Let me begin by apologizing for not having an article last week as my family and I took a vacation and left me no time to provide my normal content. Who knows, maybe by now it’s the whole, team a man to fish and he will smell like Bass, or is it you can lead a horse to water? Hell, I don’t know. All I know is that July 4th is the unofficial “midseason”, and we have made it! Halfway to the finish line, and we have one more week before the All-Star Break.
My family has had a tradition of hosting an annual 4th of July party, with copious amounts of fireworks, booze, and food. Obviously, the booze and fireworks aren’t combined, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a threat of going Jason Pierre-Paul (footballer<—Grey’s mom term) and losing some digits. As the tradition grows, so does the amount of gunpowder and danger. Week 13 of the season has the same feel to it. The risk is high and the injuries have mounted. I am going to throw caution to the wind and play with proverbial fire in this weeks’ installment. Enjoy as I prepare you to Get Ahead in Head to Head!
Runs/SB
Stephen Duggar, OF, SFG-34% rostered in Yahoo- June has been a very good month for Duggar, and he looks to carry that momentum into July. Since June 1st, he is in the top 25 in OBP, Runs, SB, and SLG among OF. While he does face the Cardinals, which means the steals may be hard to come by, it’s hard to pass up on the overall production.
Jonathan India, 2B/3B, CIN– 50% rostered in Yahoo- I know I just recommended him a few weeks ago, but all he has done in that time is tack on another 12 runs and 2 more SB’s. He is leading off and even gets a chance to play in a few Interleague games, which never hurts the potential for Runs scored. If his recent production isn’t enough to sway you, add in the fact that he gets to face a handful of lefties, who he has absolutely crushed this year, to a tune of 132 wRC+and .415 SLG.
Honorable Mention: Luis Urias, 2B/3B/SS- 22% rostered in Yahoo- Urias has been a man on a mission lately, and the Brewers are catching their stride at the right time. With Wong going on the IL, Urias has slid into the leadoff spot. Over the past month, Urias has 21 Runs, which is 1st among 3B since June 1st. Milwaukee has 7 games
HR/RBI
Abraham Toro, 3B, HOU-8% rostered in Yahoo- This is definitely one of those short-fuse fireworks. Light it, run away, and enjoy the show. Since Bregman went down with an injury, all Toro has done is go 10-24 with 2HR and 9RBI. While I don’t expect this to last, I definitely think you could do worse (dynamite insight when I say “you could do worse”). The other positive is the fact that he shouldn’t be splitting starts with Robel Garcia and his .217 average.
Adam Duvall, OF, MIA-50% rostered in Yahoo- If you have seen “The Good Place”, you have heard Duuuval mentioned dozens of times. If you have followed baseball for the past 3 weeks, you have heard Adam Duvall even more. His past 3 weeks have been incredible, 8 HR, 22 RBI, .271 AVE.
Ty France, 1B/2B/3B, SEA– Ouf! Which if you didn’t know, is the slang for “Awesome” in France. I should just end it with that, and charge you $29.99 for the Rosetta Stone. Since Grey pays me in French Fries and Baguettes, I shall extrapolate. France has 4 HR over his past 14 days to go along with 8 RBI. On the season, France has hit 5 HR in 80 AB against lefties….he is set to face a handful in Week 13.
Wins
Steven Matz, SP, TOR-50% rostered in Yahoo- Recently activated from the COVID list, and what better medicine is there besides two tasty matchups vs the Orioles and the Rays. Want a little sugar to help the medicine go down? He has a 3.43 ERA and .222 ave on the road, which both are in Week 13.
Jon Gray, SP, COL-28% rostered in Yahoo- In his 1st start since June 4th, Gray was dominant vs the Brewers, tossing 5 innings and striking out 10. Gray and the Rockies will travel to Arizona to face the lackluster Diamondbacks. This is most definitely a 1 start streamer option, but if you are willing to gamble, he gets 2-starts, with the 2nd coming against the Padres. I would recommend the 1 start, and benching against the Pads.
Ryan Weathers, SP, SD-23% rostered in Yahoo- With the recent injury to Dinelson Lamet, it appears that Weathers is in line for a couple of starts next week. The real question is Weathers or not he will go the needed 5 innings to get the W. (pun intended). It would be very nice to see the k% tick upwards, but the low bb% gives me hope that he can go deep enough into these games.
Saves and Speculation
Adam Cimber, RP, TOR-0% rostered in Yahoo- The trade between the Blue Jays and the Marlins might have been highlighted by Corey Dickerson, but Cimber is intriguing in its’ own right. The lack of consistency in Toronto’s high leverage situations gives me a little bit of intrigue with the addition of Cimber. He has a solid 2.88 ERA and induces a ton of groundballs. Keep an eye on the Jays’ 9th. It’s still Jordan Romano’s to lose.
Jose Alvarado, RP, PHI-27% rostered in Yahoo- Since Girardi has “named” Alvarado the closer for the Phillies, he has done everything in his power to provide enough anxiety in Philly to keep Pfizer rich. He has looked shaky in his past 2 appearances but has still snuck in the save. I personally think it will always be a revolving door of who’s next, but for the short term, I think Alvarado should have enough opportunities to see a save or two.
Jose Cisnero, RP, DET– 13% rostered in Yahoo- With Fulmer on the IL, it appears to be a game of matchups between Cisnero and Soto. Cisnero has looked extremely solid over the past 20 innings, giving up only 1 ER, and recording 3 saves. Detroit has 7 games next week.
Amir Garrett, RP, CIN-42% rostered in Yahoo- Sims is on the IL. Antone is on the IL. That pretty much leaves Amir Garrett as the lone option in Cincy. Don’t be surprised to see Brach get an opportunity in a right-handed heavy 9th, but to be “glass half full”, Garrett hasn’t allowed a run in the past 6 appearances and has 2 saves in that span.
