I’ve been talking about an under-the-radar rookie pitcher for a little bit named Zach Eflin and it was great to see him explode on the scene with a line of 9.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks against the Braves last night as our Call Boy. So here’s the quick low-down for those who have forgotten. He has a steady Fastball with a little life around 93-96 and uses a decent Slider to miss bats. He tosses in an occasional Changeup and hook for good measure, though it’s mostly a Fastball/Slider combo platter. It’s not the best repertoire, but he has good enough command of his heater to get by and sprinkle some Ks in between. Now look, I don’t see Eflin as a Top 60 guy. He’s not like Mengden or Norris or whatever. But, he can be valuable against NL Easy teams and he’ll get a good share of those matchups in the second half. Consider him as a slightly above average streamer who can provide value at the end of your 12 team leagues here and there.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Masahiro Tanaka – 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. I kinda want to give Tanaka an AGA one of these days, but Tanaka isn’t the kind of fella that goes and dominates like he’s been saving those whips for ages. He has yet to record an 8 strikeout game all year, and he’s looking like a Gerrit Cole type of being “really good” instead of an ace. That’s cool and all, happy to have him, he’s just not going to win you your week.
Wei-Yin Chen – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. The day after I remove you from The List, you finally show us why we liked you in the first place. Of course. Still don’t trust it to continue, though.
R.A. Dickey – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks. Dickey told me this was his highest strikeout total of the season. It isn’t – he had 9 against the Sawx in his second start of the year. Don’t trust a knuckleballer not named Wright.
Madison Bumgarner – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Aces.
Carlos Carrasco – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. Gonna.
David Price – 8.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks. Ace. I mean, I understand owners getting a little fed up with Price’s ERA totals n such, but you really have to stick it out. He could go crazy for a month where he alone wins you your weeks. It’s why he’s still Top 15 on The List.
Chris Tillman – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Just two Ks Tillman?! I mean, of course I’ll take this especially with the dub as well, I just want to get really excited about you and you’re making it tough.
Steven Matz – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. So good to see Matz still providing excellent value despite the injury schtuff. I stand by my opinion that the Mets would shut him down in a big way if they thought he was on the verge of destroying his elbow as they have other guys that could be pitch in his stead.
Tommy Milone – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Milone Schmilone.
Dallas Keuchel – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Whoaaaa, Keuchel did well? Against the Mariners?! I need to see more before I’m sold.
Tyler Chatwood – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. Chatwood 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.
Steven Brault – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. I took a gander at this outing and wasn’t very impressed. Slightly above average velocity, meh secondary pitches. I like Eflin/Green/Stewart as a pitcher more. I know this was against the Cards and five Ks in four isn’t something to ignore, nor are decent K/9 numbers in the minors. I do think this is more of a Cup of Schmo situation than a grab-him-everywhere type of deal. But hey, with the way SP is going this year, you could do worse than taking a flier on him…though he gets the Cubs to close out the first half and that does not sound fun.
Zach Davies – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Ehhh I guess I’ll take it?
Gio Gonzalez – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Is this helping his case at all? Not really, especially as this came against Milwaukee. Once again, he’s totally droppable in a 12 teamer in favor of a streaming spot.
A.J. Griffin – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Griffin tossed 96 pitches in those four innings. Ouch. I haven’t been the hugest Griffin fan, though I’ll let him a little off the hook since this game was played in Beantown.
Christian Friedrich – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. Friedrich is a former Rockie who is living up to their traditions. He’s a loyal guy, ladies!
John Lackey – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 5 BBs, 4 Ks. Jeeeeez, five walks?! Lackey did face a tight strikezone and he’s got a point. This is a little worrisome as it’s the second horrible start in three games as Lackey has faced a trio of weak teams. Don’t think you should do any rash and just keep plugging him in, but dude, step it up.
Brandon Finnegan – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. Wow, Finnegan is pitching poorly. I’m so shocked. This is my shocked face. If you want to make the excuse that it’s the Cubs, go ahead. He’s still a really bad fantasy pitcher with his atrocious walk rate.
Mike Foltynewicz – 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Our backup Call Boy wasn’t so hawt against the Phils and shows up why he isn’t on The List quite yet. You may see Folty actually being a good pitcher in 2017 or 2018 even – he has the stuff/velocity for it – but there is clearly a lot to learn to turn him from a thrower into a pitcher. There’s a chance he does dazzle in moments of brilliance through the season and I think you’ll see us taking the chance with him as a streamer a few more times this year. Or not. He’s on the fringe like that.
Mike Leake – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. Leake is pretty much a TEEs, which is why he’s hanging around the likes of Doug Fister on The List. Now, I think Leake can outperform his peripherals a little better than your typical duder and I still like him against average teams. But don’t expect a whole lot.
Taijuan Walker – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Walker left early as his foot was too painful to pitch through as it affected his performance. Welp, I wouldn’t be touching Walker for a long time. He’s clearly going on the DL as the Mariners bring back Nate Karns to the rotation, and Seattle will play it safe to protect their sper valuable young arm’s foot.
Zack Godley – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks. Oh God, not Zack again.
Kenta Maeda – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. Here I go writing about how Maeda is the anchor of the Dodgers’ staff now that Kershaw is out and he gives us three walks in just four innings. Sure, it was the O’s, but come on Maeda, you’re supposed to be the fearless one! The guy your L.A. brothers look at when the tough gang comes into your playground. SHOW THEM WHAT YOU GOT.
Sean Manaea – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. I really hope no one is still holding out on a Manaea upswing. It’s possible he develops better command in the next year or so, but there’s no point chasing it this season.
Anibal Sanchez – 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks. Ohhh we’re so happy to have Anibal back on the field.
Tim Lincecum – 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Same goes for Timmmm-ay.
Jake Odorizzi – 5.1 IP, 7 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Good luck trying to trade Odorizzi to the Rangers now…Why did he have to do this against the ANGELS, the one weak team the Rays have faced in forever?
Chris Young – 2.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Forever Young should be the automatic name of the last place team in your league.
Carlos Rodon – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 12 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Probably the most disappointing outing of the night. I’ve been a bit high on Rodon once I noticed his velocity rising and more swings on his Slider. The good news is that batters are still going after his Slider, but his Fastball velocity went from 95+ to mid 93. Booooooooo. He was a bit Singled Out, but he overall just wasn’t a dominating like he can and I’m a little worried now as his upward trend may have been a shorter rod than I thought. A shorter…rod? You know, like the stock market stuff where it’s a rod pointing in one direction before it starts going back down again. Okay, that doesn’t really make sense, but for a moment I thought you were making a sexual reference. Well, that too.
Today’s Streamers
Shelby Miller vs. San Diego Padres – Miller is a duder that you want only against the bottom tier. Is this bottom tier? What do you think?
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Doug Fister vs. Oakland Athletics – Not many streaming options on this ace-day Thursday, so if you’re looking for a stream, you might as well go flip the coin on Fister’s ERA against the A’s. If Blake Snell has been dropped, he’s a great option against the Angels as well.
Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer
Scott Kazmir vs. San Diego Padres – Kaz is coming off a 10 strikeout game and the Padres are the Padres. Other options are Daniel Mengden against the Stros if your leaguemates are still in the dark, as well as Yankee rookie Chad Green going against the Indians.
Game of the Day
Bud Norris vs. Kevin Gausman – It’s a good test of Norris with his revamped repertoire while I would love to see Gausman excel against a mediocre offense.