Happy Monday, Razzball faithful!
Welcome to the final week of games for the regular season. It’s wild that we’re already here. I’ll save the cheesy, “It feels like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting that 30/30 season from Wyatt Langford” series of foot-in-the-stomach reflections, and focus on the real reason you’re here.
- Who the heck is pitching this week?
- Which teams will shut down my starter right after my lineup lock deadline for the week?
- Who can I start without worrying about them getting an early hook?
I can help with the first question, as long as my information doesn’t change between now and the Monday launch.
The second question? I assume that a lot of our arms this week will be safe to start unless they’re pitching for a team that has been eliminated from the post-season chase and that pitcher is approaching (or past) his career-high innings.
The third question brings us back to something I’ve been harping on for the last few weeks.
Which guys can we identify as a Michael Wacha type?
Come on. You know the ones. The guy who throws 7 innings, gives up a half dozen hits, allows 2-to-3 earned runs, walks a couple, and finishes with a decent strikeout total.
You want a guy who is NOT a rookie, or younger pitcher. A player who is pitching for a team that still has a shot at making the post-season has had some recent success and may be readily available on your waiver wire. Wacha? He’s probably already gone. Seth Lugo? He’s a WACHA, but he’s most certainly already gone. Yusei Kikuchi? Oh, you ABSOLUTELY want him (more on that later), but he’s not a WACHA.
“MarmosDad, I just need a guy who won’t kill my ratios and will give me a decent shot at counting stats without the threat of being shut down early.”
So you wanna Quintana?
I got’chu, fam.
Mr. Quintana is no spring chicken. The age of a 35-year-old MLB pitcher is measured differently. He’s like a dog. But instead of multiplying his years by seven, it’s safe to say that pitchers 30 or older should have their age doubled to reflect their “real life” age.
What can we expect from a “70-year-old” starting pitcher? Stiff joints and sore knees are my automated responses to that one. But, believe it or not, Joey Quints hasn’t looked like an old man lately. He’s the 3rd highest-ranked SP on the last 30-day Player Rater.
If you caught Keelin’s Ambulance Chasers article from Saturday, you already know that Jose Quintana has been on a heater for the last month.
In 5 starts since August 25th, Quintana has gone 4-0. In those 32 innings, he has allowed just one earned run and walked 9. The strikeouts? He recorded a 20/20 with hits and Ks over that span, so he’s even more of a true “WACHA”.
What’s the point? The time to hold those top picks from March is long gone. If your guy threw yesterday, and he fits any of the above criteria, there’s a chance he gets skipped next week. The Jays are already talking about running out Ryan Yarbrough for one of their games next week and scheduling a full ‘bullpen day’.
If you’re dropping some of your regular starters, check your streaming options and see if you can pick yourself up a veteran pitcher who finds himself in a race for a wildcard spot. If it’s a guy like Quintana – someone who once was considered an ace and a true SP1 in the past – I’d feel pretty good about someone who has proved that he can perform under pressure.
Wait…I didn’t mean…well, for what it’s worth, I guess this week is “our last dance”, so I’ll allow it.
