Once again, here we are talking about Matt Harvey, just another victim of the Plague of the 18, which should be called the 19 now that Kershaw is down for at least a month. Anyway, after showing signs of life in early June, Harvey has regressed back to his disappointing start of the season, going 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 11 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks against the Marlins. Okay, so I want to tell you that his Fastball averaged its highest velocity of the year…but he also only lasted 3.2 innings and his max Fastball velocity on the day didn’t beat out many start this season. I also want to tell you his FIP and xFIP were super low on this start…but it’s tough for me to buy that he was killing it and 11 hits are just bad luck. I can see people still chasing Harvey, and hey, he’s not falling too far down today, but I just don’t want to be buying him anymore.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Junior Guerra – 7.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. I’ll keep it short. Own him in a 12 teamer, don’t get too confident in the kid, but he’s looking solid. I don’t see him as a major upside guy that belongs in the Top 50, but you should be rolling with him at the back end of your staff.
Aaron Sanchez – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Let’s get this out of the way quickly. There was an article last week that claimed that the Blue Jays were reconsidering if they should shut down Sanchez or not. I checked it out…and there wasn’t a single source and just speculation. No one else was reporting it and it’s created this false impression on people that there’s a chance Sanchez sticks around through September. It’s not going to happen guys. The Jays aren’t going to push Sanchez, their most promising young arm who they have under control for a good while longer. They need to give him a break in workload, and I still expect us to be talking about in in mid August as it comes through near the end of the month.
Lance McCullers – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks. I’ve been super down on McCullers over the past two weeks, and of course I haaaad to mention on last week’s podcast that he didn’t have a WHIP under 1.30 in one single start this season. So this is what you’re shooting for when you own McCullers. It’s gorgeous, it’s oh-so-sweet, and it makes you want to forget about the worse days. I can’t even knock him for his opponent as he trounced the Mariners and he’s set to round out the first half beautifully as he faces the A’s. Now I’m going to be a bit of a Debbie Downer and tell you that I don’t believe the walks to stay low – it’s the first game he’s walked under 3 all year – and I would be selling high if you need that excellent bat.
Jerad Eickhoff – 7.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks. Awwww yeah, it’s nice being back on the Eickhoff train and it’s only going to get sweeter in the second half. Too bad he has to head to Coors first though :-/
Max Scherzer – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. I asked you guys who you thought the #1 guy should be in today’s edition of The List, and I’m leaning toward Scherzer getting the call. The upside, the recent success, the good schedule, the dubs, it’s all there.
Jake Peavy – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Bleeegh. I mean Peavy can be productive every so often, but you don’t want no part of it.
Kendall Graveman – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. Those four walks versus three strikeouts should be enough to tell unaware owners to stay away.
Kyle Hendricks – 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. It sure isn’t exciting, but Hendricks has one of the highest floors for a non-elite starter.
Matt Moore – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. If I’m going to cherry pick stats – a favorite hobby of mine only second to people watching – Moore has a 2.43 ERA and a 8.10 K/9 + 2.16 BB/9 over his last five starts. Now don’t get too excited, that comes with a 3.53 ERA and a 4.61 xFIP and gets the Sawx + one of the O’s/Coors in his next two starts. I wouldn’t consider him in a 12 teamer until he’s on the other side of that at the very least.
James Shields – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Ummmm Shields has kinda gotten over his Bartolo-sized hump, though even with a near 3.00 ERA in his last three starts, those outings still held an xFIP over 5.00. Just sayin’ y’all.
Nick Tropeano – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Trop is back into the mix after the Chacin experiment has come to its end. I think Nick can be serviceable against weaker teams, though I would have plenty of hesitation throwing him out there errr day in a 12 teamer.
Ricky Nolasco – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. The Rickster did exactly what he always does during his starts. Give owners the eyeroll.
Jonathon Niese – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. I prefer the Nephew.
Carlos Martinez – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. That 7/1 K per BB ratio from CMart is very promising, but the rest is ehhhhh. I want to like Carlos more – I really do – I’m just having trouble when he’s putting up numbers that look more like a solid Toby and not a stud.
Tyler Anderson – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Anderson 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.
Wade Miley – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Alright, alright, I’ll hold back on the Karns v. Miley debate today. Still don’t like you Miley and I’m gonna give you them cold eyes.
Edinson Volquez – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. Volquez is really struggling and it doesn’t look to be ending any time soon.
Luis Perdomo – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. Ehhhhh don’t chase Luis.
Danny Salazar – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. There’s been a lot of talk about how consistent Salazar has been that seeing him falter like the rest of the Top 20 is #just2016SPthings.
Tom Koehler – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 0 Ks. Koehler is bad and he should feel bad. Nah, he’s making a decent amount of money and pitching for a living. Sympathy retracted.
Daniel Norris – 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Norris got pulled with a tight oblique strain, marking the 2791th pitcher this season to head to the DL. This year is so freakin’ weird.
Archie Bradley – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. So the Ks were there, but we expect a lot more from our Call Boys and Bradley let us down against the Pads. Welp, lesson learned.
CC Sabathia – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks. Weird seeing CC with nine Ks while also being a major disappointment. Anyway, his ankle injury is clearly still affecting him and it brought the reckoning as his golden streak came crashing down. Time to move on.
Rick Porcello – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 12 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. Talk about getting Singled Out…kinda. Three ER is bearable, but that 2.00 WHIP across six innings hurts a ton. It’s been a pretty boring time owning Porcello lately, but I’d still roll with him in 12 teamers.
Joel De La Cruz – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Yeah, we knew this one wasn’t going to work out.
Yovani Gallardo – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. I still find it hilarious that the O’s signed both Gallardo and Ubaldo. They are the same animal of overpaid, overrated and so painful to own.
Julio Urias – 3.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Julio had his first rough outing after stringing together five solid starts and it might signal the shift to the pen/minors with both Ryu at the doorstep + Brock Stewart being a viable option. You’re safe dropping him if you need the space, I understand holding him until you hear more, though.
Cody Reed – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks. It’s time to move on from Reed, even if he had to face the Cubs twice in a row. It’s totally possible he turns it around in the second half and in a deeper league I may still hold on, but for now there have to be better options that you can stream in the meantime. I’d probably bench against the Marlins next week.
Nick Martinez – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 11 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks. I would saddened by this if we in any way wanted Martinez on our teams in the first place.
Today’s Streamers
Zach Eflin vs. Atlanta Braves – It’s a toss between Eflin and his opponent Mike Foltynewicz as two young pitchers with a decent amount of upside face each other inside the NL Easy.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
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?
Day After 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.
Game of the Day
Carlos Carrasco vs. Detroit Tigers – He keeps getting tough matchups and I want to see him continue to knock em all down.