Things That Make You Go “Hmmmm…”
The Tigers could move to a six-man rotation after the All-Star Break, according to manager Ron Gardenhire stated that. This should be good news for Blaine Hardy who would likely be the odd man out once Francisco Liriano is ready to come off the disabled list. Liriano, who made his first rehab assignment over the weekend, is expected to make at least one more rehab start prior to being activated from the DL.
The Kansas City Royals have recalled prospect Adalberto Mondesí . Mondesi hasn’t been great in AAA this season, but he has hit five homers and swiped 10 bases in 29 games. Considering the Royals aren’t contending and the fact Whit Merrifield left yesterday’s game with an injury after fouling a ball off of his knee Kansas City has no reason not to let him play. He could be a fantasy star if given the playing time with his power and speed combination.
Brandon Crawford will be placed on the paternity list today. He will miss the next three games to be with his wife while they welcome a child into the world. Alen Hanson will likely receive the majority of the playing time in the series against Miami.
That Happened?!?
Jack Flaherty was fantastic on Sunday throwing five shutout innings and striking out seven. Flaherty continues to be very good this year so far, throwing just over 50 innings with a sub three ERA and over a strike out an inning. While there will be some regression to the mean, there is no reason to think Flaherty can’t deliver another 80-100 innings of a 3-3.5 ERA rest of the way.
Nick Castellanos went 1-for-3 with a home run. It was Castellanos’ ninth homer of the season. He is hitting .310/.353/.502 so far this season, but the power has been lacking. Castellanos has always been a StatCast hero and it wouldn’t be surprising to him burst out one day, but people who continue to hold their breath for the production to match the skills may forever be waiting.
Michael A. Taylor went for 3-for-4 with four stolen bases versus the Blue Jays. Taylor has been somewhat disappointing this year, but has been good after a slow start to the year hitting .325/.386/.538 with two home runs and 11 stolen bases over the last month. With Adam Eaton back and Juan Soto up, the playing time will be sparser than it should be, but he is a valuable source of speed at the worst.
Julio Teherán threw six no hit innings while striking out 11 on Sunday versus the Padres. In spite of dominating, he did throw a ton of pitches, which prevented him from attempting to carry the no-hitter deeper into the contest. Teheran is a frustrating pitcher to own as he has these moments of brilliance and then complete duds. For instance, he had just faced the Padres in San Diego and given up three home runs in four innings, so some people obviously sat him for this matchup versus the Padres at home. He remains outside the top 50 pitchers in my updated starting pitcher ranks for the rest of the season.
Randal Grichuk went 3-for-3 with two home runs on Sunday. While Grichuk still sports an average below the Mendoza line, since returning to the Blue Jays at the beginning of this month he is crushing the ball, hitting .326/.380/.717 with five homers and a stolen base. Grichuk is a streaky hitter, but right now he is locked in, so enjoy the ride while he is hot.
What We’ll Be Watching Today
Sonny Gray versus Erick Fedde . This is the first of a double header for the Yankees and Nationals. Gray has struggled this season, but over his last three starts he has a 2.37 ERA and a .89 WHIP. Fedde is a former top prospect of the Nationals that has been largely forgotten about in fantasy circles. There is still a lot of talent in both arms.
Miles Mikolas versus Nick Pivetta . Both have been impressive this season, but Pivetta has struggled as of late.
Is Dylan Dovey legit? He has looked fantastic so far, but doesn’t have much of a pedigree and faces the Indians in Cleveland today.
Can Caleb Smith rebound? Smith has been a darling of some in the industry since he burst on to the scene this season, but has struggled recently. He was decent in his last start versus Giants, who he plays today, but also has been much better at home than on the road.
Baseball. Lots of baseball.