by: Dan Pants
Aaaaand we’re back! I heard they were doing another season of baseball throwing and hitting. They might add robot umpires and new AI generated players in addition to Ohtani. Also, all the Yankees are gonna have big bushy beards, the A’s are homeless squatters who play for the peanut shells you discard mid-game and Kate […]
Please, blog, may I have some more?Dodgers rookie/phenom/franchise savior Walker Buehler continued to impress Friday night combining with three other relievers to no-hit the sad, sad Padres. Walker went six innings on 93 pitches striking out eight while walking three for his second win in just his third major league start. He is good at throwing baseballs. With three of the Dodgers’ best players hitting the DL recently the defending NL champs need something positive to grasp onto right now, and if Buehler can be their Baby Kershaw than way less fans would have to jump on the Angels’ bandwagon, which is already pretty full considering its carrying over a quarter of the Japanese population. The Dodgers top prospect has been every bit the flamethrower he was advertised to be with his 99 mph fastball which he can locate with pinpoint accuracy and he also features a decent slider and curve. You can read Ralph’s profile on him here if you don’t trust a word I’m saying, but honestly, I’m only trying to help. Maybe his 1.13 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 19/7 K/BB in 16.0 IP will convince you? To be fair, his three starts have come against arguably the worst three teams in the league in Miami, San Francisco and San Diego, but to be even more fair, he matches up with unarguably the worst team in the league record-wise in the Cinncinati Reds next week. Yes, you should own him! The upside here, especially for those sweet, juicy strikeouts, is immense, and outweighs any concerns about locating his breaking balls or off-speed stuff, high pitch counts going deep into games, or his rumored rocky relationship with Kershaw. That last concern I made up just now! If he’s still out there in your league, runner don’t Walker to the waiver wire to grab Buehler. This kid’s gonna be a start! Ha-cha-cha!
Here’s what else I saw Friday night in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more? by: Dan Pants
The Reds put on a hit parade Friday night scoring 15 runs on 20 hits lead by Jose Peraza who went 4-for-6 with two home runs, and two runs batted in. It was only a matter of time before this offense woke up. And by this offense, of course I mean Joey Votto who was 3-for-3, with his fourth homer. Eduardo Suarez was also 4-for-6 with two runs and an RBI, Scooter Gennett had three hits, and Scott Schebler and Adam Duvall added two hits a piece. Votto has now homered in in his fourth straight game, and I bet you’re thinking to yourself, “Self, I thought this lede was about Peraza, not the Reds bats and Votto.” Silence, knave! It all starts with Votto, whom Peraza hits in front of, and I can’t very well tell you to buy Votto now, unless his owner’s been in a coma for the past four days and is ready to trade immediately after waking up. That seems unlikely. But with Jose’s ownership at just 20%, it seems more likely he’s still available in your league. He’s hit safely in five straight games hitting .387 with the two dingers, nine runs and a steal in the past week and has quietly raised his average to .286. After hitting .259 last year with 23 steals he was a popular sleeper pick because of his speed. However, the .719 OPS is a whole lot of meh and I’d like to see him stealing a lot more bases before I fully endorse him as a buy, but I’m watching him closer than the darkest moments of Avengers Infinity War. You don’t need Tony Stark’s super intelligence or the Vision’s, uh, err, vision to see that Jose Peraza could be worth a look.
Here’s what else I saw Friday in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more? by: Dan Pants
Archie Bradley pitched six innings of four hit ball Friday night against the Cubs, allowing one run, walking three and striking out ten. Archie has been a highly touted prospect for a while, but hasn’t really been able to put it all together, until now, dot dot dot, question mark? But the real question mark here–Betty or Veronica? I was always a Ronnie guy, because I am a masochist and I prefer a woman who hates my guts. Regardless, after struggling in spot starts in April and early May (2 GS, 10.1 IP, 14 hits, 9 ER, 7 BB, 6 K), and holding a plus-6 ERA in 10 career major league starts, Archie has returned to the bigs in a big way. In two starts since being recalled, Bradley holds a 2.70 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 13.1 innings, with a 19/4 K/BB ratio that will make your fantasy team real happy happy. Slightly more impressive when you consider yesterday’s start was on the road against a fearsome Chicago line up. I was gonna stream him, but then I was like, “nah.” That was a mistake. I won’t doubt you again, Archie. Bradley was rocking a 1.99 ERA, 1.08 WHIP with 47 strikeouts in 7 starts at AAA Reno this season, so it’s clear he’s ready for the next level. I would grab Bradley in all leagues where he’s available. Grey told you to BUY and he gets a cushy match up with the Rays next week. Don’t be a Jughead, grab Archie!
Here’s what else I saw in fantasy baseball Friday night:
Please, blog, may I have some more?