Taking a look around the league, here’s a recap of last night’s action and suggestions for your fantasy baseball team.
Mr. Clutch (pitcher) – It’s good to see Clayton Kershaw get back to being Clayton Kershaw. By that I mean eight innings pitched, four hits, no earned runs, 12 strikeouts and, more importantly, no walks. Before this game, Clayton Kershaw had walked seven batters in his last three games, and it was a bit worrisome. This game just calms those fears and further establishes him as king of the castle.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – Where have you been all my life Giancarlo Stanton? I had been trying to get this guy for cheap in every single league I am in, but when a guy goes 3-for-3 with two home runs, four RBIs, three runs and a walk … well, it’s going to be hard to pry away this guy for cheap from anyone.
Surprise, surprise! – Jeff Locke pitched surprisingly well against the Cardinals, going seven innings, allowing three hits and striking out four. Locke’s ERA is a surprising 2.83 on the season, however, his FIP of 5.26 and xFIP of 4.60 kind of stop all of the nonsense of him being a sleeper pitcher.
Here comes the heat – My boy, Tony Cingrani had to make the list some how today. He went six innings, allowed two hits, struck out 11 and gave up zero earned runs. In my opinion, the time to sell is now. Mike Leake just got rocked (which has people thinking Cingrani will stick in the rotation) and Cingrani is coming off of another amazing performance. Eventually, the league is going to catch up with him, and Cingrani is going to come off the high he is on. If you can get a top-40 pitcher for this guy, take it and feel good about it.
Left out in the breeze – Albert Pujols, going 0-for-4 with a stikeout against the Mariners Sunday, has been just plain awful this year. Batting a lousy .244 with only two home runs, you got to be looking to sell for what you can at this point. I would advise against this. He’s your top pick, and you must hold strong for a bit longer. If you can get 90 cents on the dollar, I would do it. Otherwise, you have to take a wait-and-see approach. If you do not own Pujols, I would make a run at him and see how cheap you can get him.
Who’s trending? – Today was a good day to talk about either Daniel Nava or Patrick Corbin. I am choosing Corbin. Coming into Sunday, Corbin had a 1.91 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. After 6.2 innings pitched, with nine hits, two runs, zero walks and five strikeouts, I can safely say I am still buying into Corbin. Though his ERA has raised to a modest 1.91 with a 2.60 FIP and a 3.50 xFIP, you can conclude that those are the worst outlying numbers in he world. He is still a solid streaming option going forward.
Bench me, please? – John Buck, who has been an absolute darling this first month has really fallen off of the wagon these last two weeks. This past week, he batted well below .200, and the only saving grace for Buck has been the two home runs. He has hit eight on the year, however, the time to sell high is here. He is going to be a streaky catcher, and I would rather have a guy like Carlos Ruiz (who is coming off suspension) over Buck.
The Streamer – I have always been a big Wade Davis fan, and having him go against Cleveland could not get any better. He definitely struggled against Detroit in his last outing, but I feel confidant about him facing the Indians.
