Chris Archer continues to frustrate. He keeps getting batters out with his slider, the OPS on the pitches is .635, but note that the mark was .510 and .496 the last two seasons. He’s still near the top of the leaderboard with a 10.30 K/9 rate and his 1.47 GB/FB ratio is better than his 1.41 career mark. Two key negatives. (1) His walk rate, 3.14 per nine for his career, is a full batter higher at 4.21. It’s a baby step, but over his last three outings the mark is 3.18. (2) His HR/9 rate, 0.87 for his career, is double right now at 1.63. He’s never finished a season over 1.05 before. We’re too far along to expect a full rebound, but solid work the rest of the way is still an attainable goal.

Danny Duffy has made four starts for the Royals, with predictable results – moderate. I’ll give him full marks for his 9.16 K/9 rate and 1.02 WHIP, but I’m also going to be quick to point out that his ERA is still 3.86 and that there is no possible way he continues along with a walk rate under one per nine (his career rate is 3.68). You’ve been warned. A streaming option is all he is.        

Mike Fiers has a 3-3 record and 4.84 ERA. He’s pitching better than it looks though. Over his last six outings the ERA is 4.73 and he went 1-2. He’s pitching better than that though. I say that because only once in five outings has he allowed more than two earned runs. He’s also permitted just two homers his last five outings and over his last six trips to the bump he’s walked eight batters. Don’t sleep on him if he’s on waivers – it’s better than it seems.

Jon Lester has a 2.29 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Those would be career bests. He also has a 4.06 K/BB ratio and that would be the third straight season he posted a mark of better than 4:1.

Dallas Keuchel has a quality start in four of six outings. Hey, it’s something.

Sean Manaea has a 6.16 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over seven uneven and less than impressive starts. His talent has been seen but it’s been nowhere to be seen on a consistent basis. Still, the young lefty has gone at least six innings in 4-straight outings, and three of those efforts have been quality starts. He’s also only permitted one homer in those four outings. Things are certainly improving.

Chase Anderson has had recent success. Wei-Yin Chen is the same pitcher he has always been. Yordano Ventura is finally starting to walk less. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO.

Rick Porcello isn’t very good. Sorry. I keep warning ya. Porcello still has an impressive 8.01 K/9 rate and 4.43 K/BB ratio. Those numbers rock. He’s also 7-2. That number impresses. So why do I write that he ‘isn’t very good?’ Porcello has allowed at least four runs in three of his last four starts as he’s been taken deep five times. In those four starts his ERA has been 5.79, his WHIP 1.29 and his strikeout rate is 6.17 per nine. Move on. Deal him while you can.

Robbie Ray has 66 punchouts in 57 innings. That grabs your attention. Alas, it’s about the only good number that the 24 year old lefty of the Diamondbacks is the owner of at the moment. Ray has a 4.74 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in his 11 starts. He’s also walking 4.42 batters per nine innings while allowing 1.42 homers per nine. Even if you’re in an NL-only league I just can’t see how you can consistently run him out there.

Aaron Sanchez won’t be throwing 180-innings this season. The team told us as much back in the preseason. In fact, the plan appears to be to move Sanchez to the bullpen, likely in August. Sanchez threw 133.1 innings in 2014 and last season the mark was just 102 innings as he spent most of the year in the bullpen for the Blue Jays (41 games, 11 starts). This season he’s made 11 starts and is already up to 72.1 innings and he’s been great with a 2.99 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. The K-ball has also returned, he’s striking out 7.96 batters per nine. He’s also generating an elite 58.5 percent ground ball rate that has helped him to a 3.18 GB/FB ratio – the best in baseball. The walks remain an issue, his 3.11 BB/9 rate isn’t great, but that’s really the only negative with Sanchez… other than the fact that he may not be allowed to make even 25 starts this season.

Max Scherzer is third in baseball with an 11.18 K/9 rate (Jose Fernandez 12.77 and Noah Syndergaard 11.45). Scherzer is also sixth in baseball in homers allowed per nine innings. Here is that dubious leaderboard: Anibal Sanchez (2.22), Hector Santiago (2.04), Chase Anderson (1.96), Jered Weaver (1.85), Clay Buchholz (1.77) and Scherzer (1.77). It’s been a tale of two halves for Scherzer. He’s allowed 1.02 homers per nine for his career. Last season the mark was 1.06 and for each season from 2012-15 the homer rate was 1.10 or less. No way it stays as high as it is right now. Further solace can be found in the following. For his career Scherzer owns a league average 10.4 percent HR/FB rate. The mark has been 10.5 or lower each of the last three years. Really think the rate is going to stay at the 18.0 percent mark he’s currently saddled with? Me neither.

Speaking of strikeouts… here are some K/9 numbers you need to know about.

The all-time strikeout record for a season of at least 162 innings pitched, the number of frames needed to qualify for the ERA title, is 13.41 per nine by Randy Johnson is 2001. The only other time a hurler has even been over 12.6 per nine was the 13.20 mark posted by Pedro Martinez in 1999. Look back up. Note that Jose Fernandez mark of 12.77 strikeouts per nine innings would be the third best mark – in baseball history. Can’t seem him going past 180-innings this season, his first full season since Tommy John surgery, but Fernandez is obviously as hard to hit as ever. There’s also this. Amongst pitchers who have thrown 350-innings as a big leaguer the 10.90 K/9 rate that Fernandez owns is 10th all-time. Remove the relievers and the only pitcher in baseball history, who has worked as a starter with more than 350-innings pitched that can better the 10.90 rate of Jose Fernandez is Yu Darvish at 11.24 strikeouts per nine.

 

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).