by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Mitch Haniger made his return to the Mariners, and made an instant impact, going 2-4 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and 1 R.  Is there any hope Julio Teheran finally puts things together in ’17, after he allowed 5 R on 8 H and 3 BB over 6.0 IP against the Reds?  Stephen Strasburg was strong in his return from the DL, albeit in San Diego, allowing 2 ER on 4 H and 1 BB, striking out 8, over 6.0 IP in a losing effort.  What else happened on the field that we need to know about?  Let’s take a look:

1) Is Ian Happ picking things back up…
He went 2-3 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 2 R yesterday, giving him 3 HR over his past three games (including a pair of multi-hit games).  Obviously he’s had his struggles this season, as he’s still hitting .249 (though he has added 18 HR and 7 SB over 265 AB).  Strikeouts have been his biggest issue, having entered the day with a 30.3% strikeout rate, and considering he posted a 4 K day on Friday it’s hard to say that he’s shown any type of improvement.  He also hasn’t added many additional extra base hits, with 13 doubles and 2 triples, so if his 24.6% HR/FB regresses the numbers could really get ugly.  While there’s ample upside, don’t get too excited off of a few solid day. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

The rebound of Dallas Keuchel continued (7.0 shutout innings), though the most impressive part of his start against Oakland was his 17 groundballs compared to 1 fly ball.  Another day, another home run for the red hot Gary Sanchez (1-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R).  Manny Machado had a monster day, including a game winning grand slam, going 3-5 with 3 HR, 7 RBI and 3 R.  What else happened on the field that we need to know about?  Let’s take a look:

1) Has Jake Arrieta truly turned the corner…
Taking on the Blue Jays he allowed 1 ER on 6 H and 2 BB, striking out 6, over 6.1 IP to earn the W.  He’s now allowed 2 ER or fewer in seven straight starts and 3 ER or fewer in nine straight (which has led to his ERA falling from 4.67 on June 27 to a solid 3.63 mark).  Even over this stretch he’s struggled to generate many swings and misses outside the strike zone (13.6% in August entering the day, 21.4% in July), and he’s benefited from a lot of luck since the All-Star Break (.214 BABIP, 80.3% strand rate).  Those marks make you think that his strong string of starts could quickly come to a close, and while he does have value the rest of the season don’t ignore the warning signs. Read more

by Ray Kuhn

While we didn’t have a full slate of games, and just five games in the evening, there was still enough action to keep us busy. As we begin our weekends, let’s jump right into some of the performances that stood out. And in case you were wondering, yes, Aaron Judge did strike out again.

1) A Mixed Bag from Kipnis…

At this point, we chalk 2017 up to being a disappointment for Jason Kipnis. Sure, we do have a month and a half left, but Kipnis has missed time due to injury, and when he has been on the field, the second baseman has not met expectations. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Kipnis on the waiver wire in some leagues, and then it turns into whether or not he is a buy low candidate. However, in the first of Cleveland’s two games yesterday, Kipnis showed why we shouldn’t sleep on him. He went 3 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored. One of those runs came on his 10th home run of the season, in 289 at bats, and he now sits at just 29 RBI on the season. To be fair to Kipnis, he hasn’t consistently been healthy this season, and while he is batting .228 on the season, he does have a .250 BABIP. That batting average comes courtesy of his performance in the second game in which he did not carry over his success from the afternoon. Batting lead-off, Kipnis went 0 for 4 and struck out twice. Monitor Kipnis down the stretch, but don’t expect too much. In deeper leagues though, you can’t afford to let him go. Read more

by Ray Kuhn

Yesterday was a busy day around baseball with a full day of action. While Giancarlo Stanton could not continue his home streak, we did get to see Aaron Judge absolutely demolish a ball into the upper deck at Citi Field. Let’s take a look at some of the other performances that stood out from from an exciting Wednesday in baseball:

1) Does Telis Have Any Value…

If your first thought is trying to figure out who Telis is, then you are not alone. With Justin Bour sidelined, at the very least for the next few weeks, first base is open in Miami. One of the players who will see time there is Tomas Telis. The switch hitting 26-year old will find himself on the busier side of a platoon with Tyler Moore, and yesterday he picked up two hits (single and double) while driving in three runs. So far this season, Telis is hitting .244 with the Marlins in 44 at bats while driving in eight runs. Power is all around us, and first base is deep, so in most scenerios you can safely ignore Telis. Prior to be promoted this year, he was hitting .310 with 45 RBI in 45 RBI, but we saved the most important fact for last. While the Marlins are using Telis at first base, he is also eligible at catcher. And that is where he holds some value. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Both Dominic Smith (1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R) and Amed Rosario (1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R) went deep, showing Mets’ fans the future.  Nolan Arenado returned to the Rockies’ starting lineup, going 1-4 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 R, so fantasy owners can officially breath a sigh of relief.  Danny Salazar continued to shine since his return, allowing 1 ER on 3 H and 0 BB, striking out 10, over 7.0 IP to defeat the Twins.

1) Is it time to give up on Brad Peacock…
The offense gave him ample support early, but Peacock couldn’t get through 5.0 innings and qualify for the W.  He lasted just 4.2 IP allowing 4 ER on 7 H and 1 BB, striking out 9, in what obviously is a disappointing performance.  He’s now allowed 4+ ER in two of this past three starts and while he’s shown plenty of strikeout stuff there are ample red flags that the regression will continue.  As it is he entered the day with a 78.3% strand rate, as well as questionable control (4.50 BB/9) and a lack of groundballs (39.8%).  He’s been an extremely solid start, he’s going to be tough to trust down the stretch. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Due to some technical difficulties for Ray we are going to have to knock this out quick hit style.  So, without further ado let’s get right to the biggest stories coming out of yesterday’s action:

1) Chad Bettis steals the night in Colorado…
His return alone is a great story and he made it even better by twirling 7.0 shutout innings against the Braves, allowing 6 H and 0 BB while striking out 2.  He obviously did the job with groundballs (12 groundballs vs. 6 fly balls) and he has always brought some intrigue given his ability there (49.7% for his career) as well as some solid control (3.12 BB/9).  Of course he pitches in Coors Field and isn’t going to be a big strikeout pitcher, so consider him more of a streaming option on the road. Read more