Riding The Beede Train

Back on Monday we talked about Tyler Beede and his new slider, suggesting that maybe this could work out. Daniel Port wrote this Going Deep about the new approach on Thursday that you should definitely read as well, pushing a lot of us to pick him up for his Friday night start against the Mets. Well, that was a lovely game as he dominated for8.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks, featuring 17% sliders, 30% CSW and a 15% swinging-strike rate overall. Thanks Beede, I appreciate you. Streaming Record 61-41. So are we golden with Beede moving forward? Kinda. I like that he followed the Blake Snell Blueprint a bit with high heat and low breakers for the most part, though he did feature plenty of fastballs in the heart of the plate. There’s still room to grow with all his pitches – slider included – as this is an intriguing development for a young arm finding his way. There’s another gear for him to hit, but it’ll like come with plenty of stumbles along the way. The bad news here is that he gets the Cubs – at home, though – next and I’m not sure if I’m letting Beede fly. I want to and might have to in my leagues, but this isn’t a slam dunk, pass out the champagne and enjoy the ride kind of deal. Keep that in mind.

And yes, that headline is for those in NYC. This city is the best.

Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:

Taylor Cole – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks. Nice job Cole. Terrible job Jaime Barria, who allowed 10 ER in 3.2 IP after. Man, I really liked his slider and changeup last year for a hot moment. Those were days. Not the days, but days. Those days matter too.

Jacob deGrom – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 10 Ks. Aces gonna ace. He was so dang good and fun to watch – 37/108 CSW with 25 whiffs for a Gallows Pole. Sorry deGrom, you had to go against Beede today. We heard you mutter under your breath in frustration when you saw the matchup. Life just isn’t fair sometimes.

Mike Leake – 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. We all wanted the perfecto. We really did. But that wasn’t a good changeup, Leake, and the BABIP Gods elected not to save you that one time. It is an MS score of 7, FWIW, and those that are jumping on now, this was a Birthday Party and you’re too late for the party favors. They were good too – actual full bars of candy, that sticky hand thing, even a hacky sack. I KNOW.

Marcus Stroman – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. I see a line like this from Stroman and begin to get excited. Did his slider return? What about the whiffs? Is he taking strides? Nah, well, kinda, but not really. On one hand, his slider + cutter usage was crazy high around two-thirds of all pitches thrown. Wild and I love it. But then again he had 27% CSW and just nine whiffs, 3/22 on cutters. That’s…blegh. Slider was fine at 12/43 but there’s a part of me that wonders if Stroman can be this good at inducing outs and if he’s a trap for the second half. We’ll see.

Jake Arrieta – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Sure, whatever Arrieta. You’re hoping to be a Toby and guess this gives you the label moving forward. And everyone rejoiced. No, no one rejoiced. It was a sad affair.

Zac Gallen – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks. Whoa, Gallen was able to survive the Dodgers! Just 26/95 CSW is meh and only six changeups, though he had a few great ones in there. I’m still in purgatory with Gallen as I don’t quite see the approach that I want from him. His heater doesn’t seem to have a great plan and while his slider/curveball/changeup are good enough to establish a legit mix, it’s not there yet. We may not at all this year. This isn’t some Soroka-level stuff here, Gallen needs more time to figure out his repertoire. Does that mean he’s a drop? Ehhh, only if there’s something great on the wire, otherwise the ceiling is worth your time, while he shouldn’t be cataclysmic. And he gets the ChiSox next, that’s better than the Dodgers last night, after all.

Jordan Lyles – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Ahhhh, there’s your curveball! 13/34 CSW on the pitch and an even 30% overall for the night as he went curveballs middle and low with fastballs up. He gets the Cardinals next and I think this makes for a sneaky add. Wait, are we suddenly getting more waiver wire options? Beede, Plesac, Lyles, Gallen-ish… IT’S ABOUT TIME.

Hyun-Jin Ryu – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Ya’ll want Ryu in the first tier. And you understand my reasoning for why he isn’t. Health and reliability down the stretch aside, he still sports a sub 25% strikeout rate, you know. That itself separates him from the others.

Julio Teheran – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. Just six whiffs…but 33% CSW as he got called strikes galore from the Nats. Weird to see his slider taking such a back seat with 2/8 CSW, but if you own Teheran you’re happy with this and let’s call it a day.

Chris Bassitt – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Is this enough to turn us into Bassitt Hounds again? 24% CSW sure ain’t. Sorry Chris, please go back to your lovely seat labeled “purgatory”. Don’t mind the label, it has absolutely nothing to do with you. *Suit man whispers in my ear*. Oh, wait. It definitely has everything to do with you.

Patrick Corbin – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Aces gonna give you a terrible WHIP and not enough strikeouts to let it totally slide. A little slide, but come on Corbin, get it together.

J. A. Happ – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. Whoa, 13 whiffs on 90 pitches! Whoa, his secondary stuff was blegh and returned a 2.00 WHIP. But hey, the high heaters are doing well and giving strikeouts again. This could be a productive second half, we’ll see.

