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) – Last night was the cherry on top of the sundae for what has been an amazing year for Matt Harvey. He had a perfect game until Alex Rios broke it up in the seventh inning. Amazingly, he only got to a three-ball count once during that stretch. Matt Harvey ended up going 9.0 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out 12. If you “sold high” on Harvey earlier on in the season I hope you got a lot. I would be calling up whoever has David Price in your league and make him an offer.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – A walk-off home run does not get anymore clutch, and that is exactly what Shin-Soo Choo had last night. He finished the game 2-for-5 with two home runs, two RBIs and two runs scored. Choo is having just a monster season in a contract year, and based on his performance this season, he is going to get paid. The .333/.465/.587 slash line .254 ISO are all career highs. The .385 BABIP is not far off from his career .355 BABIP. When it comes down to it, The Great American Ballpark has been very good for Choo. He is batting a robust .413 in home games while only batting .254 in away games.
Surprise, surprise! – Hector Santiago was the reason Matt Harvey did not end up getting the win last night. He went 7.0 innings allowing four hits and striking out eight. Santiago has been very good in his first two starts this season, and gets Minnesota Monday. His 1.69 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 8.44 K/9 and 2.36 BB/9 are all very impressive but his 88.2% LOB%, 3.34 FIP and 3.67 xFIP tend you to believe that he can not keep producing at this high of a level. If you need to dig deep for pitching help, I would pick up Santiago and see how far he takes you.
Here comes the heat – Carl Crawford extended his hitting streak to seven games last night by going 1-for-5. While that may not be impressive, Crawford has quietly been Crawford again this season only with a bit more power. He is on pace to hit 25 or so home runs, which would easily be his career high and could easily finish as a top-10 outfielder this season. The injury history is the only thing that scares off most people, but I am buying Crawford this season. I am all-in.
Left out in the breeze – My sympathy goes out to J.A. Happ, who had to be carted off of the field Tuesday night after taking a Desmond Jennings liner to the head. It was just awful to watch. ESPN is reporting that he is currently stable and hopefully we will get to see Happ back on the field sometime this season. He went 1.1 innings allowing five hits, four earned runs and a walk.
Who’s trending? – A very trendy sleeper, Jedd Gyorko has really come on in the last week. Last night he was 1-for-2 with one run scored and two walks. In the past week he is batting .360 with four RBIs, five runs scored and three home runs. He is definitely starting to trend in fantasy leagues and his 2B/3B eligibility is almost too sweet to pass up.
Bench me, please? – Tim Lincecum got shellacked again. He went 7.0 innings allowing nine hits, five earned runs and three walks while striking out nine. Lincecum is giving you exactly what he gave you last season, which is not enough to cut it in any leagues. A 4.75 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP will eventually get you kicked out of the rotation. What’s embarrassing is he’s still owned in 95 percent of leagues! Seriously, people! I’ll take Hector Santiago over Lincecum for the rest of the season and wont think twice about it.
The Streamer – Chris Tillman has been very sharp in his last two outings, and I am buying it somewhat. He is a feast-or-famine type of pitcher and, right now, he is on. He is taking on the Royals, which should be as good a matchup as any. Deploy with confidence!
