Do We Get The Jose Again?

Yesterday was a lot of fun reacting to the trade deadline live with Paul Sporer, and the pitcher who may be impacted the most is Jose Urquidy, especially after his evening performance of 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. Huh. Do we drop Urquidy now? The man served us a HAISTMFMWT?! while facing the Indians (now a tougher offense, keep in mind), disappointing many of us as we looked to him to surge ahead as others faced a tougher schedule. The Astros’ acquisition of both Zack Greinke and Aaron Sanchez also makes me question Urquidy’s role moving forward, and if I had to guess, Sanchez gets the role instead of Urquidy. But hold for now; let’s get official word of that first as he’d host the Rockies in Houston next and I’d be down to let Urquidy fly there.

Let’s see how every other SP did Wednesday:

Jose Berrios – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 12 Ks. Aces gonna ace. He got the Marlins and did what you’re supposed to do against the Marlins with 34/81 CSW. Yeah, he needed just 81 pitches for seven frames and 12 Ks. Wild.

Kyle Hendricks – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. Man, is it just me or does Hendricks deserve an AGA label? 2.46 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP and 22% K rate across his last 15 starts at a 6.33 IPS. That’s wild and an absolute rock for your squads—that stretch even includes an injury and DLH stretch of 11.1 innings pitched in three games! Here he dominated the Cardinals with his fourth straight start above a 12% swinging-strike rate, and there’s no way I’m holding him back against the A’s and Reds next. You let me know if I can give it to him.

German Marquez – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 10 Ks. Hot dang! Marquez is cruising as he survived not only the Dodgers, but also the undefeated Coors! And then, of course, he has to get full body cramps during his warm-up pitches in the seventh and get pulled from the game. Of course. There aren’t any updates about his next start, but if was just cramping, he could still make his next outing against…Houston. Ugh. Despite the good fastballs and deuces in this one, I think that’s still a sit. Right?

Miles Mikolas – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Mikolas was home, so clearly this worked out. Slider was back up to 87 mph (phew) as he did earn 11/93 whiffs and 29/93 CSW against the Cubs. I’m OK with this, of course, but not him starting against the Dodgers in L.A. next time out. Nope, not at all.

Daniel Norris – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. That’s 3 ER allowed total in as many starts with 16 Ks along the way. His changeup was hung a decent amount here, though, his velocity was at 91 (not 92) and his sliders were fine. 24/73 CSW works, it’s all…OK. Still hesitant to jump on for 12-teamers, but he’s good enough to consider as a streamer. Maybe for that ChiSox start next. Maybe.

Hyun-Jin Ryu – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. Aces gonna ace even in Coors and serving a HAISTFMFWT?! This is just kinda nuts at this point. 17/18 outs via balls in play with just three hits. IN COORS. You know this can’t last. But his skill set is so strong that he deserves historical luck! I want to believe that. I truly do. It’s just not the right bet to make, I’m sorry. Just for fun, do you know the SIERA of this start? I don’t believe he deserved it—duh—but it’s a 6.21 SIERA. That’s just funny. It doesn’t take into account the 16% hard contact, and we know Ryu deserves a decent amount of success, just not this much, you know?

Jeff Samardzija – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. The ride of Loose Lips continues as he’s produced for six straight starts—yes, including the 4 ER game as he fanned seven. Not as ultra cutter heavy here as we’ve seen, and 26/90 CSW is fine, so I’m not really buying this. It’s a Vargas Rule if you like, and he’s certain to retain the name Loose Lips by season’s end.

Luis Castillo – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. Aces gonna ace. 25 whiffs for a Gallows Pole as Castillo went arm-side with changeups and glove-side with sliders beautifully. Fastballs were a little too thigh-level, but WHATEVER. I’m being picky.

Jacob deGrom – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 11 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Remember how deGrom went slider heavy last time? Yeah, it’s 52/116 sliders again and he’s clearly feeling it. It’s awesome, I love it and 37/116 CSW ain’t bad either.

Lucas Giolito – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks. As he should, Giolito took care of the Mets with 31% CSW and 15 whiffs. Good to see his slider and changeup pick up in a big way—20/50 CSW on their own—and while the walks returned, he wasn’t wild at all. Now it’s Detroit and Oakland and things are wonderful.

Jordan Lyles – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Lyles made his first start for the Brew Crew and did a great job going heaters up and curveballs low. I think he can be of some help to teams down the stretch, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he goes about five plus frames often. Milwaukee isn’t the kind of organization that pushes guys past six frames often unless it’s Woodruff doing Woodruff things.

Mike Soroka – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Good to see Soroka spin two straight 1 ER games…but I find his lack of strikeouts disturbing. It’s been 4 Ks or fewer in six of his last nine starts. Yikes. Trust me, I know it’s not all about strikeouts, but we’re talking about ceiling here, and I’ve been expecting a bit more whiffs from that slider and changeup by now. 3/29 whiffs across the pair in this one isn’t enough. But whatever, you’re not going to deal him now and this is really about what we expect for next year. Is he Top 25 for me? Nope. I’m thinking he’ll lead the pack of “if you want stability” around the low 30s. Remember, there are a lot of injured guys coming back—Kluber, Carrasco, Snell, Scherzer, Glasnow, Severino, etc.—that are going to push Soroka’s preseason stock down further. Enough tangent, we’ll have plenty of time to talk about this in a few months.

