It was another prospect pitching debut yesterday as Cody Reed put up an intriguing line of 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks against the Astros. I watched a decent amount of this start and there were things I liked and didn’t like. He appeared to be a better Sean Manaea, with a little improved control but not enough to make me confident each time out. He was spotty with his Fastball command but could make pitches once his jitters disappeared, and his Slider/Cutter that ranged from mid 80s to touching 90 was interesting as he got standard horizontal bend or slowed it down for more vertical drop at will. I wasn’t impressed with his Changeup though, which gives me caution since we’ve seen the problems with young pitchers lacking a dependable third pitch. I would certainly hold onto him as a flier, though be a little cautious that this could fall apart. Sidenote: I kinda want to call him Raphael based on how his glasses look like the TMNT masks (why did they need to wear masks in the first place??) and he is on the Reds after all. I’ll consider it.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Carlos Martinez – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. I thought about leading with Cmart, but this should be kinda short. I want to love Martinez more as his walk rate drops below 3.00 BB/9, but that 7.21 K/9 is disconcerting, as he’s averaging about 5 Ks per outing. That’s not the Carlos we are gunning for when we stick him in our lineups. Mix that with a FIP/xFIP/SIERA that aren’t favorable (3.65/3.90/3.99) and I find it hard to believe he still presents Top 25 ability for the rest of the season. Yes, his ERA has been super good the last 4 starts (1.23), but it’s not enough to sway me as everything else looks in line.
Zack Greinke – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Is it time? I think so guys. Aces gonna ace.
Max Scherzer – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 10 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Scherzer has turned it up a notch since I gave him his demotion and now I kinda feel bad.
Dallas Keuchel – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. It was against the reds, which means I struggle to put weight into this outing. Yes Keuchel, you are still in purgatory.
Danny Salazar – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. What shoulder injury? While it’s possible it can flare up at this point, it’s hard not to think that he’s past it. Keep on riding him like your girlfriend trying to impress you on the electric bull.
Steven Matz – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. He had the dub as well until the Mets pen gave up a HR to Tyler Flowers and there it gooooooeeess, see ya!
Colin Rea – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. It’s a One Night Bland, y’all.
Tim Lincecum – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Timmy managed to go 1 ER in his big 2016 debut…against the A’s. No wonder! But of course he had to give us just 2 Ks. This is a Grave Mistake alright, though I don’t think you can actually make that deal moving forward. I don’t have a major issue if you want to take the chance on his in a deep 12 teamer, but I don’t see this playing out all too favorable this year for fantasy owners.
Ricky Nolasco – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. Don’t look now, but Nolasco holds a 3.48 FIP this year with a superb 1.49 BB/9 and 7.79 K/9. I mean, I don’t actually expect Nolasco to live up to that FIP, and he has a much lower floor than you’d like to make a considerable add. You’re best off avoiding outside of super deep leagues.
Matt Moore – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. I know it’s tempting to roll with Moore, especially after coming his 10 strikeout performance last week, but that’s a scary slope to slide down, even if you’ve got the coolest Toboggan west of the Mississippi. Don’t forget, before those two starts, he held a 7.13 ERA across 7 starts. Jeez, that’s worse than The Happening. Don’t put yourself through Marky-Mark confused faces for an extended period of time and hold back on the Moore affiliations.
Rick Porcello – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. Can’t say I expected this good of a start from Porcello against the Mariners, but, well, there it is. He’s got a solid schedule moving forward, so keep on keeping on.
Aaron Blair – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Blegh. Not a fan of Blair, nor his hair. That’s not fair. Whatever, don’t care.
Michael Pineda – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks. A) It was against Minnesota B) He still allowed 3 ER C) He hasn’t allowed more than 3 ER in four starts D) He had a 6 ER clunkers before that, and again a few games before that. E) He gets the Twins again next week, followed by the Rangers, ChiSox, and Indians. F) Ehhhhhhh. If you own him, keep rolling as the K/BB is luscious as ‘ell, but don’t expect the world.
