After beginning his career almost no-hitting the Red Sox through six innings last Saturday, the legend of Chi Chi Gonzalez, whether I mean that ironically or not, continued Friday night with a complete game 3-hit shutout of the Kansas City Royals for his second win. He allowed just five base runners in all, striking out two. Oh, hello there. I am now intrigued. *Raises eyebrow, googles stats* Err. O…k. Despite my intriguement, in 43.1 innings at AAA, Chi Chi posted a 4.15 ERA with a 26/19 K/BB rate. Hmm. Well, that’s not very good at all. Still, I am not one to stare a gift horse in the butt. That’s how you get kicked in the teeth. Gonzalez has now pitched 14.2 scoreless innings to start his MLB career, allowing just five hits. Let’s focus on that. So maybe he’s almost walked twice as many batters as he’s struck out. Fair enough. I’m not saying he’s here to save your team, but he gets the Oakland A’s next week and should certainly be worthy of a ping on your fantasy radar at this point.
Here’s what else happened Friday night in fantasy baseball:
Jake Odorizzi – 4.1 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, BB, 4 K but left the game with an oblique injury. Not Odorizzi! This really stinks. To date, Odorizzi has posted a 2.61 ERA, with four wins and a 59/14 K/BB rate in 11 starts this year. He been one of the biggest surprises of the season, especially in fantasy. The Rays have already lost Cobb and Smyly, but this one really reeks. Odorizzi seemed optimistic about the injury, but usually when you’re dealing with the oblique a trip to the DL is more than likely. Womp womp.
Fernando Rodney – 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER. Gave up the game-winning home run to Logan Forsythe (1-for-4, HR(7)), because that’s what you do when you’re Fernando Rodney these days. Carson Smith pitched okay in a clean eighth, but he has been light years better than Rodney so I’d recommend you grab him anywhere he’s available.
Brett Lawrie – 3-for-4, HR (5). Fantasy baseball’s favorite troll has currently strung together four straight multi-hit games. He’s also got three homers, 7 RBI and a stolen base in the past two weeks. U mad, bro?
Wade Miley – 7.1 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, BB, 6 K, 5th win. Sure, this start was like a Party in the USA for Miley, but next week could come in like a Wrecking Ball. Sorry, Miley, I just don’t trust you.
Chris Colabello – 3-for-4, run, RBI. Are you kidding me? Still hitting? Chill, dude, Cola is better when cold, everyone knows that. He’s batting close to .400 in the past two weeks with 3 homers, 8 runs and 10 RBI. If you haven’t picked him up yet, what are you waiting for. Share a Coke with your fantasy team, before he goes flat.
Aaron Sanchez – 8.0 IP, 6 hits, ER, 3 K. Matching up with the K-stros I was expecting more like, 4 ER, 5 BB, 15-17 strikeouts, but this is much better. Right? My brain says yes, but my crotch says, “Ks! More glorious Ks!” This is Sanchez’ fourth straight quality start (28.0 IP, 2 W, 8 ER, 17 K) and his success can be attributed to his increased use of his sinking fastball. I would absolutely grab him for his start next week versus Miami.
Roberto Osuna – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 K. Took just 11 pitches to get through the inning. Why isn’t this guy the closer again?
Adam Jones – 2-for-4, HR (8), 2 RBI. Adaaaayum, you make me happy.
Matt Wieters 2-for-3, run, 2 RBI in his return. Can you believe it’s been over a year since we’ve had some Matt Wieters action in our life? That is a real life true and honest Matt Wieters fact.
Anthony Rizzo – 2-for-3, 2 HR (11), 3 RBI. H-R to Rizzo! “Bryce Harper who!?” Seriously? He plays for the Nats, he’s got 18 home runs, on ESPN constantly, have you really never heard of him? Cool it, random italicized voice, stay in Grey’s posts where you belong. I was making a funny. Anyway, Nats versus the Cubs! In a match up of which team can provide the most fantasy value to the most people in a single game, the Cubbies took round 1.
Danny Espinosa – 2-for-4, 3-run HR (7). With Yunel Escobar nursing a wrist injury, Espinosa’s playing time should be safe for now despite Anthony Rendon’s return. So all you Espinosa owner can rest easy.
Alex Rodriguez – 4-for-5, run, RBI. I just love writing nice things about A-Rod, you guys.
Jered Weaver – 5.2 IP, 9 hits 7 ER. Ouch. Gave up homers to Mark Teixeira (1-for-5, HR (17), 2 RBI) and two to Nancy Drew. I recommended grabbing Weaver a few weeks ago, who had been money in his past five starts. I was out last week or else I would have told you to avoid…right? Let’s not point fingers here, the fact is he gets the Rays next week and I might give him another go.
Stephen Drew – 2-for-4, 2 HR (7), 3 RBI. Batting .173. Why won’t you just go away?
Dellin Betances – 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, SV (2). Gave up his first run of the season. Time to drop.
Matt Duffy – 2-for-4, HR (4). He’s got 3 homers and 7 RBI i n the past two weeks. That’s not me recommending him, that’s me telling you like it is. Dropping knowledge.
Buster Posey – 2-for-4, go-ahead HR (9). YES! This is why you drafted him five rounds early.
Ryan Howard – 2-for-4, 2-run HR (11). Nope, not that desperate.
Maikel Franco – 2-for-4, HR (5). What Franco lacks in plate discipline and patience he more than makes up for in upside and bona fide star power. Ha-cha-cha! He’s got 3 homers, 7 RBI and 3 multi-hit games in the past four outings. Yeah, I’d own that.
