STRUGGLING: ONE YOUNG, ONE OLD
Eduardo Rodriguez is supposed to be good. That’s what everyone told me all offseason when I said he wasn’t. Through 11 starts this season, around health woes, ERod has a 2-5 record, 5.93 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and a 7.34 K/9 mark. Those numbers stink. Pulling back to the broader picture, Rodriguez has made 32 starts at the big league level. That’s a full season of starts. Despite making 32 starts he’s just under 180 innings, by two outs, as he’s often struggled to go deep into games. That’s decidedly average – at best. In those 32 starts he’s 12-11 which is league average. He has a 4.52 ERA which is worse than the American League average (4.47 since the start of last season). He has a 1.38 WHIP which is worse than the AL average (1.33). He has a 7.28 K/9 rate which is worse than the AL average (7.64). He has a 2.91 BB/9 rate which is worse than the AL Average (2.81). He has allowed 25 homers which is worse than the AL average for a pitcher tossing 179.1 innings (22). So please help me out here… why does anyone bother asking me questions about Eduardo again? Unless you’re in some sort of keeper league he’s useless.
Chris Tillman has 14 victories with a 3.50 ERA and 1.24 WHIP this season. Those numbers make him one of the better waiver-wire adds of the season. However, the numbers are a bit deceiving. Despite tossing one run efforts four times his last seven outing, 4-of-7 with one run allowed folks, here are Tillman’s numbers his last 10 starts: 4.40 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 6.07 K/9 with a 3.34 BB/9. All four of those numbers, all of them, are worse than a league average pitcher, and remember that’s over 10 starts, a substantial amount of time. Those numbers are also much closer to his career levels (4.10 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 6.80 K/9, 3.20 BB/9) than what he threw out there his first 14 trips to the bump this season. If you hadn’t figured it out yet… Tillman is just a guy, despite what his overall numbers look like.
STILL HAVING ISSUES
Jake Lamb has destroyed right handed pitching this season with a .311/.377/.640 slash line that is Hall of Fame good. However, here’s the reality check.
Lamb can’t hit lefties. This season his slash line is simply terrible (.186/.301/.400). He also has 20 strikeouts in just 70 at-bats. He’s simply not a playable option most of the time a lefty is on the bump. Not just this season either. In his career against lefties the marks are even worse, if you can believe it, from what we’ve seen this year at .182/.269/.328. Just ugly folks.
Moreover, Lamb has started to slow overall as his .207/.258/.379 slash line over his last 15 games even though he has three homers his last five games to help him to maintain some value. He’s just not the hitter we’ve seen to this point.
UH OH…
Carlos Beltran left the Rangers game Saturday with a left quad contusion. The good news is that even though he didn’t start Sunday he did come on as a pinch hitter. The Rangers move to Colorado to start the week which means that Beltran and his gimpy leg might end up on the bench since there isn’t going to be an available designated hitter. Beltran has been great this season - .305-23-67-51 with a .893 OPS – but don’t forget that he is 39 years old and that he averaged 121 games played the last two years.
CLOSING IN
Yulieski Gurriel has been promoted from Single-A to Double-A for the Astros. Over his last five games the veteran has hit .444 with nine runs batted in to earn the promotion. Meanwhile, Alex Bregman is batting .125 with a .359 OPS through 12 big league games (52 plate appearances). Bregman has about another week to get going or he could start to lose playing time when Gurriel is called up.
DFS DIAMONDS
*The following list of players are guys that Ray recommends as daily plays.
CATCHER: J.T. Realmuto has a .343 batting average and .824 OPS against righties. In five games in August he has hit .353 with a .950 OPS. He has a tough matchup with Johnny Cueto.
FIRST BASE: Joey Votto is batting .449 with a .565 OBP and .681 SLG his last 21 games with 19 runs scored. He faces Michael Wacha with a .375/.448/.625 line over 29 plate appearances.
SECOND BASE: Since the All-Star Game Ian Kinsler has hit five homers, stolen three bases, has score 17 runs with a .857 OPS in 22 games. He’s hit .375 with three homers in 32 at-bats against Hisashi Iwakuma.
THIRD BASE: Evan Longoria has a homer each of his last two games. On the road this season he has a .296/.351/.568 slash line. He’s also had success against R.A. Dickey with a .286/.357/.510 slash line with two homers in 49 at-bats.
SHORTSTOP: Tyler Duffey has allowed at least four earned runs in eight of 10 outings. His last three starts: 16 runs in 9.2 innings. Righties are hitting .330/.381/.556 against him this season. Carlos Correa has handled righties very well this season (.281/.374/.513).
OUTFIELD: Lefties are batting .294 with a .371 OBP against Kendall Graveman. He’s also allowed 10 runs, including three homers, his last 10.1 innings. Chris Davis hit a homer Sunday, and has four walks his last two games, and we know he can get white hot at any moment.
OUTFIELD: Brandon Moss has 18 homers in 81 games with an off the charts .570 slugging percentage. Lefties against Cody Reed this season have been Ty Cobb with a .368/.415/.488 slash line.
OUTFIELD: Righties are hitting .303 against Colin McHugh this season and over his last two starts he’s allowed 16 hits, three homers, and 11 runs (7.2 innings). Miguel Sano has three homers his last three games.
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday, 8 PM EDT, on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 11 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).