Pitching is the name of the game, and you can never have too much of it. I thought I'd go around the league and take a look at a handful of pitchers that toed the rubber Wednesday night. Here are my thoughts.
Kyle Drabek: 3-4, 4.69 ERA, 45 Ks, 1.69 WHIP in 63.1 IPThe kid hit rock bottom Wednesday as he allowed four runs while getting only two outs. At this point it's hard to trust him in an AL-only league, let alone a mixed league setup. The primary culprit has been a complete inability to throw the ball over the plate. Over his last 10 starts he's walked less than three guys only one time, and six times he's walked at least four batters. On the year his BB/9 rate is a ghastly 6.40. My goodness, he has two more walks than strikeouts on the campaign. The guy still has a bright future, but your a certified masochist if you're continuing to roll him out there each start.
Daniel Hudson: 6-5, 4.22 ERA, 67 Ks, 1.30 WHIP in 79 IPHudson has won his last three decisions, and six of his last seven for the surging D'backs. Hudson has also thrown at least six innings each of the last eight times he's taken the hill, and six of those outings have been “quality.†Unfortunately he has been beaten around his last two outings allowing nine earned runs in 13 innings. On the plus side he allowed only a single walk in those two outings. On the year he has a solid 7.63 K/9 mark, and his 3.53 K/BB ratio also portends a lot of success when his BABIP mark recedes (it's currently .338). See if you can use his poor last two outings to snatch him away from his current owner.
Colby Lewis: 5-5, 3.48 ERA, 55 Ks, 1.15 WHIP in 75 IPThree weeks ago in Buy or Sell – AL Version, I suggested buying Lewis. Since that time he has posted a 1.82 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 3.43 K/BB ratio in four starts, so after a rough start to the year Lewis has totally turned things around. He isn't walking anyone, he's only issued 10 walks in his last seven starts, and he has thrown a “quality†start up in six of his last seven outings. Moreover, dating back to the start of last season when he returned to the States from a stay in Japan, Lewis has thrown 276 innings posting a 1.18 WHIP, the 22nd best mark in baseball for a pitcher who has tossed at least 200-innings in that time.
Brett Myers: 2-4, 4.82 ERA, 53 Ks, 1.47 WHIP in 74.2 IPMyers had a magical season last year. Not so much this year. His trademark consistency from last year has pretty much vanished. Oh he's throwing his innings, at least six in all but two of his 11 starts (the other two times he fell an out short), but there has been no consistency in his performance. Well that might not be fair either. He's been consistently below average of late allowing at least four earned runs in six of his last eight outings. It's the same old story with Myers as the culprit has been the long ball. His current mark of 1.81 is preposterously high, more than double his 0.80 mark from last season and more than half a homer more than his career rate (1.29). You have to think the homer total will regress moving forward, but even so his xFIP which normalizes for homers is just 4.24. Be wary.
Brian Matusz: 0-0, 1.69 ERA, 3 Ks, 0.71 WHIP in 5.2 IPMatusz made his long awaited 2011 debut Wednesday night after being sidelined the first two months of the year because of an intercostal strain. Everyone is jazzed about the young lefty after his impressive second half last year that included a 7-3 record, 3.63 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over his last 14 starts. He could certainly replicate those numbers this season, but remember he is coming off injury, is young, and pitches in a wicked tough division – the AL East.
Javier Vazquez: 3-4, 6.02 ERA, 35 Ks, 1.54 WHIP in 58.1 IPVazquez has been awful for most of the season. However, he seems to have somewhat turned the corner. On May 15th, in his darkest hour, Vazquez owned a 7.55 ERA and seemed destined to lose his starting role with the Marlins. Since that time he's made three starts, lasted at least six innings each time out, and posted an ERA of 2.84 with a WHIP of 0.79. Moreover, he's whiffed 15 while issuing only three free passes. Problem solved eh? It's far too early to say that, but given his track record of success, and we're talking about more than a decades worth, perhaps this wily veteran should be given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his recent work – maybe he has it in him to once again be a useful pitcher.
And one rookie who didn't pitch Wednesday...
Jordan Lyles: 0-0, 2.57 ERA, 4 Ks, 0.71 WHIP in seven IPThe Astros top pitching prospect and #42 overall prospect according to Baseball America, Jordan had a strong first outing, a great effort actually for a guy who can't even legally pull back on a bottle of Captain Morgan (and who doesn't want to do that on a daily basis?). At the same time, it would be wise to keep expectations in check. Lyles is only 20 years old and has only 16 games of experience at Triple-A where he posted a 3.97 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. He knows how to pitch, and likely will have a long and successful career, but Lyles just doesn't profile as a top of the rotation fantasy arm.
By Ray Flowers
Player News
Julio Rodríguez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored in Seattle’s 5-3 win over the Athletics on Tuesday.
Rodríguez put the Mariners on the board early with solo homer off Jeffrey Springs in the first inning. He added a base hit in the third inning and was hit by a pitch in the seventh. Rodríguez reached for a fourth time with a single in the ninth and scored on a base hit by Cal Raleigh. The 24-year-old outfielder is hitting .221/.323/.407 with six homers, 25 runs scored, and five steals across 161 plate appearances.
Cal Raleigh drove in two runs with a pinch-hit single against the Athletics on Tuesday.
Raleigh entered to pinch hit for Mitch Garver with the bases loaded in the ninth trailing by one run. He came through with a line drive base hit to bring home two runs and give the Mariners the lead. The 28-year-old backstop has been among the top fantasy performers at the position, slashing .246/.364/.577 with 12 homers, 25 RBI, and four steals across 154 plate appearances.
Brent Rooker went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two steals against the Mariners on Tuesday.
Rooker drew a walk in the first inning and stole second before scoring on a base hit to put the A’s on the board. He reached again in the third with a single and stole second again for his second swipe of the day. Rooker later doubled in the eighth and scored a second time before collecting a third hit in the ninth. The 30-year-old slugger is having a solid season at the plate, slashing .255/.323/.497 with nine homers, 25 runs scored, 19 RBI, and two steals across 164 plate appearances.
Carlos Vargas struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save against the Athletics on Tuesday.
Andrés Muñoz was unavailable for the Mariners on Tuesday after pitching in two of the last three days. It was Vargas who got the call in the ninth to close out the game with a two-run lead. He stranded two runners, striking out two to record the save and secure the win for Seattle.
Emerson Hancock allowed two runs with two strikeouts over six innings in a no-decision against the Athletics on Tuesday.
Hancock gave up a run on a walk and a base hit in the first inning. A walk, wild pitch, and a single in the third put a second run on the board for the A’s. Hancock would toss three more scoreless innings, ending his day after six with a pair of strikeouts for his third straight quality start. The 25-year-old right-hander will take a 5.70 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and a 17/7 K/BB ratio across 23 2/3 innings into a start against the Yankees in Seattle on Monday.
Jeffrey Springs allowed two runs with four strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision against the Mariners on Tuesday.
Julio Rodríguez took Springs deep with a solo homer in the first inning. A base hit and a double brought a second run in for Seattle in the second. Springs settled in for three more scoreless frames, striking out four over five innings. The 32-year-old left-hander will take a 4.81 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and a 32/19 K/BB ratio across 39 1/3 innings into a start against the Dodgers in Los Angeles next Tuesday.