Jacob Waguespack – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. 12/76 CSW. Three whiffs. Yikes. Yep. This just ain’t what you want.

Zack Greinke – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. Aces gonna ace as Greinke faced the Yanks and threw his final pitches as a Diamondback. His shift to the Astros doesn’t change his value much, maybe slightly more in favor as his win chances increase, but not enough to dramatically shift him on The List.

Masahiro Tanaka – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. So here’s the thing. Tanaka actually had his splitter working in this one! But he had zero faith in fastballs, and it never locked in. They pulled him after 82 pitches, which I understand, though would have loved to see him go a little deeper here. It’s a step in the right direction and perfect timing too: He gets the Orioles and Jays next. Let’s do this.

Vince Velasquez – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. I’m sure a good amount of you streamed VV where you could, and he did a fine job of handling the Giants. Now it’s Arizona, and nope, I’m out. He’s only the rare stream type, not consistent. I’m cashing out here.

Dario Agrazal – 3.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. At least there were some strikeouts here, and 22/55 CSW is actually kinda amazing, but Agrazal was pulled from this one early with the bases juiced and two HBPs in the book—remember, there was a brawl the previous night and tensions are HOT. He’ll still be off The List, even with this surprising CSW in a small sample.

Brett Anderson – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. It’s just so boring, but it’s what Anderson does. On a good day, at least.

Jake Junis – 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Man, what a Careful Icarus. Junis was cruising through five, allowed a run in the sixth—fine—then a solo shot in the seventh—also fine—but then was sent out for the eighth and allowed a solo shot—not fine but still fine—BUT THEN WAS LEFT IN as another run got credited to him —NOT FINE, BOB. Streaming Record: 67-47. I know he was doing well pitch count-wise; I just wanted to get my QS, even a PQS, and head on out. His curveball did a lot of work here, though I think that’s just his slider and mislabeled. Either way, it’s 10/42 whiffs on breakers with 35% CSW overall at 32/92. He deserved better. We all deserved better. Next is Boston, so let him go back to the wire.

Zach Plesac – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Plesac, no. Please. I know it was the Astros and they are stupid good n all, but can you not? The Rangers are next in Cleveland, and that’s perfectly fine. Hold onto Plesac.

Anibal Sanchez – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. You see a shaky Anibal start, you know it’s a product of his cutter. Just 15 thrown here, and while it did set up his splitter for 6/26 whiffs, it’s just not enough. I’m still letting this ride, though. He’s better than a standard Toby.

Ryan Yarbrough – 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. Despite the horrid line and not surviving five frames, The Fratty Pirate had an opener, allowing him to get the dub despite this ratio killing day against the Sawx. Yay. I’m not a huge fan of Yarbrough, but I’ll let him off the hook here.

Jose Suarez – 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 0 Ks. Jose with the HAISTFMFWT?! and legit harm and zero benefit to your teams that needed a desperate stream. Yikes. The K upside is still there, kinda, but the kid just didn’t have it today.

Mike Minor – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. The decent of Minor continues, despite 31/103 CSW here. His changeup wasn’t as solid as we’ve seen and the luck is fading a bit. It’s far from a drop, and he should be better, but the days of being a de facto Top 25 arm are likely done. 

Sandy Alcantara – 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 5 BBs, 5 Ks. With the Marlins dealing both Trevor Richards and Zac Gallen yesterday, a start like this does nothing to remove Alcantara from the Vinyl collection, as the Fish will continue to let him spin on end. Maybe we’ll get to a point that we buy what he’s selling, but that’s 2020 talk. I’d hate to have to trust Sandy to win my playoffs. Again.

Wade LeBlanc – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. LeBlanc couldn’t LeBlank, and it’s too bad. It’s the floor that has steered us away during his recent strong stretch, and save for a legit turnaround, this is likely the start that repels him from teams for the rest of the year.

Rick Porcello – 5.2 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. There was a moment when we thought maybe Nick is being a little too harsh on Porcello. Nope, not at all. THE THIEF WILL PAY FOR HIS CRIMES.

 

Today’s Streamer

 

For those unaware, I’m forced to make my Streamer picks under the condition of sub 20% owned in Fantasy Pros’ consolidated ownership rates.

 

Dylan Cease vs. New York Mets – Owners are jumping ship while Cease could rebound in a heartbeat with his 97+ heat. I’d take the chance here.

 

Tomorrow’s Streamer

 

Aaron Sanchez vs. Baltimore Orioles – Yeah, I know. You could go Jason Vargas against the ChiSox in his new Philly uniform, but I’m going with Sanchez who had his lowest fastball usage of the year last time out and returned 10 Ks. That could stick, right? Dustin May vs. San Diego Padres – He’s getting the call, and Sanchez is no longer a Jay. I’m normally against rolling with debuts, but this one has an air of fun with his glorious hair.

 

Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer

 

Homer Bailey vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Hooooo boy. This ain’t good. There are a lot of rotations still figuring out their starters, so this may change, but there are very few choices at the moment. I’ll take the shot at Bailey making it work in O.Co against a middling lineup.

 

Game of the Day 

 

Danny Salazar vs. Gerrit Cole – We watch Cole domination + a fresh look at Salazar. Awww yis.

 

(Photo by Russell Lansford/Icon Sportswire)