I’ll be the first to admit I was down big on Tyler Matzek following the new stick stuff rules being implemented. His spin rates were down more than any other relievers (400 or more RPM’s) and he walked eight hitters over 3.2 innings pitched over that period. Since the All-Star break, however, Matzek has figured things out and adjusted, and is now back to being one of the more effective relievers out there. Over the past 60 days, Matzek has a 1.29 ERA, .95 WHIP, and 27 K’s over 21 innings pitched. His 14 holds over that span are also tops in all of baseball, with only Jake McGee ahead of him in SV+HLD leagues with 15.
Notes
- Héctor Neris continues his impressive streak as the rest of the Phillies bullpen has stumbled lately. Neris has arguably been one of the best relievers in baseball over the past 60 days, posting a 2.05 pCRA, which only Devin Williams beats. His 32.5 CSW and 34.7% K rate also rank in the top 15 over the past 60 days amongst qualified relievers. In SV+HLD leagues, I’d prefer Neris over any other Phillies reliever at this point.
- Luis García has come from out of nowhere to be the Cardinal’s new bullpen ace, and while the 34-year-old has questionable career numbers, this new García seems legit. With a 34.2% Whiff rate and 33.2% CSW over 21.1 innings this year, what has García done differently from years past? For starters, his fastball is averaging 98+ MPH, which is a career-high by quite a large margin. His slider and splitter both play well off that sinking fastball and are his two main whiff getters.
- Ryne Stanek seems to have gotten his command and control issues under control lately and has actually been really good since July started. Over his last 23.2 IP, Stanek has an ERA of 2.66 and WHIP of 1.10 to go with 33 K’s and ten holds (plus one save). Kendall Graveman is still second in line behind closer Ryan Pressly, but Stanek has reclaimed that secondary setup spot.
- Tyler Duffey’s season has certainly been a disappointment, but he’s actually been sneaky productive since the middle of May or so. Over his last 33 innings, he has a 2.4 ERA and 1.33 WHIP albeit with a disappointing 10.9% K-BB rate as his stuff just hasn’t gotten swings and misses this year like we saw the past two seasons (Whiff rate down 14.7%). He still remains in the mix for holds in Minnesota though, and his 12 holds over those 33 innings ranking 17th most in all of baseball.
Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)