Joe Panik – 2-for-4, run. He’s got a 10 games hitting streak with 2 homers in that stretch. If you are at your wits end looking for a middle infielder, don’t panic. Panik.
Joey Gallo – 0-for-4, 4 K. Wait, so he’s not going to save my fantasy season? But I spent $50 FAAB!
Jean Segura – 1-for-4, 2 run, HR (3). Mean Jean has hit safely in every game since returning from the DL. He’s also leading off and the Brewers are hitting. I might buy before owners start to realize all these things.
Adam Lind – 3-for-5, HR (9), 6 RBI. It finally happened. Yep, he has finally replaced Ryan Braun in the line up for good. What is that? My intern is telling me Braun just has a routine day off? What’s that? My intern is telling me I don’t have an intern. Wait–then who the heck are you!?
Jonathan Lucroy – 3-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI. With Wieters and Lucroy returning, the catcher position is about to get a whole lot more exciting in fantasy. Yawn. Excuse me, all this excitement is making me sleepy.
Joe Mauer – 2-for-3, 3-run HR (2). Speaking of exciting catchers, remember when Joe Mauer was one?
Gregory Polanco – 2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 SB (16). I love you the most because I own you everywhere.
Starling Marte – 2-for-3, 3 runs, HR (11), 3 RBI. He’s two homers away from shattering his career high. Shattering, I tells ye! Oh my Starling, I don’t own you anywhere. Is it because of who I am as a person?
Francisco Cervelli – 4-for-5, run, 2 RBI. Cervelli is batting .450 in the past two weeks. Which I can guarantee you is better than your catcher is batting.
Cameron Maybin – 3-for-5, run, RBI, SB (8). When he leads off, Maybin can set the fantasy world on fire: hit, run, hit, etc. But Jace Peterson is the lead off man because, reasons. Grey told you to BUY and I’d def grab Maybin if I needed some runs and speed.
Will Venable – 2-for-5, HR (4). Three straight multi-hit games. I know if I pick up Venable, or even tell you to pick up Venable, he will instantly go ice cold. So instead, I’m just going to sit here, take this Xanax, drink this beer, and chill like the chiller that I am.
Will Middlebrooks – 1-for-3, HR (8), 2 RBI. Grey told you to BUY and Diddlebrooks has 4 homers and 13 RBI in the past two weeks. You should probably pick him up, or I’m going to.
Avisail Garcia – 1-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI. With the game-winning HBP. You took it like a champ, too!
A.J. Pollock – 3-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, SB (14). Pollock is the hottest abstract expressionist in all the land. In the past week, he’s hitting close to .400 with 2 homers, 7 RBI and 3 stolen bases! If Pollock were to paint me a picture, it’d be of me with my fantasy trophy, with multi-colored paint dripped and splattered across the canvas. Such technique!
Yasmany Tomas – 2-for-3, RBI. If you thought Yasmany would be hitting close to .340 in June with just one home run you are a big fat liar pants, sir. Only I have that kind of ESP. I got it from becoming a level 8 operating thetan in the church of Scientology. It only cost me $400,000, but totally worth it to draft Tomas.
Troy Tulowitzki – 3-for-4, run, RBI. Tulo-riffic! It’s time to bring “Tulo” back into the American vernacular. Readers may remember me coining the term “tulo” to describe things that are too good for words. Like, how Tulo was that Jon Snuh’s duel in Game of Thrones last Sunday? Or man, that bacon double chee’ sure was tulo eating. Well, in his past six games, Troy has 4 homers and 11 RBI, hitting 13-for-24 in that stretch. That’s TU-LO! Right? Or is this just tulo-dumb? Do you not find it tulo-arious? Stop trying to make tulo happen. It’s not going to happen.
Brett Anderson – 7.2 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Anderson has been sneaky good, that’s seven straight quality starts. He’s not the most exciting option available, and he will probably get injured as soon as you pick him up, but he’s a worthwhile streaming option for now.
Carlos Martinez – 7.0 IP, 7 base runners, ER, 11 K and his 6th win. I am so glad I didn’t drop you when you tried your darnedest to destroy my ratios early last month. I don’t give up that easy, Carlos. Just ask my real life, human girlfriend. Who is definitely, both real, and a human female. I wore her down like a true pro. Took me 4 years. Anyway, since his attempt to ruin me, C-Mart has five straight quality starts allowing just 3 ER in 32.1 IP, with a 40/13 K/BB rate. Yes, more please. Even still I would probably avoid his start at Coors this week.
Giancarlo Stanton – 2-for-5, HR (18). If I’m not mistaken that ties him with Bryce Harper. Boys, boys, do not fight for my affection, there’s is plenty of it to go around. Let’s get drunk and see the Entourage movie together like true bros. I’ve had this dream many times, and it always ends with Carl’s Jr.
Kolten Wong – 2-for-4, RBI. Remember when you prayed every night at bedside that the Cards would lead Wong off? Dreams really do come true, children, as long as you are faithful to your lord. Whether it be the Tehol’s Elder Gods, Jon Snuh’s Old Gods, the Doth’Raki horse god, Grey’s Fantasy Baseball Overload, or the great and all-powerful Xenu of my super exclusive church. There is no wrong god to praise for fantasy purposes. But Xenu is definitely the right god to praise. Unless, of course, you don’t want to be saved when the earth is covered in fiery magma and your trapped soul screams for release from this planet. Please praise him, and ask him to make Stephen Strasburg come back with stronger thetans than ever.
Thanks for reading! Questions? Problems? Complaints to management? Advice, small gifts or large bribes? Please leave it in the comments below, or you can get at me on twitter @dandemanco. Join us next Saturday for another Friday recap as fantasy baseball continues next week, all week long!
