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We’ve got a much tougher slate today, unless of course you were one of the many who were unable to pivot from Chris Sale yesterday after his temper tantrum. While there are a small handful of players I may try out in cash games today, the slate looks more like I’ll be playing a bunch of low-cost GPPs and taking a flier on a number of hurlers. Neither the group of pitchers nor the match-ups evoke a feeling a trust from me, so I’ll just play around today rather than invest heavily in any double or triple-ups. Here’s what it looks like for me:
| vs L | vs R | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Tm | Hand | H/A | Opp | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | BAA | SwStr% | ERA | xFIP | WHIP | GB% | FB% | GB/FB | wOBA | wOBA | $FD | $DK | $Aces |
| Corey Kluber | CLE | R | A | BAL | 129.0 | 9.07 | 2.02 | 0.70 | .216 | 12.8% | 3.42 | 3.19 | 1.02 | 51.5% | 30.7% | 1.68 | 0.282 | 0.248 | $10600 | $10500 | $6900 |
| Jon Lester | CHI | L | A | MIL | 118.1 | 8.44 | 2.36 | 1.29 | .222 | 11.0% | 2.89 | 3.49 | 1.07 | 50.3% | 30.6% | 1.65 | 0.254 | 0.296 | $9900 | $7700 | $7200 |
| Jose Quintana | CWS | L | H | DET | 123.2 | 8.15 | 2.18 | 0.95 | .238 | 9.1% | 3.13 | 3.83 | 1.13 | 40.2% | 38.1% | 1.06 | 0.246 | 0.303 | $9200 | $10600 | $6550 |
| Steven Matz | NYM | L | A | MIA | 101.0 | 8.47 | 1.96 | 0.98 | .266 | 10.2% | 3.56 | 3.41 | 1.26 | 54.9% | 25.9% | 2.12 | 0.313 | 0.307 | $8900 | $7600 | $6650 |
| Scott Kazmir | LAD | L | A | STL | 104.2 | 9.80 | 3.10 | 1.38 | .236 | 11.0% | 4.30 | 3.94 | 1.27 | 43.6% | 34.1% | 1.28 | 0.277 | 0.339 | $8800 | $8500 | $6600 |
| Vince Velasquez | PHI | R | A | PIT | 85.2 | 10.30 | 3.05 | 1.05 | .243 | 13.3% | 3.15 | 3.42 | 1.25 | 38.6% | 39.6% | 0.98 | 0.320 | 0.296 | $8700 | $10000 | $6650 |
| J.A. Happ | TOR | L | H | SEA | 118.0 | 7.17 | 2.52 | 1.07 | .243 | 10.2% | 3.43 | 4.12 | 1.20 | 44.6% | 33.9% | 1.32 | 0.314 | 0.304 | $8600 | $11000 | $6450 |
| Rick Porcello | BOS | R | H | MIN | 119.1 | 7.54 | 1.73 | 1.06 | .252 | 8.2% | 3.47 | 3.82 | 1.16 | 47.9% | 32.8% | 1.46 | 0.282 | 0.346 | $8600 | $9100 | $6100 |
| Jeff Samardzija | SF | R | A | NYY | 122.1 | 6.91 | 2.06 | 1.25 | .250 | 10.2% | 4.05 | 3.99 | 1.21 | 48.1% | 31.6% | 1.52 | 0.358 | 0.278 | $8500 | $7200 | $6750 |
| Junior Guerra | MIL | R | H | CHI | 88.1 | 7.95 | 2.75 | 0.92 | .204 | 11.9% | 3.06 | 3.92 | 1.06 | 46.5% | 34.5% | 1.35 | 0.283 | 0.277 | $8300 | $8900 | $6150 |
| Mike Fiers | HOU | R | H | LAA | 96.2 | 6.43 | 2.23 | 1.49 | .285 | 9.7% | 4.75 | 4.50 | 1.39 | 43.9% | 28.2% | 1.56 | 0.336 | 0.371 | $7600 | $4500 | $5900 |
| Blake Snell | TB | L | A | OAK | 37.2 | 8.60 | 4.78 | 0.24 | .239 | 8.3% | 3.11 | 4.79 | 1.43 | 46.0% | 33.0% | 1.39 | 0.346 | 0.293 | $7300 | $8900 | $6300 |
| Edinson Volquez | KC | R | H | TEX | 118.1 | 6.92 | 3.27 | 0.91 | .259 | 9.6% | 4.72 | 4.24 | 1.38 | 54.5% | 25.8% | 2.12 | 0.292 | 0.333 | $7100 | $6400 | $6000 |
| Tim Lincecum | LAA | R | A | HOU | 28.2 | 8.79 | 4.08 | 1.88 | .370 | 13.5% | 6.59 | 4.84 | 2.09 | 48.1% | 23.5% | 2.05 | 0.375 | 0.514 | $7100 | $6800 | $5700 |
