call Boy got the job done, though the WHIP could be a little better and the Ks are pretty blegh.
Madison Bumgarner – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BB, 6 Ks. It’s like he didn’t care about giving up an extra 2 ER after he hit a 2-run HR himself.
Jimmy Nelson – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Blegh.
Brett Anderson – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BB, 6 Ks. At least the Ks were there, and one ER fewer makes this a decent start. But it’s not, and that’s sad.
Tommy Milone – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BB, 4 Ks. Milone is not going to win the MFRTSPA. I don’t think anyone is.
Shelby Miller – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 8 Ks. So it looks like the regression we’ve been expecting is turning Miller into a ~3.50 ERA guy. That’s not super bad, but it’s not the sub 2.75 ERA guy you thought you might have had.
Kyle Hendricks – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BB, 7 Ks. The K/BB is back, but everything else isn’t. Oddly enough, though, in his last six starts he holds and ERA of 5.97. His xFIP? 3.11. His BABIP is a monstrous .369 in that time despite a 52.7% GB rate and very low 22.5% Hard hit rate. He’s also holding a 9.66 K/9 in that span. If you have some brass and need a big play, Hendricks could be your guy.
Masahiro Tanaka – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BB, 3 Ks. Nah, this isn’t what we want Tanaka. You’re better than this and we’ll get it next time, I’m sure.
Hector Santiago – 3.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. His ship has sunk a long time ago. DAMN YOU LOOSE LIPS.
John Lackey – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BB, 7 Ks. This sounds like Lackey.
Felix Hernandez – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BB, 4 Ks. Will he be falling outside the Top 20? Fortunately for Felix, he has a nice road to recovery against the A’s and Astros, but I wouldn’t blame you for sitting him next time out for security.
Gio Gonzalez – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. The Great Gonzalez wasn’t so great last night. Actually, he rarely is. :-/
Kendry Flores – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. He’s not technically a Cup of Schmo since he’ll be around for a little bit, but he might as well be given how little impact he’ll make in fantasy leagues.
David Holmberg – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 11 Hits, 1 BB, 2 Ks. There’s no place like Holmberg. Yes there, it’s called New Jersey. Ah yes, that place is bad too.
Johnny Cueto – 6.0 IP, 6 ER, 13 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. Oh man this is bad. It’s one of those starts you wish he gets pulled earlier so he doesn’t continue to demolish your WHIP. No please! It’s a vintage Indiana Jones replica!
Jeff Locke – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 11 Hits, 1 BB, 2 Ks. Has there been anyone excited to start Locke all season?
Bartolo Colon – 3.2 IP, 7 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 K. The Big Apple was sliced in Coors. Can’t say I’m all too shocked.
Jon Gray – 1.2 IP, 7 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BB, 0 Ks. Gray 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. Well, he can do okay outside of Coors, but this was in Coors so…yeah.
Today’s Streamers
Joe Ross vs. Milwaukee Brewers – Some have given up on the Nationals’ rookie, but he should bounce back after two tough matchups against the Brew Crew.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Aaron Nola vs. Miami Marlins – A tough call this time with both Raisel Iglesias and Kevin Gausman with both decent matchups, but I like Nola’s floor against a struggling Marlins team the most.
Game of the Day
Danny Salazar vs. Luis Severino – I’m eager to see how Severino continues to develop, while Salazar and his incredible strikeout ability are always a fun exhibition.