How long can Kris Medlen really keep this up? Should fantasy owners be concerned with CC Sabathia? Has Yu Darvish realized his potential? Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from last night’s games:
- Starlin Castro went 2-4 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and 1 R and, while the season overall is going to be a disappointment, no one is going to really complain about the numbers. He’s now hitting .281 with 13 HR, 75 RBI, 70 R and 24 SB. He entered the day with a .314 BABIP, part of the reason he’s “disappointed” by hitting under .300. With that in mind, he has shown that the upside of 25/25+ with a .300 average is extremely realistic, maybe as soon as 2013.
- Yea, Justin Verlander is pretty good, isn’t he? He tossed 7.0 shutout innings allowing 6 H and 1 BB, striking out 6, against the Indians last night. It’s amazing that it was just win #14 though, isn’t it?
- Very quietly Greg Dobbs has been producing for the Marlins, at least in the average department. He went 2-4 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 R yesterday. Over his past eight games he’s gone 12-29 with 1 HR, 5 RBI and 5 R. He could have value in deeper formats, but he really doesn’t provide enough power to make you take notice.
- Kris Medlen didn’t get the win, but it was quite the performance against the Nationals last night. In 7.0 innings he allowed 1 ER on 5 H and 1 BB, striking out 13. It’s the second time in his past three starts that he has whiffed at least 12 batters. As I discussed earlier this week (click here to view), while Medlen has all the makings of a great option there also is a lot of luck involved in his success (he entered with a 92.8% strand rate as a starter). Over a small sample maybe he maintains that, but be prepared for a regression in 2013. That said, he brings strikeouts, control and groundballs. Yes, he’s going to be real good and is a must own option.
- Let the concerns over CC Sabathia really begin, and they are justified. He was supposed to be a fantasy ace, but after allowed 4 ER on 6 H and 2 BB, striking out3, over 6.2 innings he is now sitting with a 3.63 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Obviously they aren’t numbers people are going to complain about, but he’s now allowed 12 ER over his past 20.0 IP and has just 12 K over that span. With two stints on the DL already this season, do we think that all the innings he’s logged over the past few years are finally catching up to him? He has thrown over 230 innings for five straight years and over 190 for 11 straight years entering ’12. Obviously you have to stick with him this year, but we are going to have concerns for ’13.
- Is Ryan Lavarnway the answer in Boston? It’s hard to say, but he’s not yet making the most of his opportunity. He went 1-3 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and 1 R yesterday, only his third hit in his past 29 AB. He’s hitting .169 with 2 HR and 7 RBI in 91 AB for the Red Sox. He could finish strong and is definitely a player worth watching as who he does will influence his ’13 value.
- Jimmy Rollins went 2-6 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 2 R yesterday, giving him 3 HR in his past four games. He’s added 6 RBI, 7 R and 2 SB over that span as well. I’m not going to argue that he’s close to the same player that he once was, but he’s red hot right now and needs to be active in all formats. He still brings power (20 HR) and speed (27 SB) to the table.
- Yu Darvish finally solved the mystery of the Seattle Mariners, as he allowed 1 ER on 2 H and 2 BB, striking out 9, over 7.0 innings to improve to 15-9 with a 4.02 ERA and 1.30 WHIP on the season. However, he has been lights out of late, showing us what is possible. He’s 3-0 in his past four starts, allowing 5 ER over 29.0 IP. He also has struck out 33 over that span. In fact, in his past 10 starts he has struck out at least 8 batters seven times (84 K over 67.2 IP). It took some time, but he does have a 1.22 WHIP after the All-Star Break and is showing signs that the talent does indeed match the hype.
- Do we all remember when Erick Aybar was nothing more than a bum? He went 4-5 with 1 R yesterday and is now hitting .410 in his past 10 games. Since the All-Star Break he is hitting .335 with 5 HR, 18 RBI, 30 R and 10 SB over 173 AB. If you stuck with him you certainly have been rewarded. He also is likely to be a highly touted option once again for 2013.
- Chris Sale tossed 6.0 shutout innings allowing 3 H and 0 BB, striking out 5. He has had some rough starts in the past two months (4 ER or more five times in his past 10 starts), but he continues to show that he has the stuff to excel in the Major Leagues. Fantasy owners need to be cautious, however, as he has thrown 175.0 innings this season after just 71.0 a year ago. In theory the White Sox could shut him down at any time, so keep a close eye on the news.
- Is Lucas Duda showing signs of getting things back on track? He went 2-4 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 1 R yesterday and is now 7-16 with 1 HR and 4 RBI in his past five games. It’s not much, but it is obvious that the Mets want him in the lineup over the final two weeks to see what he can do (either if he has a role for ’13 or to rebuild a little trade value). If you need some HR over the final two weeks and he is available, he has the potential to get scorching hot.
- Tyler Skaggs got hit hard by the Giants, allowing 5 ER on 5 H and 1 BB, striking out 2, over 4.0 innings. Over his past two starts he has now allowed 10 ER over 7.0 innings of work. He has a ton of potential, but he needs to correct the 5 HR he’s allowed over 24.1 innings in the Major Leagues. With the way he’s going right now, it’s impossible to trust him down the stretch. If you are in a keeper league, however, keep him stashed.
- Manny Machado went 2-2 with 1 R and now has a modest four-game hitting streak (5-16). He obviously hasn’t shown a ton in his 122 AB, with just 4 HR, 15 RBI, 16 R and 2 SB, but he is just 19-years old. This experience is going to be unbelievably valuable and it is hard to imagine that he isn’t going to be in the Orioles plans from the start of 2013. While owners may write off the modest numbers, he could be a real commodity a year from now.
- Andrew Cashner simply didn’t have it against the Rockies last night, allowing 6 ER on 10 H and 0 BB, striking out 2, over 3.2 innings of work. We all know the strikeout ability and the most important thing is him getting comfortable and staying healthy. He’s going to be tough to trust down the stretch this year, but he is going to have real sleeper value in ’13.
- The Dodgers returned Shane Victorino to the leadoff spot last night and he delivered by going 1-3 with 2 R. Fantasy owners can only hope that it’s the start of a hot stretch to finish off the year. In that lineup, if he gets on base he is going to score a ton of runs.