The Top Starting Pitchers for 2024
| RANK
(LAST WEEK) |
Name | TEAM | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarik Skubal | Tigers | 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 B, 7 Ks. 95 pitches. So much for that ‘load management’ nonsense. |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | Phillies | 9 straight starts with 2 or fewer earned runs allowed. |
| 3 | Chris Sale | Braves | 5 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 2.38. Beast. Yes, he’s a beast built like a praying mantis. But he’s still a beast. |
| 4 | Paul Skenes | Pirates | More below. |
| 5 | Jack Flaherty | Dodgers | 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, and 5 Ks at MIA isn’t an ideal line from your top pitcher. Flaherty is going to have to be at his best when the playoffs start, especially if the other injured rotation-mates aren’t ready to come back yet. |
| 6 | George Kirby | Mariners | 6.0 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 4 K. If you could close your eyes next year and point to the Mariners pitching rotation chart for your first three SPs, would you even care which three they were? |
| 7 (8) | Shota Imanaga | Cubs | 6 IP, 2 ER, 8 baserunners, 11 Ks, ERA at 3.03. Holy Shota! If he keeps throwing beauties like this, he’ll find himself in the Top 5 SP of some 2025 draft rooms. Top 10 for sure? Ok, then. Who ranks ahead of him for next season if you have him at SP11? |
| 8 (9) | Blake Snell | Giants | 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, 2 walks, 12 Ks, ERA at 3.31. Ba-lah-kay with a dozen…uh…Ks. This guy is THE second-half Godzilla. Should he be in the Top 10? Maybe not for 2025 rankings, but for the second half of this year he absolutely is. |
| 9 (10) | Gerrit Cole | Yankees | 9.0 IP, 2 hits, ER, BB, 7 K. Someone is ramping up for a playoff show. |
| 10 (7) | Logan Gilbert | Mariners | 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 8 baserunners, 9 Ks, ERA at 3.24. He and Shota were two of the only good picks I made in TGFBI (unless you count setting the maximum on Corbin Carroll – something I thought was terrible a few months ago). You could argue that LoGi should be below a few of the arms that are below him here, but I’m still calling him a Top 10 SP because of that BB/9. |
| 11 | Dylan Cease | Padres | 8.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 hits, zero walks, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.42. This one calls for a Grey quote: More like dealin’ Cease! Dylan Cease is the most “This start is going to be one of the best of the year” or “This will make me regret trusting him.” |
| 12 | Cole Ragans | Royals | 7 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.24. Real dope here – which guy do you want in a keeper league? Ragans or Gerrit? Would you even need the advantage of a cheaper salary or a later draft round to choose Ragans? |
| 13 (14) | Framber Valdez | Astros | 7 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 2.85. WARNING: THE FRAMBER ALERT IS REAL! I just can’t find anyone to bump from the Top 10 for him. |
| 14 (15) | Michael King | Padres | Allowing 2 ER in 7 IP with just 1 BB and 7 Ks is a solid start against HOU, even if you don’t get the win. |
| 15 (16) | Corbin Burnes | Orioles | 7.0 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 Ks. If you said Burnes would finish the year with 15 wins and 172 strikeouts in 189 innings, would you still have been disappointed in March? He’s still a top arm, but maybe not the very top. |
| 16 (17) | Zach Eflin | Orioles | 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.53. Grey pointed out that he might get one more start. That one lines up at NYY. And I assume Grey and I aren’t the only two doing the Danny DeVito head shake gif for that one. |
| 17 (13) | Pablo Lopez | Twins | More below. |
| 18 (20) | Jose Berrios | Blue Jays | 6.0 IP, 6 hits, ER, BB, 6 K. Joe Berries throwing up a half dozen hits on the line here but still with no walks and just one earned run. I said it again this week (in Laura’s comment section this time); Berrios has been the Jays ace this year. |
| 19 (18) | Seth Lugo | Royals | 4 2/3 IP, 4 ER, ERA at 3.05. Is Lugo going to up his game for the final two starts – at WSH, at ATL? Yep, you guessed it. KC is on the wild card train! |