Reynaldo Lopez – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. Ummmmmm hey. Grab ReyLo. WHAT. Yep. 97mph last two starts now – I didn’t want to jump on him after just one start last time – but he’s dominated twice with heaters, putting up 32% CSW across the two starts – 26% prior. Previous average fastball velocity was 95.3, with his highest mark at 96.3. If that sticks like it has for two starts now, this will work. It could burn you, but this may be the start of one of those runs that you desperately need. 

John Means – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. Means survived Boston?! How? Ahhhhh that BABIP gods. Seriously, 21/102 CSW is terrible with just six whiffs. Yes, he induced weak contact. Means isn’t Kyle Hendricks. This isn’t going to last and by all Johns Vargas Rule, but don’t hold tight if you have other options.

Justin Verlander – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 12 Ks. Aces gonna ace…just with a WHIP that makes you a little upset. It’s weird. The day he doesn’t burn you with homers, he actually gets Singled Out a little. Whatever, the ratios are overall amazing and the strikeouts are flowing. Verlander is our boy.

Jake Odorizzi – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. It’s super blegh but I don’t think Odorizzi pitched all that badly. And there was 32% CSW to go with it. Stick with him, the skills are there.

Taylor Clarke – 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 0 Ks. Clarke Kent perform at the level you want him to. He’s no super male or something.

Jon Lester – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 12 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks. Blegh. Those ratios hurt hard and nothing in this start was really cooking for Lester. He’s a Toby, which means you’re going to endure starts like this. Don’t put a ton of value on the name value.

Tyler Mahle – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. I wanted more from Mahle here as he faced the Cardinals, hoping to be a good value play considering how everyone jumped off this ship after the Coors game. Womp womp. There’s still talent for the 6-7 strikeout game constantly, but the ratios are going to hurt. That’s just how it is.

Mike Minor – 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks. Unreal. Minor allowed four solo shots here – three to lead off the third frame! – and then settled in super well to make it up to owners. Ten strikeouts and a solid WHIP is wonderful and while I’m still a little questionable on the longevity of Minor’s success, I’m glad he’s proving me wrong so far.

Shane Bieber – 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks. A touch of Careful Icarus here as Bieber had a horrid sixth inning, allowing three straight hits to load the bases, getting pulled, and a two-out triple knocked in all three. Blegh, thanks for the Philly. It’s not like Bieber was looking particularly sharp either – four walks? Really? – but I wouldn’t be worried moving forward.

Kyle Freeland – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks. We didn’t think that Freeland would survive a date in the Bronx this removed from his Triple-A stint, right? Give this some time on the wire, let it ruminate.

Eric Lauer – 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. The strikeouts are weird, but the rest is exactly what we’d expect against the Cubs. I’m not going to bring back the whole El O L thing just yet, but I see those ratios and go “yep.”

Brendan McKay – 3.1 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. The problem here was how McKay was too often pumping strikes. Curveballs too often for strikes and not falling under the zone, not enough cutters diving into batters’ hands, and with that comfort level, batters could swat all they wanted at heaters. This does not warrant a drop. Yes, he’s in the minors now, but I’d hold him for the likely just one skipped start. If you need the spot, I guess it’s okay, but I believe he’s a prime talent that you’ll want across the final weeks. Don’t drop the Irish Strikeout McKay if you can avoid it.

Mike Montgomery – 2.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks. Recently traded from the Cubs, we didn’t think that Monty would jump into the Royals rotation and kill it, but we didn’t expect his shortened starts (not stretched out n all) to be a complete disaster. Maybe at some point he’s a streamer, but now, this M&M has melted in our hands.

Jhoulys Chacin – 2.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Remember kids, Chacin will do well when Jhoulyst expect it.

David Price – 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Dude, Price. Didn’t you know this was the Orioles? It was?! WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE TELL HIM?! Price never got settled in and I didn’t see anything here that makes me think of this as anything but one of those bad days. Trust him in your lineups for next time.

Jordan Zimmermann – 3.2 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks. Jay-Z does not have the Blueprint for success.

Adam Wainwright – 3.1 IP, 7 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Oh lord. Waino, I just praised you. I finally gave in to talk about your cutter and curveball combination and this is what you serve us? The funny part is that my brain is saying “Yeah, now he’ll be super cheap and you can get his next start for nothing.” Honestly, I could see him doing well against the Pirates. Blegh, I’d hate to have to roll with that, but this game is in the past. He’ll likely not go 7 ER again and there could be value in it.

 

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.

 

Jakob Junis vs. Cleveland Indians – He’s fresh off ten strikeouts against the ChiSox with his best slider of the year, I’ll take the chance it sticks one more time.

 

Tomorrow’s Streamer

 

Zach Plesac vs. Kansas City Royals – I’d consider his opponent Glenn Sparkman as well, but I have more faith in Plesac’s floor.

 

Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer

 

Trevor Richards vs. Chicago White Sox – I don’t like this. The other options are his opponent Ivan Nova (blegh) and Alec Mills, the latter I’d consider but somehow the Giants are so hot right now. I’d skip this one and not risk a poor start to your week.

 

Game of the Day 

 

Miles Mikolas vs. Luis Castillo – Mikolas is on the road – will he still be okay? – and Castillo could have the best game of the weekend.

 

(Photo by Will Navarro/Icon Sportswire)