It had been 658 days since we last saw Yu Darvish pitch on MLB dirt and he did not disappoint with a line of 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. It was all there, his breaking stuff, Fastball command, and the velocity. Oh man the velocity! After averaging 92.5mph in 2014, he averaged 93.9mph in his debut, hitting near 98 at times. Hot damn! Yes, the adrenaline was most likely kicking in and affecting it like we see in major debuts from prospect pitchers, but it’s an encouraging sign that Darvish is back to his old tricks again. The biggest concern I have for Darvish isn’t the innings – he started late enough into the season that I doubt he’ll be limited all too much this year – but rather that his walk rate will stay this low given that he has a career 3.58 BB/9. Oh and the fact that TJS aside, he’s always had injury issues. But hey! This is Top 10 upside given how poorly the studs have pitched this year and if you’ve been holding out for Darvish, that mid-to-late draft pick is looking pretty dang special right now.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Kyle Hendricks – 9.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. Whoa, I didn’t think Maddon would let Hendricks fly through an entire game on his own, but I guess the Phils are a different animal. He did in just 104 pitches and if this doesn’t make you happy to have Hendricks at the back of your staff I’m not sure what will.
Dallas Keuchel – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. Okay, let’s not go nuts here about Keuchel as this was against the Angels, but this start definitely saved him from being dropped everywhere – if you can’t start a guy against the Angels, he doesn’t deserve a roster spot. I worry about his next start in Arizona and I’d sell high if someone believes he’s turned the corner and think it’s their last chance to buy low.
Kenta Maeda – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Super boring way of being productive but you’ll take it after Maeda allowed 4 ER in four of his previous five outings. Can’t say I’m a huge Maeda fan at this point and while he can be an ERA/WHIP guy, he’s too finesse to get the Ks we want.
Wei-Yin Chen – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Chen took care of the NL Easy Braves, which is what you drafted him to do. Thatta boy.
Madison Bumgarner – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Aces gonna ace.
Chase Anderson – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. Our Call Boy did his job against the Reds and even took a blow to the back after wisely throwing at opposing pitcher Alfredo Simon to prevent Tyler Holt from stealing home. Smart stuff there kid. I don’t see Anderson as a favorable roster add, though.
Noah Syndergaard – 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. He was ejected in the third for throwing behind Utley despite no warnings and not hitting the guy. If Thor had simply had a target inside and then actually hit Utley on the hip, he wouldn’t have been ejected. A warning yes, but not an early trip to the showers. So throwing behind him when no one is physically hurt warrants a toss from the game? Completely dumb.
Danny Salazar – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Eh, it’s pretty boring but at least it’s not a Salazar blow up.
Aaron Blair – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Pretty close to identical to Salazar so I guess this is cool if you streamed him. I don’t recommend riding that train in the future.
Adam Wainwright – 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. After his solid outing against the Rockies, he’s now allowed 7 ER in his two other starts combined with just 9 Ks. Just drop him already.
Carlos Rodon – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. It was a battle of the PEAS as Rodon faced Ventura and Rodon showed why he’s clearly the better option of the two. In his last three starts, Rodon now holds a 2.55 ERA and identical 2.55 BB/9. Promising for what’s ahead, I’m just worried he’s a bit of a head case and it’ll fall apart at a blink of an eye – his FIP/xFIP is 3.85/4.00 over those three starts FWIW.
Jesse Hahn – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks. Hahn can’t protect your lineup from devastation.
Matt Boyd – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. Boyd was called up to take JZ’s spot in the rotation, and I wouldn’t expect him to stick around much. Shane Greene is looking good in rehab, Fulmer is killing it, and Zim should be back in the near future.
Matt Moore – 6.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. The Ks were there but the WHIP is a brutal sight. Moore can have his moments where it all comes together, but I don’t believe that we’ll be seeing him do it with any sort of consistency. He’s a second-rate member of the PEAS.
Rick Porcello – 6.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Porcello had the tough feat of facing the Blue Jays, and it didn’t go so well. It’s been a tough month of May for Porcello, holding a 4.65 ERA and just a 6.68 K/9 over five games. The good news is that his next three starts are BAL/SFG/BAL. That’s not good news, that’s bad news. You’re right :( He’s droppable at this point sadly.
Jerad Eickhoff – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. The strikeouts are back! The ERA/WHIP are not, but he did have to face the Cubs. At least he gets the Brewers next, though I’d be cautious investing in him past that outing.
Eddie Butler – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 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 not named Gray and maybe even Gray.
Alfredo Simon – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. Simon was ejected after throwing at Chase Anderson, thus saving any owner who was forced to start Simon from a disastrous start. Thanks bud.
Zack Greinke – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Blegh. This is super frustrating for a few reasons. A) It was the Pads B) he allowed 3 ER in the sixth C) I feel like the Greinkster should be doing much better than this, moreso than the Archers and Harveys of the world. Sadly I have to demote him a bit this week and it’s getting really frustrating seeing so many studs fail to put it together.
Jered Weaver – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. I get the feeling Weaver has voodoo dolls of his teammates that keeps them injured so he still has a spot in the rotation. And given the “success” of the team this year, there’s little reason to go hunting for a replacement on the trade market. Guess we’re going to be enduring Weaver and his AOL-dial-up Fastball all year. Yaaaaaay…
Yordano Ventura – 7.0 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. Just don’t guys. Just don’t.
Juan Nicasio – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. There’s no reason to not use Nicasio’s roster spot as a streaming slot instead.
Wade Miley – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks. Our super back-up Call Boy was pretty dang lousy, making it apparent that I need to stop considering Miley in any way as (s)he’s just too all over the place.
Phil Hughes – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Is anyone still holding out for Hughes? Why?
Gio Gonzalez – 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks. Last time I said that I wouldn’t worry about his blip against the Mets, and now he does the same thing again just with more walks this time. Uggghhhh, yeah I know it was the super hot Cards, but this is still worrisome. He gets the Reds next followed by the ChiSox, so he should be fine in the short term, but that looming start against the Cubs is now making me a little scared.
Ubaldo Jimenez – 1.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks. Yeaaaah, I’m hearing talks of him moving to the minors and I can’t say I’m shocked.
Marcus Stroman – 5.1 IP, 7 ER, 11 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Ugh, now Stroman is failing miserably and I need to push him back even further even with this start coming against the Sawx. Is he turning into a PEAS before our eyes? I need to do a serious reevaluation of Stroman and that hurts.
Michael Pineda – 3.2 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks. What the hell man. You can’t even figure it out against the Rays? Feel free to purge him from your squad, I completely understand.
Cesar Vargas – 1.2 IP, 7 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. Was this game played in Moscow? You know, where Caesar stabs you.
Today’s Streamers
Nathan Eovaldi vs. Tampa Bay Rays – There are a good amount of leagues where Eovaldi is still available and he’s a good bet for a solid outing given his recent success and the Rays’ general lack of it. Discount options include Jimmy Nelson against the Reds and conversely Brandon Finnegan against the Brew Crew, though the latter has a bigger risk attached given his ever growing walk rates.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Nate Karns vs. San Diego Padres – He’s owned in under 30% of ESPN leagues and I see Karns feasting away against the Padres. Ervin Santana against the A’s is a good discount option as well.
Day After Tomorrow’s Streamer
Tyler Duffey vs. Oakland Athletics – I know it’s been a bit rough lately, but this should be very helpful.
Game of the Day
Archie Bradley vs. Drew Pomeranz – I always enjoy watching The Dirty Cheerleader and I’m curious to see how Bradley is looking these days.