| 20 (24) | Bailey Ober | Twins | 7 IP, 2 ER, 4 hits, 12 Ks, ERA at 3.84. A dozen strikeouts is a good way to move yourself up the list! |
| 21 (19) | Freddy Peralta | Brewers | 5 IP, 1 ER, 4 baserunners, 9 Ks, ERA at 3.69. It’s petty to move him down two spots to make room in the Top 20 for Berrios, but it’s my list so that’s what I’m doing. Ha. |
| 22 (21) | Bryce Miller | Mariners | Bryce Miller – 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners (4 BBs), 8 Ks, ERA at 3.06. He’s walked 10 in his last 4 starts (total), but has still managed to limit the ERs. |
| 23 (32) | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Dodgers | More below. |
| 24 (23) | Aaron Nola | Phillies | 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 baserunners, 9 Ks, ERA at 3.54. He gets CHC at home and then is at WSH to finish off the week. |
| 25 (26) | Logan Webb | Giants | 5 IP, 3 ER, 6 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.58. “Oh what a tangled Webb we weave, when first we practice to deceive…with a 7.66 K/9.” Ya, I think that’s how the quote goes. |
| 26 (27) | Ranger Suarez | Phillies | 5 IP, 3 ER, 7 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.13. Some guys are coasting the the finish line after a solid season and some are dragging their sore arms behind them while they labor through each step toward the end. Can you guess which kind of SP Suarez is? (Kind of stutter?) |
| 27 (28) | Tanner Bibee | Guardians | Avoided his third consecutive loss last week with a solid game vs MIN. I’d consider starting him at home vs CIN this week. |
| 28 (29) | Luis Castillo | Mariners | He’s not expected back early this week, but he said he’s feeling good. That means he should be good to go later this week when the M’s are at OAK. |
| 29 (30) | Max Fried | Braves | 6 IP, 3 ER, 5 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 3.49. He keeps on showing us that he’s not quite fried yet. Maybe a bit sautéed around the edges, but not quite burnt to a crisp. |
| 30 (31) | Ronel Blanco | Astros | I’ll admit to mixing him up with Reynaldo Lopez far more times than I should. Another solid 6-inning start Saturday with 9 Ks. At CLE next weekend. |
| 31 (25) | Zac Gallen | Diamondbacks | 5.0 IP, 7 hits, 4 ER, BB, 5 K. How do we assess other boring, mediocre stars? Meh-gain. |
| 32 (22) | Sonny Gray | Cardinals | 5 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 9 hits, zero walks, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.84. JKJ mentioned in our Discord that he was surprised Gray had 200 Ks this year. That’s a nice way for him to end the year (The 203 Ks, not the 15-day-IL). |
| 33 | Kevin Gausman | Blue Jays | 5 IP, 0 ER, zero hits, 1 walk, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.91. Another shutout outing out of Gausman. Repetition for the win. I’ll gladly take him as my SP3 next year when everyone else is fading him. Then I’ll pray that he doesn’t entirely collapse before every start. It’s ok. I’m ready for that kind of stress again. EDIT: Speaking of stress, Gausman announced that he plans on making his start this week against BOS despite having back issues. Uh……. |
| 34 | Hunter Greene | Reds | He was activated and started yesterday vs PIT. 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER (HR), 1 BB, 4 Ks in 45 pitches is a good return. I’d start him this week at CHC. |
| 35 | Luis Gil | Yankees | Yesterday’s game was still going on when I checked him. More earned runs, more walks, 5 Ks through 5.1 IP. And he’ll likely secure his 15th win because…Oakland. |
| 36 | Cristopher Sanchez | Phillies | 5.0 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 5 BB, 7 K. I streamed Mister ‘No H’ in the Perts league last week and it was one of the moves that worked out well for your boy. (Don’t ask about the Bobby Miller one). |
| 37 | Bryan Woo | Mariners | 4 2/3 IP, 7 ER, ERA at 2.85. Bryan Waaaaah. Because he took a giant baby dump straight up the back of my ERA for the week. |
| 38 | Bowden Francis | Blue Jays | 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.47. (Five) Ladies and gentlemen, your 2025 Blue Jays’ SP3. |
| 39 (50) | Yusei Kikuchi | Astros | More below. |
| 39 | Justin Steele | Cubs | 2.2 IP, 0 ER, ERA at 3.03. That’s not a bad return after 3 weeks off. But are you starting him this week at PHI? |
