Homer Bailey’s performance last night was obviously the biggest story, giving fantasy owners everywhere an unexpected boost. Throw in a dominant performance from Clayton Kershaw, the returns of Giancarlo Stanton & Coco Crisp and much more, and fantasy owners had a lot to talk about. With five days left in the season time is quickly running out, so let’s take a look at all the stories that matter:
- Homer Bailey was obviously the biggest story of the day yesterday, tossing a complete game no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He walked 1 while striking out 10 in the process. It was the cherry on top of what has been a solid campaign for Bailey, who now is 13-10 with a 3.75 ERA. He has great control and entered with a realistic .297 BABIP (courtesy of a 20.1% line drive rate), so there is nothing not to believe in the numbers. He’s never going to be a top option, but to fill out your fantasy rotation he has proven to have value.
- With Matt Wieters out of the lineup due to the birth of his daughter it was Ryan Flaherty who posted the big day to pace the offense, going 2-4 with 1 HR, 5 RBI and 2 R. He has shown some pop throughout his minor league career, and now has 6 HR in 142 AB for the Orioles. If he can do a better job of making contact (39 K), he could be a productive option overall.
- Since returning to the rotation on September 17 (he missed a few games due to injury), Chris Tillman has been light out. He allowed 1 R (0 earned) on 1 H and 2 BB, striking out 4, over 8.0 innings to defeat the Red Sox last night. In his past three starts he has allowed 2 ER over 20.0 innings. If he gets another start this season he clearly is a must use option.
- Giancarlo Stanton returned to the Marlins lineup going 2-3 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 R. Fantasy owners have been waiting for his return, so if you are able to get him back in your lineup immediately.
- Lonnie Chisenhall is trying to prove that he should be considered for the Indians starting 3B job in 2013. He definitely put on a good show last night, going 3-5 with 1 RBI and 1 R. In 120 AB he is now hitting .275 with 5 HR, 14 RBI and 13 R, solid numbers across the board. He’s added 3 doubles and a triple, showing power potential. He’s definitely a young player worth having on your radar as a late round flier, though keep in mind that he has continually disappointed before.
- It was a strong start for Jonathan Niese in what may be his final outing of the year, allowing 1 ER on 4 H and 3 BB, striking out 3, over 7.0 innings of work. He definitely has taken a step forward this season, with a 3.40 ERA. He entered the day showing a solid strikeout rate (7.46 K/9), very good control (2.26 BB/9) and a solid groundball rate (47.5%). In other words, he’s a pitcher that you want to target.
- Ichiro Suzuki went 2-5 with 1 RBI, 1 R and 1 SB last night. Over his past 10 games he is hitting .409 with 2 HR, 6 RBI, 8 R and 7 SB (overall in September he is hitting .378 with 2 HR, 10 RBI, 15 R and 9 SB). He clearly has been revitalized coming to the Yankees and now that he is playing every day he should be active in all formats (with the way he has been playing you should’ve already had him in there).
- When it comes to Ryan Dempster, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that he has continued to struggle since coming to the AL. He allowed 4 ER on 7 H and 4 BB, striking out 7, over 5.2 innings, giving him a 4.64 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 11 starts since the trade. If he stays in the American League in 2013, it may be that we have to consider him an unusable option.
- Drew Smyly gave a nice spot start for the Tigers, tossing 5.1 shutout innings allowing 2 H and 1 BB, striking out 5, but he took a no decision as Ryan Doumit (2-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R) battered the Tiger bullpen. He earned some vital experience this season and could be a nice late round option come 2013 as he has shown a good strikeout rate (8.57 K/9) and good control (2.83 BB/9).
- Jean Segura has been buried at the bottom of the Astros lineup, but you have to wonder for how long? He went 3-4 with 1 RBI, 1 R and 1 SB last night. In his past 10 games he’s hitting .371 with 5 RBI, 5 R and 2 SB, but considering he hits eighth you have to put the numbers in perspective. He showed plenty of speed in the minor leagues and has made consistent contact in the Majors (23 K in 134 AB). He could be in the mix for the Brewers leadoff hitter in 2013, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Brewers give him a little test drive. If you need SB over the final week, he may be worth gambling on.
- I can talk about the Cardinals offense, which scored 12 runs, but the story of the game really was the struggles of Edwin Jackson. He lasted just 1.1 innings allowing 9 R (8 earned) on 6 H and 4 BB. With a September ERA of 7.92, he has hit a rough stretch at the absolute wrong time. He should get one more start, taking on Cliff Lee and the Phillies, but it’s hard to trust him.
- Justin Upton was slotted into the cleanup spot, going 2-4 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R and 1 SB. No matter what he does in the final week he is going to be a disappointment, but he has at least shown signs of the player that he was in 2011, hitting .295 with 5 HR and 4 SB in September. With 16 HR and 17 SB, he still has an outside shot of finishing 20/20. It’s going to take a lot, but he has the ability to get that hot for a week.
- In his first AB since September 18, Coco Crisp went 3-5 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 3 R. Injuries are always a concern with him, and that’s never going to change. All we can do is monitor the news and use him when healthy.
- We weren’t sure if Clayton Kershaw was going to be able to start or not, but he was able to take the mound and toss a gem. In 8.0 shutout innings he allowed 5 H and 2 BB, striking out 10. His hip injury clearly is not a problem at this point, with a 0.67 ERA in 4 September starts. He gets one more start (assuming he is healthy) against the San Francisco Giants to close out the year as he tries to make a push for the NL Cy Young.
