Mike Fiers came into this season with sleeper appeal. He posted a 3.69 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.98 K/9 ratio last season over 180.1 innings. Long on results but short on elite level skills, Fiers has fallen on hard times this season for the Astros. Through 18 outings, 17 starts, he’s 6-4 with a 4.75 ERA and 1.39 WIHP, well below league average levels. His strikeout rate has also plummeted to 6.42 per nine, more than two full batters below his 8.57 career mark. The homer rate is at 1.49 per nine as well, a scary number, and over his last two starts he’s allowed three homers, 10 runs and 15 baserunners in seven innings. You can move on if you’re still waiting for it to happen.

After a couple of innings Monday night, I received three tweets about dropping Kevin Gausman. When his outing was complete he had allowed two runs, walked one, and struck out six in 6.2 innings against the Yankees. My question – what the hell is wrong with that effort? If you’re so frustrated with Gausman that you are willing to bail on him after two innings in a start then just drop him. It would be a mistake, but I’m tired of defending Gausman. Some of you just aren’t listening which is fine. Gausman has a 8.49 K/9, 1.93 BB/9 and 4.40 K/BB ratio. You know who doesn’t match those three numbers? Jacob deGrom, Corey Kluber, Jose Quintana, Madison Bumgarner, Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, Justin Verlander, Stephen Strasburg etc.

Jon Lester limped into the break taking two beatings at the hands of the Mets and Pirates (13 runs over 4.1 innings). There was an air of panic with his owners. We return from the All-Star break and Lester tosses 7.2 innings of one run ball against the Mets and everyone is taking a breath of relief. This is how the game works folks. Did you really think Lester was going to post a 2.10 ERA this year? Even with those two beatings on his ledger he still has a 2.89 ERA and 1.07 WHIP this season. Two questions. In 10 previous seasons how many times has Lester finished with an ERA under 3.00? Answer is once in 2014 (2.46). Question, how many times, in a decade, has Lester posted a WHIP below 1.07? Answer is never. Gotta be honest with who people are folks.

Steven Matz may or may not be healthy. You know I think he isn’t. Regardless of whether or not his arm is fully there, he continues to take the ball and he continues to hurt those owners who throw him out there. Over his last seven starts the youngster is 0-4 with a 5.31 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. He’s also been battered by the long ball, 1.55 per nine, while batters are hitting .297 against him in those seven starts. His season long K/9 rate of 8.5 is also down to 7.5 over his last seven starts. He’s a rough start at the moment, and it’s certainly fair to consider benching him outright until things improve.

Ricky Nolasco is 4-8 with a 5.02 ERA. Pay him not attention is the standard line. While I would mostly agree with that I would point out a few things. (1) His 1.96 BB/9 rate is impressive. (2) His 3.40 K/BB ratio is a very solid mark. (3) He’s thrown a quality start each of the last three times he’s taken the hill. Alas he’s only won one of six starts, has allowed seven homers his last six outings and is still Ricky Nolasco.

Ivan Nova is 7-5 for the Yankees after winning his last two starts. However, he’s allowed three homers his last two outings and only once in 13 outings has he been able to avoid allowing a big fly. Moreover, he has a mere 6.80 K/9 rate and he’s yet to go more than 6.2 innings in any outing this season including failing to last 5.2 frames in all but one of his last six starts. Just a guy.

Chris Sale is 14-3 with a 1.01 WHIP. Nothing wrong with that at all. I would even suggest that if you’re disappointed with his 3.41 ERA that you haven’t been paying attention since his career mark is 2.95. You do realize that the mark was 3.05, 3.07 and 3.41 three of the last four years, right, even with an ERA under three for his career? His K-rate is down, by design, though I get being frustrated a bit that the mark has fallen three full batters from last season down to 8.73 per nine this season. His 1.96 BB/9 rate is directly in line with the mark the last three seasons. His 1.11 GB/FB and 1.15 HR/9 are slightly off his career levels, 1.26 and 0.91, but nothing to be overly concerned about. I know he was beat for eight runs two starts ago, and that he entered the break allowing 13 runs over two starts. But it’s a long season folks and unfortunately these things happen. Overall, there’s nothing to be concerned about with Chris Sale other than normal regression to who he is.

Drew Smyly is someone I would be very interested in adding to my team in a dynasty or keeper league. Despite that fact, you would have to be working pretty hard to find a reason to keep him rostered for 2016 if you’re in a redraft league. There are still skills that intrigue here, the 9.48 K/9, 2.48 BB/9 in particular, but it seems like every fly ball turns into a homer (1.79 per nine) and his last four starts have been vomit inducing (26 runs, only 21 earned, over 20.2 innings).

 

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).