| 40 | Spencer Schwellenbach | Braves | 6 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.61. He gets the Mets and Royals at home. Both games have playoff implications here, but I’m still starting him. |
| 41 | Jared Jones | Pirates | 5 IP, 6 ER, 2 HR, 3 BB, 5 Ks. I really like Jones a lot so I’ll point out that this one was at CIN, a top hitters’ park. But if you’re not a Jones believer, I’ll give you the ammunition that his last start of the year is at NYY. Ah…no. |
| 42 (47) | Shane Baz | Rays | 7 IP, 2 ER, 3 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.21. Another MarmoSleeper for 2025. Woo, Baz…sounds like I’m creating a WWE storyline. |
| 43 | Nick Pivetta | Red Sox | 5 innings of zero earned is a nice way to make his previous start look like an outlier (over his last 4). He gets MIN at home but be careful as he’s well over his career high in innings. |
| 44 | Tanner Houck | Red Sox | He’s throwing at TOR today and if you’d have told me in the first half that I’d have Pivetta ranked above Houck at the end of the year I would have passed out from the uncontrollable laughing fit. |
| 45 | Robbie Ray | Giants | He’s “hoping” to be back for the STL series in SF this weekend. If you can afford to gamble on “hope” then activate him. |
| 46 | Spencer Arrighetti | Astros | Cramped up yesterday and left after 6 innings but expects to be back for the CLE series this weekend. |
| 47 (42) | Nathan Eovaldi | Rangers | Giving up 7 earned runs to the Blue Jays should automatically drop you 5 spots no matter what. |
| 48 | Sean Manaea | Mets | 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.26. The same thing in Friday’s start, albeit with 2 more ERs (and 2 HR). *cue the PacMan sound effects* WACHA WACHA WACHA WACHA… |
| 49 | Carlos Rodon | Yankees | I said to Laura that every Rodon start was a “grit my teeth and hope for the best” but I can’t complain about 16-9, 190 Ks in 169 IP, and an ERA below 4.00. |
| 50 (51) | Michael Wacha | Royals | He should be Top 50 for sure. |
| 51 (54) | Nick Martinez | Reds | 6.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K. I thought of 2 Live Crew every time I heard his name. But those giggles have subsided and now I’m wondering if Martinez is a late-round dart throw next year that will pay off in a big way. |
| 52 (55) | Brady Singer | Royals | WACHA alert! |
| 53 (56) | Tobias Myers | Brewers | He needed 93 pitches to get through 4 innings last week but he only gave up one earned run and still struck out 5. I’m still running him out at PTI next week. |
| 54 (59) | Joe Musgrove | Padres | 6.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 9 K. Maybe he’s not really “sneaky” in the full sense of the term, but would you be surprised if Musgrove sauntered into the playoffs and shut out a team through 8 innings with 10 strikeouts and only a couple of hits allowed? |
| 55 (78) | Ryan Pepiot | Rays | 6 IP, 1 ER, 2 hits, zero walks, 12 Ks. See Bailey Ober above. |
| 56 (58) | Nestor Cortes | Yankees | 6 IP, 0 ER, 7 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.77. Gets BAL at home this week. |
| 57 (60) | Luis Severino | Mets | Quality starts? Check. Strikeouts? Check. Good matchup this week (at ATL)? Uh…2/3 isn’t bad I guess. |
| 58 (61) | Brayan Bello | Red Sox | More below. |
| 59 (62) | Joey Cantillo | Guardians | 4.1 IP, 1 ER, ERA at 4.63. He’s like an anti-Wacha, but 4.1 innings of one earned run allowed is better than what you got from Edward Cabrera last week. |
| 60 (54) | Ryne Nelson | Arizona | Still on the IL but due back Sept. 26th. Daily leaguers keep an eye on him. |
| 61 (65) | Gavin Williams | Guardians | 5 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 5.12. A Guardians loss?! Gavin was not havin’ any of that! (Nailed it! No? Thumbtacked it? I’ll take it!) |
| 62 (66) | Hunter Brown | Astros | 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.57. I don’t even know anymore. I’ll likely avoid him next year and he’ll likely put it all together. |
| 63 (72) | Jacob deGrom | Rangers | 3.0 IP, 3 hits, ER, BB, 5 K. I’m not even a deGrom fan and I want to see him rip off a CG SO before the end of the season. I suppose he has to shed all of those layers of bubble wrap first. |
