Kyle Gibson has made seven starts this season with a 6.05 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. He hasn’t been any better in his three outings since returning from injury with a 6.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP as he’s struck out just 11 batters in 18 innings. Oh yeah, he’s also 0-5 on the year. He’s just not good and he is now officially in the Rick Porcello category – guys that won’t ever be as good as some folks seem to think they should be.

Jon Gray has a great arm – you will get no dispute on that front from me. At the same time, he’s not consistent. Over 12 starts this season he has a 4.80 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with a 9.74 K/9 mark. You can see “it” with him, but just not frequently enough. He’s allowing a league average 3.12 walks per nine, and the 1.17 HR/9 rate is a bit high (he’s allowed seven homers his last six games), even if he has a 49.7 percent ground ball rate. Still can’t trust him, despite what I see from him when I watch him pitch.

Cole Hamels is 8-1 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.22 WHIP through 15 starts with the Rangers. He’s really good. He even has an 8.44 K/9 mark that is just barely off his 8.60 career mark despite pitching in the American League. Two issues do stand out though. First, he’s allowing 1.40 homers per nine, a massive increase on his career rate of 1.01 per nine. Oddly, the rate is way up despite the fact that his current 30.5 percent fly ball rate would be a career best. The blame lies at the feet of his 18.8 percent HR/FB mark. That rate will not continue since the previous 10 seasons he’s never had a mark of even 13 percent. Second, he’s walking 3.44 batters per nine innings. The last nine years the mark has never been above 2.63. Traditionally his walk rate goes down about half a batter in the second half. Hopefully such a turn will occur in 2016 as well.

Hisashi Iwakuma has a 4.45 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Those are waiver-wire numbers in mixed leagues. He’s been bombed for seven homers his last three starts and 10 his last five seemingly with every mistake ending up in the seats. That’s an inordinately high total for Hisashi by the way. He’s still not beating himself with the free pass with six in six starts, but that’s a hollow victory for a hurler who simply isn’t producing.

Erik Johnson has made five starts this season and the results have been abysmal. Erick has been blistered for at least five runs in each of his last four starts and overall he owns an 8.44 ERA and 1.90 WHIP. The 26 year old has a nice arm but he simply has never been able to find his rhythm at the big league level.

Francisco Liriano simply cannot get things on track. Over his last five starts for the Pirates he has gone 0-4 with a 6.92 ERA and 1.96 WHIP. That’s just dreadful. The only positive sign, yet again, is the 9.69 K/9 rate. Liriano has walked 19 batters over those 26 innings while allowing five big flies. Great arm, but as always, zero consistency and his lack of control this season is alarming (5.63 per nine).

Lance McCullers is an elite talent, a first round pick, who as a rookie last season posted a 3.22 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 129 punchouts over 125.2 innings. He started this season slowly because of injury, but he’s starting to find his footing. In 46 innings over eight starts McCullers has 56 punchouts, but he’s also walked 5.67 batters per nine, a number that is worse than even Liriano. He still owns an elite 57 percent ground ball rate and has allowed just one homer this season, and he’s also allowed two or fewer runs in three of four games. Better – yes. Fixed? Well, he still has walked at least three batters in every outing this season and that must change for him to return to last year’s levels.

Jerad Eickhoff has been very good lately. Tim Lincecum just doesn’t have it anymore. Kendall Graveman just isn’t talented. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO.  

Daniel Mengden has made three starts for the Athletics. Over 18 innings he’s allowed just 17 hits and six walks leading to a 1.28 WHIP, and his ERA is 3.00. Mengden has also struck out 21 batters in 18 innings. Coming into the season Baseball America ranked Mengden as just the 24th best prospect in the Athletics organization. Mengden dominated in seven starts at Triple-A with a 1.39 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, but he doesn’t own that kind of talent. He has a solid fastball and an above average changeup, and he’s described as a bulldog. I love the mustache too. He’s still a back of the rotation arm, despite what we’ve seen.

Joe Ross is just 23 years old, and he’s really good. Through 160.2 big league innings he owns a 3.36 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 46.6 ground ball rate, 7.79 K/9 and 2.58 BB/9. He’s tossed a quality start each of his last three times on the hill and five of the last six times. Nothing wrong with any of that. However, one minor concern. Ross has allowed only eight homers in 14 starts, but all eight of those big flies have come his last nine trips to the bump. Keep an eye on the dingers. Ross threw 121.2 innings in 2014 and 152.2 innings last season which means he should be able to throw 180 frames this season. He’s at 84 innings at the moment.

Dan Straily has gone from the waiver-wire in every mixed league to posting a 3.83 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 84.2 innings. However, and you knew there was a however coming, there are concerns. The 3.93 walk rate per nine is awful and not that far above his career level of 3.70. His WHIP is in serious danger with that mark so high. Straily has also allowed 10 runs his last 10.1 innings and that is harbinger of what is to come. Straily is a solid big league arm. He’s not a comfortable start in mixed leagues though.

Michael Wacha is 3-7 with a 4.41 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. He’s not been good. He’s also added a half batter to his walk rate as his BB/9 mark is 7.90, a half batter to his walk rate as his BB/9 mark is 7.90. Like his teammate Adam Wainwright, it appears that Wacha is starting to find his groove. Wacha has allowed only three homers in eight starts. He’s also allowed five runs over his last three starts, all quality starts. Going back five stats he owns a 3.34 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 7.52 K/9 and 2.78 BB/9. That’s the arm we’ve come to expect. If he’s on waivers head on over to the wire and rectify that mistake.

Finally, just cause. The Shallows

 

 

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday, 7 PM EDT and Friday on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 7 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).