Last time out, Chris Tillman struck out nine batters as he excelled against the Rays. He faced the slumping Yanks Tuesday evening and put on an encore with a line of 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 9 Ks. Before rushing to waiver wire, note that Tillman hadn’t collected more than 5 Ks in any start prior to these two, and don’t forget the tales of Sir Till. Yes, I have heard the legends near and far of Tillman – the commoners call it the “Fool On The Till” – and it goes like this. Tillman shows up to a village, detailing how he’ll bring wealth and prosperity if they plead their loyalty. The following day, when the people of the village gather to listen to him speak, he is nowhere to be found – he had been plundering their homes and making their weeks a living hell. That’s a really bad story. Fine, not my best, but I think the message is kinda clear…? Be careful with Tillman as he’ll promise success moments before falling on his face. Take the risk if you’d like, I’m staying away.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Matt Wisler – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. This is what we call a One Night Bland. This also sets the new record for this season’s lowest MS Score of 7. Good work there bud, we’re so proud of you.
Jeff Samardzija – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks. I will chalk up some of his success tonight to getting the Reds, but I do admit that Loose Lips isn’t sinking as many ship as I expected him to sink thus far.
Aaron Nola – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Is there anyone that doesn’t love Nola out there?
Jake Arrieta – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Fun Fact: Those two walks came from the first two batters he faced.
Jose Quintana – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. You know, Quintana hasn’t allowed more than 2 ER in any start this season. I WANT YOUR BABIES.
Michael Wacha – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks. I’d be lying if I didn’t say this makes me reconsider my Wacha stance. Maybe I’ll switch to horse stance or bow-and-arrow stance…I hope there is someone out there who understood this joke without using Google. Don’t lie to yourselves.
Hisashi Iwakuma – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Is this a step in the right direction for Iwakuma? Two walks and four hits in seven frames? Yeah, I’d say so.
Marco Estrada – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Sure, it’s a pretty empty start, but I’ll take the dub and run. He didn’t get the dub. What am I paying you for then?!
Steven Wright – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks. Steven told me that he spells his name with a ph. I told him that explains why he’s so basic. He laughed. I laughed. We had a jolly time. Then I looked up his name later…Don’t trust a knuckleballer.
Martin Perez – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Blegh. Can’t say I expected much different from Perez though. Well, maybe an extra ER or two.
John Lamb – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. I don’t like starting guys the first day back from extended DL trips, and this isn’t a start that will make too many owners thrilled. Anyway, Lamb’s future schedule is pretty fiiiiine as he gets Brewers/Phils/Indians in the pipeline. Sign me up!
Andrew Cashner – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. I know I say it pretty much every time he starts, but he’s doing nothing to make me stop staying it soooo…I hope you’ve Cashed Out by now.
Tanner Roark – 7.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. You didn’t actually believe the strikeouts were for real, did you? Come on,
Scott Kazmir – 6.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks. Didn’t think Kaz still had it in him to strike out nine batters…what’s that you say?…Oh…Blame it on the Rays.
Josh Tomlin – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. I’m pretty impressed with this outing as it came against the mighty Tigers. After a date with the Royals next, Tomlin gets Twins/Reds/ChiSox and that’s a mighty pretty thing.
Luis Severino – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. There are times I need to concede I was off the mark, and Severino was a big miss for me in the pre-season. He still needs plenty of work, which means you can drop him like Cruz in the Republican Primary.
Patrick Corbin – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Same goes for Corbin. His Slider isn’t getting the whiffs it should and he’s getting hit hard. It’s time to move on, sadly.
Justin Verlander – 5.0 IP, 7 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks. And Verlander. Kinda. He’s still got plenty of value, it’s just late 30s/early 40s or so instead of hinting at Top 25/30.
Chris Young – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Whenever I can’t fall asleep, I elect to read Young’s game logs.
Junior Guerra – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. With Taylor Jungmann getting sent down to refine his entire schtick, Jr. got the call and disappointed. Well, disappointed may be the wrong word as it implies people A) knew about him and B) had any sort of faith that he would perform well for their team.
Collin McHugh – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. If you’re waiting for McHugh to provide 2014 value again, you’ll be waiting longer than a Game of Thrones book reader to get the closure they need.
Matt Harvey – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Seriously Harvey, I thought you fixed your mechanics last time out, but now you can’t handle the Braves. He’ll come around at some point, but in the meantime we have to be patient like the kid who is told he’ll get three Oreos if he doesn’t eat the one Oreo sitting in front of him for 15 minutes. You can do it kid, you can do it.
Eddie Butler – 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Butler 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.
Alex Meyer – 2.2 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. It wasn’t going to be a long start to begin with for Meyer, and it fit the bill as it featured poor command mixed with strikeout upside. I watched this outing and I wasn’t all too impressed, honestly. He isn’t the pitching prospect you’re looking for.
Justin Nicolino – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 0 Ks. Ahhh, there’s the Nicolino we all know and hate.
Nick Tropeano – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 5 BBs, 6 Ks. Our Call Boy went ahead and walked five batters because that’s apparently the cool thing to do when I trust in people. He’s not that good in the first place, but he’s not this bad either.
Sonny Gray – 7.0 IP, 7 ER, 11 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Did you know that Gray holds a 3.92 xFIP and 4.08 BB/9 after this start? Dayyuummm…
Jon Niese – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 5 BBs, 3 Ks. Remember when Niese was actually a decent streaming option for the Mets? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Matt Moore – 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks. So the upside is still there and he’s sport a 3.52 xFIP with solid K/BB numbers, but he’s a Cherry Bomb through and through. Feel free to keep him rostered, just recognize what you’re dealing with here.
Today’s Streamers
Alex Wood vs. Tampa Bay Rays – Wood has had the upside to be a #2/#3, but has lacked the consistency to elevate him to greatness. Well, he pitched a gem last time out and could repeat it against a poor Rays offense.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Michael Fulmer vs. Cleveland Indians – I saw a lot of promise in Fulmer’s debut and I think he improves upon it against a weak Indians offense.
Game of the Day
Sean Manaea vs. Seattle Mariners – I’m awfully curious to see how Manaea responds after a meh debut last Friday.