| 64 (67) | Chris Bassitt | Blue Jays | 3.2 IP, 1 ER, ERA at 4.16, and six unearned runs. Bro, UNEARNED runs. You can start breathing again. |
| 65 (68) | Garrett Crochet | White Sox | 4.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 8 K. I said it before, and I’ll say it again. If you’re not in a keeper league or you’re not in a league where you had to manage your innings and still try to pick up strikeouts, why is he still on your roster? |
| 65 (71) | Matthew Boyd | Guardians | 2.2 IP, 2 ER, ERA at 2.52. Oh Boy-d. I was so close to labeling Boyd as a Wacha last week but I figured we’d better not go there yet. Like a soft Wacha. A Washa? Well, he got bounced around a bit on Friday at STL (4 IP, 2 ER, 3 BBs, 6 Ks) and he gets HOU at home this week so be careful. |
| 66 (75) | Walker Buehler | Dodgers | I mentioned last week that despite the 5 BBs he didn’t look bad. Yesterday he had 9 Ks and only one BB. Somehow he still managed to give up 4 ER to COL though so *shrug emoji* |
| 67 (NR) | Reese Olson | Tigers | He’s back! Threw 3 innings of one-hit, one earned with one walk and 3 Ks. Home start vs TB should be fine this week. |
| 68 (76) | Brandon Pfaadt | Diamondbacks | 7 IP, 1 ER, 2 hits, zero walks, 12 Ks, ERA at 4.66. Getting a Pfaadt dozen Ks to confuse us even further about a 2025 outlook. If you read the Bello bit below, I originally had Pfaadt listed in there too. |
| 69 (96) | Cody Bradford | Rangers | 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 hits, zero walks, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.59. The Real Joey Bart wrote him up as a streamer this week and seeing as he’s pitching at OAK, I agree! He flip you for real! |
| 70 (77) | Kutter Crawford | Red Sox | I almost streamed him in Perts yesterday. 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 Ks. No-decision. I guess I didn’t miss out on much. |
| 71 (86) | Kumar Rocker | Rangers | 3 IP, 1 ER, ERA at 2.57. Here he is…Rocker like a hurricane…in Texas. Hammer him into your 2025 starting pitcher sleeper stone, er rock, tablets now. |
| 72 (87) | Yariel Rodriguez | Blue Jays | Streamonator likes Princess Yariel this week. Wait until it hears that Lake Ontario isn’t “Under the Sea”. 72 is too high, but he gets the boost because of the matchup. |
| 73 (83) | Yu Darvish | Padres | 6 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.21. I don’t know Yu (that’s the anti-stalker quote of the day) but I imagine he’s the kind of veteran who wants to finish the season strong to salvage some dignity after being sidelined with a few different troubles. Is he going to be the Yu Darvish we saw in Texas all those years ago and dominate the playoffs? Maybe not. But if his arm holds up I’m rostering him the rest of the way. EDIT: 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 9 Ks vs CWS yesterday. |
| 74 (NR) | Jose Quintana | Mets | See above. |
| 75 (68) | Colin Rea | Brewers | 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 4 Ks Friday. He’s losing stamina and I wouldn’t start him if he lines up against NYM this week. |
| 76 (79) | Andrew Heaney | Rangers | Meh yesterday. Not a great stream. |
| 77 (69) | Justin Verlander | Astros | 4.2 IP, 8 hits, 6 ER, BB, 4 K. Oh. So much for shaking the rust off. |
| 78 (80) | David Peterson | Mets | 3.2 IP, 8 hits, 4 ER, 4 K. Guy got roughed up like most people do when they roll through Philly. A Rocky start, indeed. |
| 79 (100) | Frankie Montas | Brewers | 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 baserunners, 10 Ks, ERA at 4.50. I guess it was the right call to add F-Mont as a flier in our bottom ten. A WACHA with strikeouts? At this point in the season, that’s gold, Jerry. EDIT: He gave up 7 ERin 2.2 IP yesterday against ARI, so… |
| 80 (NR) | Ben Lively | Guardians | You can’t say I don’t revisit the players I dump. Lively was dropped off the list a few weeks ago after a string of nasty starts. Back-to-back wins and just one earned run in his last 12 innings get him another shot here. |
| 81 (84) | JP Sears | Athletics | I had moved him up into the 70s. Then I saw that he got crushed by NYY on Saturday. Oof. |
| 82 (51) | Mitch Keller | Pirates | It’s a huge drop, and maybe it’s just out of frustration, but after Friday’s start, I’ve seen enough. 5 walks? 2 HR? 8 ER? ONE strikeout? No way am I starting him against MLW this week. |
