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Speaker 2Welcome to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast from CBS Sports. Oh, and first pitch, rushing deep left field. This is way back, walk the walk. Got a fantasy question? Email fantasybaseball at cbsi.com. Get ready to win your league. Where fantasy becomes reality. Now, here's Frank, Scott, and Chris.
Speaker 1What's up, and welcome in to Fantasy Baseball Today on Wednesday, August 19th. I am Frank Sample, joined by Scott White. Today on the show, Braxton Ashcraft is back. Edwin Diaz is also back on the IL, unfortunately. Plus, we will fire up the Lariometer on a Wednesday, plus Drop-O-Meter. And I've got some fancy new graphics for both of those. So, should be fun for those watching on YouTube. We'll get to that a little bit later on. Let's jump in.
Speaker 3Yeah, baby!
Speaker 1Before we even get to our players of the night, Scott, I do want to highlight, once again, obviously, big discussion yesterday, NL MVP. And, of course, another day goes by. More home runs hit by both of those gentlemen. So, Otani hit his 30th, and PCA led off the game with another one. His 31st home run of the game. They are relentless. Of the game? I think he... Oh, his 31st home run of the game? Leading off the game?
Speaker 4Oh, what was that stat? 31st of the year.
Speaker 131st overall, yes.
Speaker 4They knew what you meant. I'm just being a... I'm just being a joke.
Speaker 1I also want to highlight Fernando Tatis' entire game. Like, this is what superstars are made of. Double dong, and he robbed a Grand Slam in the same game. It's just incredible stuff, man. Again, like something you do in a video game. The first home run that he hit in the first inning, 113.2 miles per hour off the bat, 452 feet, and the updated numbers since he hit his first home run way back on, I think it was like May 30th. Last 70 games for Tatis' 288, 15 homers, 14 steals, OPS right around 900, 94.3 average EV, 13% barrel rate. How about that?
Speaker 4Sounds pretty good. Sounds more like it. Sounds more like Fernando Tatis, and I think that's how we should approach him moving forward. I don't know what happened to the Padres' trio of stud hitters at the start of the year, Machado and Jackson Merrill being the other two, but they've looked more like themselves for the past couple months. It's a good thing.
Speaker 1Yes, indeed, and even better in the second half for Tatis, the OPS up over 1,000 so far after the All-Star break. All right, let's get into our actual players of the night, and it appears we have a new challenger approaching. Can you name what video game that's from?
Speaker 4No. No, is it like Grand Theft Auto or something?
Speaker 1No, you're going to beat yourself up, man. It's one that you tell me you play with your kids. What? What? No?
Speaker 4I don't recognize that at all.
Speaker 1Super Smash Bros. Which one? That sound effect has been used for each one, I believe, since N64? Might be since GameCube. In what context? It's whenever a new challenger is approaching, like the silhouette of a new character.
Speaker 4I may have not played that game mode or whatever. Yeah, that game mode. Yeah, exactly. By the way, I think it came out when I was like 15, so I don't know. Technically, I wasn't an adult. Not technically. I wasn't an adult at 15, but saying I played it as a kid is probably a little misleading also.
Speaker 1Yes. Well, the new challenger approaching is George Clausen, so that is our little segue into he's looking pretty good. Just had the best start of his career. Yeah.
Speaker 4He has. And so let's talk about that. It was a really good start. George Clausen struck out seven over seven one-hit innings against the Astros. In Houston, no less. So, good showing. 17 swinging strikes on 86 pitches. He did some things a little differently in this one. Threw his slider 45% of the time. That's a lot for a slider, but it makes sense because it had been his best pitch. It had a 44% whiff rate coming in, but he was only thrown at 24% of the time. So, up to 45, it was responsible for 12 of the 17 whiffs. Using your best pitch more, that's usually a good strategy. His last start was also really good. Two earned runs in six innings, and he only walked one. The three starts prior to that, he had a combined 14 walks in eight and two-thirds innings. So, there had been massive control issues to start out his career, and we've seen them throughout George Clausen's minor league career as well. Overall, his strike rate in the majors is 58%, which is pretty awful. This start for as good as it was, 63%. Not awful, but not very good either. So, I don't know that he's whipped this problem. And if he's going to be committed to throwing his slider this much, again, 45%, maybe it'll work. I will note that it doesn't seem like it was the game plan coming in. This is how George Clausen described his approach in this start. The legs were feeling a little jelly in the first inning, and the slider was the pitch that was feeling the best. So, I stuck to that strength and just went at him with it. So, he decided to emphasize the slider because his legs were feeling a little jelly. I think, meaning lacking in strength, I don't mean he thinks the legs were feeling jealous of his arm or whatever. But I don't know. It's strange syntax any way you look at it. But it wasn't the plan going in. Maybe it should be the plan going forward. I don't know. There aren't a lot of interesting pitchers on the waiver wire right now. We've at least seen some bat-missing ability from George Clausen. Not a bad idea to take a flyer, but ultimately, I'm just lukewarm on him.