Yovani Gallardo – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks. Gallardo finally returned to the hill and pitched a little better than this line represents. But do ESPN fantasy leagues take into consideration how well they actually pitch? Of course not and he’s gonna have to live with that 1.80 WHIP. I wouldn’t be chasing him, I get a feeling it’s Ubaldo 2.0. Gallbadlo, if you will.
Andrew Triggs – 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks. Triggs is a reliever who stepped in when the A’s needed to kill some innings yesterday. What a guy for doing whatever needs to be done for his team. And when I see team, hopefully that doesn’t include yours.
Jon Lester – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. Here I go praising you a ton, elevating you to Top 15 and I’m rewarded with a bleghy start. Well the Ks are nice and it is a QS, but it’s not the Lester I know and love. Whatever, keep rolling, obvi.
R.A. Dickey – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Dickey wanted me not to forget about today’s holiday. You know, Mother’s Day. Don’t trust a knuckleballer.
Jerad Eickhoff – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. I know this start isn’t ideal, but note that now in his last six starts, Eickhoff holds a 2.35 ERA, 7.75 K/9 and a small 2.35 BB/9. Not bad at all.
Albert Suarez – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. It was the third start of the season for Suarez, who is covering for Cain as he’s chillin’ on the DL. That means it’s the third time I’ve had to tell y’all to avoid him. :-/
Edinson Volquez – 6.1 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. Yeah, this was against the Tigers, though Volquez hasn’t look good for a quite a while.
Jonathon Niese – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks. You know things are bad in Pittsburgh when Niese is your #3. Crazy, if it weren’t for Taillon getting the call, Niese could conceivably be the #1 with Cole out. Wat.
Nick Martinez – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. Oh great, Nick is back, ruining the reputations for all us Nicks everywhere. He was a giant TEEs last year and I don’t see that changing this season.
Tyler Chatwood – 1.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks. Chatwood left the game with a trainer in the second inning. But it doesn’t matter since 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.
Adrian Sampson – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Sampson took the spot of Wade Miley in the rotation, but he’s just a Cup of Schmo. Not a good enough K rate to get excited about, and this being the early goings of a young pitcher I’m not expecting a good ERA/WHIP in the short term.
Mike Bolsinger – 2.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. Ho boy, I really should read my own memos about not trusting Bolsinger anymore. Bolsinger was our super reluctant Call Boy given that there was pretty much nothing to go with, and it went about as well as I should have expected. Whatever, on to the next one.
Matt Boyd – 3.2 IP, 7 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks. I hope you’re still Boyd watching and not Boyd starting.
Wei-Yin Chen – 2.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. Man, it’s kinda nuts to see Chen fall so far down. That floor is getting redone and the workers are forgetting to put in the hardwood.
Chase Anderson – 2.1 IP, 7 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Chase was a good streamer when facing really bad teams, like the Phils, Mets, etc. While the Dodgers aren’t a great hitting offense either, this should send the message that you can’t be too liberal with Chase.
James Shields – 1.2 IP, 8 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks. I know how silly it sounds, but it does seem like The Big Apple (Bartolo Colon) broke Shields. It’s crazy to see this dumpster fire as we all hold hands singing Kumbaya.
Today’s Streamers
Mike Fiers vs. Cincinnati Reds – Fiers could have a much needed field day against one of the weaker lineups around. It’s also looking like Archie Bradley will actually be pitching on Sunday, not Monday, with Shelby Miller returning on Monday. That makes Bradley a good option against the Phils.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Shelby Miller vs. Philadelphia Phillies – I know my rules about extended DL stints and I really don’t like Miller, but there just isn’t another option out there on a thin Monday. So it goes.
Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer
Jimmy Nelson vs. Oakland Athletics – Can’t say I’m the biggest fan of Nelson, but it’s the A’s. Also considered Tyler Duffey against the Phils, but he struggled his last two times out, including his recent 4 ER effort against the Angels and that makes me a little afraid.
Game of the Day
Jameson Taillon vs. Chicago Cubs – I’d be benching him in roto, but I really want to see if the kid can dominate the Cubs. The hype would be so real. SO REAL.