| 83 (53) | Grayson Rodriguez | Orioles | I hate slotting him this low but when your GM says you “might” be back this week and “might” pitch out of the bullpen to get ready for the playoff games, that’s not a good sign. |
| 84 (85) | Clarke Schmidt | Yankees | 5 IP, 1 ER, 9 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 2.37. The patience, or your quick waiver wire finger, paid off. |
| 85 (89) | Rhett Lowder | Reds | Five innings of shutout ball in his 5th big league start? This kid (2023 draft pick) is making some noise and should be a nice deep sleeper for 2025. |
| 86 (97) | Jameson Taillon | Cubs | 6.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Is he a Wacha now? A 2025 Wacha? If this is his new standard, I think so. |
| 87 (70) | Albert Suarez | Orioles | 3.1 IP, 4 ER, ERA at 3.60. Oh. No. There were a few people pumping Suarez as a start last week. That means the first start stung more than a few peeps. Spoiler – if you were reeling from that first game and close to losing consciousness, yesterday’s start finished the job. |
| 88 (90) | Eduardo Rodriguez | Diamondbacks | 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 11 Ks, ERA at 5.09. Norman mentioned it last week. I guess the Pitchers at Colorado aren’t doomed to failure every time out because they’re facing a lineup of failure on the other side anyway. Two home starts against the SANs this week (SF and SD). |
| 89 (91) | Dean Kremer | Orioles | 6 IP, 4 ER, 7 hits, zero walks, 7 Ks, ERA at 4.19. Grey mentioned that Wednesday’s starters could be two-start guys next week. Ober? Pepiot? Kremer? Yep. That could be a nice trio. |
| 90 (88) | Charlie Morton | Braves | If Quintana is 35 years old then Morton must be 84. |
| 91 (NR) | Zack Littell | Rays | 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, zero walks, 7 Ks, ERA at 3.56. That’s an “add him to the list again” for sure. |
| 92 (64) | Reynaldo Lopez | Braves | Started throwing Friday. I don’t know if I’d take a chance on him returning this weekend. |
| 93 (92) | Taj Bradley | Rays | Won his first game in…can you guess? 10 games. It was his first win in 10 games. His last one was on July 25th. |
| 94 | MacKenzie Gore | Nationals | This is not a box of chocolates. But…see the Bello blurb. |
| 95 (NR) | Landon Knack | Dodgers | Knack Knack. Who’s there? A warm body to fill in one of the multiple empty rotation spots in the Dodgers rotation. (This is the worst ever knock-knock joke setup). |
| 96 (95) | Merrill Kelly | Diamondbacks | Removed from Saturday’s game with a calf cramp. I used to hate those when I was going through puberty. |
| 97 (NR) | Grant Holmes | Braves | This spot was tough. I flipped among Fedde, Tyler Anderson, Assad, and Aaron Civale. I decided to head to the FA list in Perts to see who was the most added in Fantrax leagues. Here he is. Two 4-inning starts since moving to the rotation to take over for Reynaldo. |
| 98 | David Festa | Twins | 5.0 IP, 4 hits, ER, 3 BB, 6 K. The Festa-val of Meh. |
| 99 (98) | Jake Irvin | Nationals | 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 4.07. Grey mentioned he was a bit upset about sitting Irvin for his two-start week last week but I don’t blame him. Grey, I mean. I certainly do blame Irvin. You can’t fall apart for 13 ERs in two starts and expect us to think it’s all good. Of course, some will point to his solid game against ATL as a tip that he’d do well last week. I’m steering clear of the visiting PHI this week, though. |
| 100 (81) | Reid Detmers | Angels | More below. |
BIGGEST JUMPERS: Who’s got hops? These are some of the biggest jumpers in value this week.
Paul Skenes – No, he’s not ‘jumping’ over anyone here but I can’t stop writing him up every other week. 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 2.07. So now the Pirates are worried about upsetting their fans and shutting down the best young arm in the game? Do they think Skenes is so good Manfred will award him five team wins for every individual one and the Pirates will blast through that 11.0 GB in the wild card race in two weeks? Make it make sense! Oh, and while we’re here, the guy gives up one earned run in six innings and gets stuck with a loss? Come on, Cutch. I thought you were supposed to light a fire under those teammates. (JK).