Speaker 1I am pretty intrigued by what we're seeing here from George Clausen. Using that slider a lot more in this one, it accounted for 12 of his 17 whiffs. The fastball mixed results here. It had four whiffs, but also gave up some hard contact against that fastball. I do question if he really, truly has anything that he can throw and get people out with consistently besides the slider. I will point out that he used his changeup 20% of the time in the minors. And it was a pretty good pitch for him in the minors. We haven't really seen it used that much in the majors so far. So, that remains to be seen. I will point out that his final three starts at AAA as well before being promoted. 193 ERA, 102 whip, 11.6K per nine, 1.5 walks per nine. How many starts was that? Final three starts at AAA. Okay. Yeah. So, 11.6K per nine, 1.5 walks per nine. He went six plus innings in each of those. So, this is someone a couple years ago who emerged as like a fast-rising pitching prospect. And then he, you know, kind of hit some hard times the past couple years. He has re-emerged this year. He's getting a real opportunity. Widely available. He's 9% rostered. So, I think in deep leagues, for sure, you want to just see what happens here. Add him and see what happens. But, you know, even some 12-teamers, like there's not, as you mentioned, Scott, there's not that many intriguing names that are emerging right now. And so, if you have the spot to mess with, I would add Klaus in it and see what happens. He's at the Rangers later this week as the second start of a two-start week. Next week, revenge game against the Rangers. The Phillies, the team that traded him away last year, two years ago. I think it was two years ago. But anyway, it's a revenge game. So we'll see what Klassen can do.
Speaker 4Trying to remember what trade that was.
Speaker 1Yeah, I can't remember. Was it? No, because Yohan Duran was for.
Speaker 4The power of the Internet tells me it was to get Carlos Estevez.
Speaker 1Oh, Carlos. Oh, my God. How can we forget about Carlos?
Speaker 4I forgot he was a Philly to be perfectly honest.
Speaker 1Yeah, that season he was great with the Angels and then he went to the Phillies and was immediately bad. Yeah.
Speaker 4Yeah, I think it's fine. To me, I don't want to be overconfident in Klassen because he has a very clear flaw here that he's demonstrated in the majority of his starts in the majors. And at AAA this year, final three starts being as great as they were, a 142 whip at AAA. So, like, if you get too lax about when you use him, he could maybe crush or whip. But, I don't know. Maybe this was the start of a change in approach that's going to carry George Klassen to new heights. It's not outside the realm of possibility. It's just not the leading bet as far as I'm concerned.
Speaker 1Again, if you just look at the most added starting pitchers on CBS right now, Tyler Matley, fine. Another quality start. I'd rather have Matley. I think he's a higher floor. Kyle Leahy for sure, but he's up to 78% rostered. Luis Castillo, like, nah, I think I'd rather just see what Klassen could do there. Castillo had the one great start, but everything else around that has been pretty bad. Perez, fourth most added starter right now, like, you know? Yeah. It gets kind of blah pretty quickly, so. Yeah, I get it. Yep, sure. My player of the night here is going to be Braxton Ashcraft, who is back. Another great outing, this one against the Tigers. Eight innings of one-run ball, four strikeouts to zero walks. Only seven swinging strikes on 80 pitches here, but he did double the sinker usage, which has helped lately. It's helped him get more ground balls, and that's really the key to this turnaround here. Four starts in August. It's a two ERA, .59 whip, 24 strikeouts to three walks over 27 innings, and a 60% ground ball rate in four starts in August. So, a very big, key contributor there for Braxton Ashcraft. He didn't really have the big whiff numbers on his breaking pitches like he normally does. Did give up some hard contact as well, but I like that he's throwing strikes, he's avoiding walks, getting back to getting those ground balls. I don't know that he's all the way back to the pitcher he was earlier this season, Scott, where he can blend all three of those things, throwing strikes, getting ground balls, and missing a ton of bats. We haven't seen a ton of bat missing lately, but the fact that he's doing two of those well, and the results have been there, I am very encouraged by the Braxton Ashcraft revival.