| A.J. Griffin | TEX | R | A | KC | 57.0 | 7.89 | 3.79 | 1.26 | .235 | 8.9% | 4.26 | 4.59 | 1.30 | 35.8% | 43.4% | 0.83 | 0.368 | 0.265 | $7000 | $5500 | $5700 |
| Nathan Eovaldi | NYY | R | H | SF | 104.0 | 7.09 | 2.77 | 1.64 | .267 | 10.4% | 4.93 | 4.01 | 1.37 | 51.7% | 27.5% | 1.88 | 0.380 | 0.326 | $7000 | $4500 | $6300 |
| Lucas Giolito | WSH | R | H | SD | 7.2 | 5.87 | 7.04 | 2.35 | 0.267 | 8.2% | 4.70 | 5.92 | 1.83 | 50.0% | 33.3% | 1.50 | 0.389 | 0.402 | $7,000 | $7,600 | $5,950 |
| Jesse Hahn | OAK | R | H | TB | 34.2 | 4.16 | 3.63 | 1.56 | .331 | 6.2% | 6.49 | 4.98 | 1.76 | 58.0% | 20.2% | 2.88 | 0.471 | 0.316 | $6900 | $5400 | $5600 |
| Tommy Milone | MIN | L | A | BOS | 49.2 | 5.80 | 2.72 | 1.27 | .285 | 8.6% | 4.71 | 4.45 | 1.43 | 52.9% | 25.7% | 2.06 | 0.369 | 0.369 | $6800 | $4700 | $5750 |
| Jameson Taillon | PIT | R | H | PHI | 34.0 | 6.35 | 1.32 | 1.06 | .273 | 7.2% | 3.44 | 3.77 | 1.18 | 52.9% | 20.7% | 2.56 | 0.360 | 0.290 | $6800 | $8400 | $6500 |
| Tyler Chatwood | COL | R | H | ATL | 98.2 | 5.47 | 3.38 | 0.64 | .255 | 8.2% | 3.83 | 4.37 | 1.35 | 59.5% | 21.6% | 2.75 | 0.254 | 0.334 | $6700 | $4100 | $5800 |
| Wade LeBlanc | SEA | L | A | TOR | 25.1 | 6.40 | 1.42 | 2.13 | .250 | 9.5% | 4.26 | 4.13 | 1.15 | 41.4% | 40.0% | 1.04 | 0.282 | 0.333 | $6500 | $6200 | $5750 |
| Vance Worley | BAL | R | H | CLE | 51.1 | 6.49 | 3.33 | 0.88 | .264 | 7.1% | 3.16 | 4.36 | 1.38 | 50.7% | 27.7% | 1.83 | 0.341 | 0.296 | $6300 | $4000 | $5550 |
| Brandon Finnegan | CIN | L | H | ARI | 106.1 | 6.61 | 4.57 | 1.61 | .245 | 9.4% | 4.66 | 5.16 | 1.42 | 41.0% | 35.5% | 1.16 | 0.321 | 0.345 | $6000 | $4600 | $5850 |
| Christian Friedrich | SD | L | A | WSH | 65.1 | 7.85 | 4.27 | 0.96 | .267 | 9.4% | 4.55 | 4.61 | 1.56 | 48.8% | 30.8% | 1.58 | 0.326 | 0.329 | $6000 | $4400 | $5550 |
| Tyrell Jenkins | ATL | R | A | COL | 20.0 | 4.05 | 4.95 | 1.35 | .263 | 5.4% | 4.05 | 5.09 | 1.55 | 59.2% | 20.4% | 2.90 | 0.393 | 0.332 | $5900 | $4000 | $5500 |
| Zack Godley | ARI | R | A | CIN | 20.1 | 7.52 | 3.10 | 1.33 | .272 | 11.0% | 5.31 | 4.73 | 1.48 | 54.9% | 21.6% | 2.55 | 0.251 | 0.405 | $5400 | $4000 | $5600 |
| Anibal Sanchez | DET | R | A | CWS | 88.2 | 8.23 | 4.06 | 1.73 | .298 | 9.7% | 6.60 | 4.72 | 1.64 | 42.7% | 38.0% | 1.12 | 0.366 | 0.401 | $5100 | $4800 | $5900 |
| Jose Urena | MIA | R | H | NYM | 26.0 | 5.89 | 2.77 | 1.04 | .283 | 11.7% | 6.23 | 5.30 | 1.58 | 53.4% | 24.7% | 2.17 | 0.309 | 0.404 | $4200 | $4000 | $5500 |
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Corey Kluber, CLE – I’m not a fan of going up against the Orioles, especially at Camden Yards, but their bats have been fairly cold as of late and Kluber, if he’s on, could really dominate. Over the last seven days, the O’s have produced the second-worst wOBA (.265) and have posted a meager .102 ISO with a 22.4-percent strikeout rate. Let’s hope today is a day they stay this quiet.
Jon Lester, CHC – The Brewers numbers against lefties this season have been right around league-average, though their 24.1-percent strikeout rate keeps them more on the victim side of things. They’ve been striking out even more as of late (25.1-percent) and have produced just a .277 wOBA over the last week.