And while we’re here, last week I mistakenly said Skenes set the rookie record for MLB strikeouts. Then a few days later Doc Gooden floated into my daydreams and slapped me across the face. Oops. I should’ve said Pirates record. Don’t worry, though, he’ll strike out a lot more next year (health permitting).
Yoshinobu Yamamoto – 4 IP, 0 ER, ERA at 2.63. Then 3 ER vs COL through 1.1 IP at the time of writing yesterday. I mentioned it last week and I’ll say it again. The Dodgers are a team full of superstars but there’s no bigger story here than the return of Yamamoto. The Glasnow, Kershaw and Gavin Stone injuries are cannonballs to the gut but Yamamoto returning and building up strength just before October is huge. He’s going to stroll into that first playoff series and should show everyone how dominant he is (and could have been all year if he’d managed to stay healthy).
Yusei Kikuchi – 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 9 Ks, ERA at 4.19. Someone get this guy a dog like David Price’s (Astro) or Shohei’s dog (EffYouToronto). It’s the only thing that would make him even more likable.
Oh, and there’s also this.
BIGGEST DUMPERS: With apologies to Cal Raleigh, these are some of the biggest dumpers (in value, not pants size).
Pablo Lopez – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 10 baserunners, 4 Ks last week. he was dismantled for 7 ER (2 HR) in 4 IP against the Red Sox yesterday. My original note after his first start last week was: “Talk about a guy who has shaved a ton off his ratios over the last few months. This guy’s been busier than Sinead O’Connor’s barber.” Then I added, “It’s been 7 hours and 15 days…since Pablo had a crummy start”. Well, it was 6 days between that good start and the Red Sox implosion one. And he gets BAL at home this week.
Reid Detmers – 5 1/3 IP, 7 ER, ERA at 6.05. There are some arms that I refuse to quit. I refer to this affliction as, “The Daniel Norris Curse”. Please don’t ask me to share a photo of my Covid beard from a few years ago. I went all in on the Daniel Norris appreciation. Reid Detmers? Well, he gave up 7 ER to a team that is hurtling toward the worst record…IN MLB HISTORY. As far as I’m concerned, Detmers can go get himself lost in Daniel Norris’s face forest. Last week’s start was supposed to be like a layup on a toddler’s plastic basketball net and instead that toddler kicked us in the nuts and bit us in on the nose when we hit the ground. I’m keeping him at SP100 because he hosts TEX this week…and, well, see the first sentence in this paragraph.
Detmers was so bad this week that I wrote two notes for him. The second? That was Detmers’ Saturday night – 2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. Spending time with my youngest is always awesome, but it’s especially awesome when I miss out on watching an absolute tire-fire game like this one while we play some solid games of Uno.
Bobby Miller – 2 IP, 4 ER, ERA at 8.52. I added him in Perts for his first start and sent this to the writer group…
I could have saved time and directly angered the Fantasy Gods by performing the ultimate ritual of disrespect: Burning a Bartolo Colon Expos jersey.
Brayan Bello – Bello actually had a good start last week. 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 4.49. Despite this, I still say that it’s fitting that his name is spelled “Bray…” because this donkey burned me everywhere this year. We may need to create a group with him, Hunter Brown, MacKenzie Gore, and Mitch Keller and call them the ‘Forrest Gumps’ because “you never know what you’re gonna get”…unless you include indigestion in that list of possibilities.
WHEE! – The following players zoomed on to the list this week!
Reese Olson
Landon Knack
Zack Littell
Grant Holmes
OOF! – The following players dropped off the list this week!
Bobby Miller
Max Scherzer
Gavin Stone – “very unlikely” to return this season (sad emoji)
Keider Montero
That’s all for this week! I hope that I could help out with your lineups and free-agent pickups throughout the season and that you’re in a good spot this week to secure a title or two. If not, I hope that I could at least give you something to look forward to every Monday afternoon throughout the season. I’ll be back next Monday for a season wrap-up article so I’ll see you then!
Drop some comments in the chat if you’re feeling extra fired up about some of the names I do (or don’t) have here. Have a great week!
Follow me @marmosdad on Twitter/X and Bluesky @marmosdad.bsky.social