Speaker 4So, there were a lot of pitchers last week who did something different and got immediate returns. You mentioned one, Luis Castillo. Didn't stick with it the following time. Another was Sean Minaya. Didn't stick with it the following time. Tyler Mallee. We'll get to him later. He did stick with it and has continued to do well. Braxton Ashcraft is another one who's now done the new thing two starts in a row, which is emphasize his sinker. Really leaning into his ground ball tendencies, rather than the bat missing. He managed to get 10 strikeouts in the previous start where he, the first of these two starts where he threw his sinker about 30% of the time, but not with the kind of whiff rate we were seeing before. It did seem like there was a tradeoff happening there, and I think it more came to light here in this start against the Tigers, where he went eight strong but struck out only four. It might be the best he can do right now as, you know, the seven starts prior to this emphasis on the sinker. He had an ERA approaching seven, so he needed to do something different. And my suspicion was that maybe the innings were piling up and he had just lost a little bit of his crispness there. But now two starts, straight starts, really good. Functioning more as a pitch-to-contact ground ball specialist. And I'll take it. I'll take it. I mean, it prevents where, it prevents Ashcraft going the direction he was, which was to Dropsville, I would say. He was getting awfully close to that. Now, obviously, you're not dropping him.
Speaker 1Yeah, and again, just to highlight once again, while the walks have been down, the ground balls have been up, just a 9.5% swinging strike rate over his last six starts. So there has been a little bit of a trade-off, but again, the results looking much better here and just a lot more efficient for Braxton Ashcraft. Before we hit our first break, just want to highlight a game of the night. Oh my goodness gracious, game of the night. Football is coming. And the Packers shut out the Seahawks, 22-0. Brewers put up 22 runs on 22 hits and four homers. Jake Bowers, two for three with his 22nd homer. Three runs, two RBI. Scott, I've been waiting for Jake Bowers to just fall off all season. It has never happened. He has not had a monthly OPS below 840 in each of the last four months. Even with a broken toe. And he's hovering around a 900 OPS. And he's actually been better against lefties than he has against righties. He's awesome. I don't know if he'll be awesome next year, but he's awesome this year.
Speaker 4No, he's... I'm... I am inclined to stick with him. Yes. For the rest of this year and whatever league where that I have him. Even the three outfielders leagues, he's been great in points format as well. I'd like to contextualize that because I haven't looked into it recently. Jake Bowers in points leagues. 3.18 points per game. That was coming into today. That is... Man.
Speaker 1Amazing.
Speaker 4As... It would take me a minute to count him up, but... That, I think, puts him in the top 12 for outfielder points per game. Really high up there. Yeah, he's been great.
Speaker 1Yep. Christian Jelic also homered in this one. Two for five. His ninth homer for RBI. I did want to mention him yesterday as one of these second half stack cast underachievers. I know it's been really bad for Christian Jelic. 257 Woba in the second half. 331 expected Woba. The XBA, the X-slug, all much better. And he has a 17% barrel rate in the second half. So, look, I think in shallower leagues where you need playing time, he's probably not going to play against lefties. You could probably let go of Jelic. But, if you've held on to him in some of those deeper formats, I think you could still use him in weeks where there's lots of righties on the schedule, just because he has been a big underachiever here in the second half. Luis Lara is on the board. Three for six with his first home run for RBI. And so far, he's been pretty underwhelming, Scott. I looked into the playing time for Lara. So far in the second half, he has started against 15 of 23 righties and five of seven lefties. 22% roster. Do you think that number needs to be higher for Luis Lara?
Speaker 4Not yet. This was really the first sign of life, this game. It wasn't the hardest hit home run, less than 100 miles per hour.
Speaker 1And I'm pretty sure he hit it off of a position player, too.
Speaker 4Oh, did he? Well, that's even worse. Yeah. I haven't seen enough yet to make Lara a priority. Even in five outfielder leagues, I was looking for somebody to drop. And Lara ended up getting the cut in a couple of leagues where I had him. So particularly with the playing time being less than every day, I don't know that this is the moment you need to rush out and pick him up.