Jose Quintana, CHW – While Quintana struggled in his only outing against the Tigers, he’s shown that he can step up when needed against some tough lineups. Over the past week, Detroit has been struggling to produce and have a .265 wOBA with a less than impressive .122 ISO over the past week. Similarly to Kluber, if the opposing bats stay as cold as they’ve been, everything should be just fine.
Vince Velasquez, PHI – Since returning from the DL, Velasquez has made four starts and posted a 1.88 ERA with a 25:8 K:BB over 24 innings. He now faces a Pirates team that has had its difficulties throughout the year and is sitting on just a .275 wOBA with a .352 slugging percentage and 20.3-percent K-rate. He’s probably where I would lean for a few low-end cash games.
Jeff Samardzija, SF – The Yankees have been struggling all year with their innocuous .305 wOBA against right-handed pitching and the fact that they’ve posted just a .292 wOBA with a .121 ISO over the last week, I’m leaning towards using the Shark in some GPP work. Don’t expect a world of strikeouts though as that’s not what the Yankees do.
Blake Snell, TB – Run support is always going to be an issue, but if Snell can limit the walks and stay on the top of his game, this match-up with the A’s may not be so bad. The Oakland bats have been somewhat dead lately as they’ve posted just a .286 wOBA with a .115 ISO over the past week. Their plate discipline is usually pretty good, so Snell really needs to stay focused all game if he’s going to want to stay in past the fifth and earn the win.
Lucas Giolito, WAS – Happy to throw a dart here against the Padres, though I’m not as enamored with Giolito as some seem to be. He’s got a favorable match-up against a team that struggles mightily against right-handed pitching and has just a .295 wOBA over the past week. The real turning point could be if the Padres plate discipline falters against the rookie. The Pods have a 28.5-percent K-rate and just a 4.8-percent walk rate over the past week. If they stand there hacking away like this, they could be in trouble.
Jesse Hahn, OAK – Another dart to keep your bases covered if you decide to try Snell in a GPP. If you do, throw a lineup stack against him as well with a Hahn as your starter. The Rays’ .304 wOBA against right-handers ranks just 25th in the league and they’re doing that with a 24.2-percent strikeout rate. If you’re going to throw the buck on Snell, you may as well do the same for Hahn.
Jameson Taillon, PIT – Another good dart here though grabbing the win from Velasquez could be tough. The Phillies have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league all season and now over the past seven days, they have a .248 wOBA with a 25.7-percent strikeout rate. The .305 slugging and .105 ISo are far from intimidating as well.
Zack Godley, ARI – Feel like throwing another dart here? Godley could be a decent option against a Reds team that owns a .299 wOBA and 22-percent strikeout rate against righties this year. He’s got a really sweet 54.9-percent ground ball rate and could get the better of the Reds who have a 42.5-percent ground ball rate against righties this season.
Player News
Kyren Paris hit a two-run homer in Wednesday’s win for the Angels over the Blue Jays.
That’s the first homer for Paris since April 9 when he went deep twice against Tampa Bay and caused everyone to lose all sense of rational thought. The 23-year-old did also single and walk to improve his on-base percentage to .311,, while the homer bumps his slugging mark to .378. There is long-term upside in Paris with flashes that suggest he can be a fantasy option. Fantasy managers should still absolutely looking elsewhere for options up the middle.
Jorge Soler hit a three-run double in the bottom of the ninth to give the Angels a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Trent Grisham went 1-for-1 with a game-tying two-run home run in the eighth inning of a 4-3 win over the Padres on Wednesday.
While the Yankees won this game on a walk-off in the 10th inning, Grisham’s game-tying home run in the eighth was the biggest moment. He came on as a pinch-hitter for Jorbit Vibas against the usually stout Jason Adam and smashed a two-strike changeup into the right field seats. This clutch shot will only continue to push Grisham’s playing time in the right direction after he just started eight of the last 10 games, hit either first or second in each, and already has 10 homers in 31 games played this season.
Jeff Hoffman blew a save and picked up a loss Wednesday against the Angels.
Devin Williams struck out three batters with one walk and hit another in a scoreless 10th inning to earn the win against the Padres on Wednesday.
The Yankees entrusted Williams with the all important 10th inning and the inherited ghost runner on second base after their dramatic comeback. While he loaded the bases and had some tense moments, he left the inning unscathed and opened the door for them to win it right after. It should be noted that Luke Weaver came on for what were the most important outs of this game at the time, after Ian Hamilton walked two to begin the eighth inning and Weaver allowed both of those inherited runners to score. He was called upon as the fireman though and will likely get the next save opportunity. Still, this was a massive step in the right direction for Williams.
Max Fried allowed five hits and one run with no walks and eight strikeouts over seven innings in a no-decision against the Padres on Wednesday.
Fried’s excellent season continued as he set down the Padres easily besides for a mammoth solo home run by Jackson Merrill. It was no matter though, as they rarely threatened otherwise and Fried continued to find his strikeout stuff. This was his fourth outing of the year with at least seven strikeouts, a mark he only hit 10 times last season in 29 starts. Fried with a strikeout rate that’s better than league average – which is where he’s at right now – is a clear top-10 pitcher in fantasy baseball. He’s set for a two-start week coming up against the Mariners and Mets.