Speaker 1And then David Hamilton had a monster game as well. Three for five with a sock and two shoes, a homer, two steals, four RBI. And he plays mostly against right-handed pitching. Very few starts against lefties this season. Overall, 239, four homers, 24 steals, 652 OPS. 11% rostered, second, third, and shortstop eligible. But it's just an NL-only name. Maybe a 15-team roto. But even there, I'm not sure it's completely necessary for David Hamilton. If you listen to the audio podcast and you enjoy, thank you. Please feel free to leave a five-star rating and review on both Apple and Spotify. We really do appreciate it. Let's take a break and we'll be back right after this. Baseball has always been a game of inches. Now it's also a game of seconds. T-Mobile and MLB have teamed up to bring ABS Challenge to all 29 ballparks across the U.S. This isn't a minor upgrade. This is the most significant new technology in the history of the sport. And it's powered by T-Mobile. With every pitch thrown, ABS Challenge uses real-time precision to verify the call, giving them the support they need. No delays, no guesswork, just accuracy at the speed the game demands. Thanks to ABS Challenge, T-Mobile is helping power the moments that define the game. When performance and reliability are non-negotiable, MLB turns to T-Mobile. That's not a coincidence. That's what happens when the most innovative network in the country powers the most data-driven sport in the world. T-Mobile powers MLB's most ambitious technology, and America's best network powers your connection to baseball. Home or away, every pitch, every game, every day. T-Mobile, it's better over here. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. T-Mobile, best mobile network in the U.S. According to Ookla Speed Test, based on analysis by Ookla of Speed Test Intelligence Data First Half 2026. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Right now, your local Toyota dealer has great deals available on some of the most reliable trucks on the market. Like the off-road ready Tacoma, rugged, full-size Tundra, and legendary 4Runner. All with the space tech and features to handle it all. From the worksite to the trails, it means driving for less. With efficient hybrid options available. Extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs. Meaning bigger savings at the pump without sacrificing power. And it means trading for more. The Tacoma and Tundra are ranked number one and number two in resale value over all vehicles according to Kelly Blue Book. Which can mean thousands more than average right back in your pocket when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicle's projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit kellybluebookskbb.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. Hey, before we jump back into the show, let's take a quick break. But not just any break. This is a refreshing break with Snapple. We all know about Snapple's iconic real facts. So let's take a minute to go over some of my faves. Snapple real facts, 1417. Before 1859, baseball umpires sat behind home plate in rocking chairs. Snapple real facts, 1483. More than 100 baseballs are used during a typical professional baseball game. Snapple real facts, 253. The first TV remote control introduced in 1950 was called Lazy Bones. Snapple real facts, 2105. Professional athletes used to perform in vaudeville in the offseason. So grab a Snapple, take a second, and enjoy the moment. Because let's be honest, this might be the most refreshing part of your day. Snapple, make your break more interesting. All right, now let's get back to the show. Welcome back, Fantasy Baseball. Today, let's hit the news and notes. And Edwin Diaz was placed on the I.L. with neck inflammation. Neck inflammation. Probably picked up some whiplash from all the home runs he was giving up, Scott. And what do you know? Save opportunity right away for the Dodgers. Tanner Scott got the final four outs for his 17th save. He did allow a run on two hits, but he has been very reliable this season. Obviously, was the closer for a large portion while Edwin Diaz was out. I am trying to pull up his roster rate. And Tanner Scott, 61% rostered. I think that number needs to be closer to 100%, even in a points lead. I mean, this could be a top 10, top 15 closer rest of season.
Speaker 4Could be. It's not clear that Edwin Diaz is out rest of season, but even if he comes back, there should be serious doubts as to whether or not he'd be the closer for as bad as it was going. And presumably, Tanner Scott gets the job done between now and then. So I think absolutely, even in leagues where saves aren't scarce, Tanner Scott needs to be picked up. I did want to read this quote from Dave Roberts because I found it gratifying in a way. He said, I think this is something where Edwin, I don't know if he's encouraged, but there's just knowing that there could be a reason why his stuff has not been playing like it has in the past. With the neck, obviously, there are ties to the whole body. I'm personally excited that we can find something that's going on. So I find it gratifying because sometimes I've had that same sentiment when a player who was struggling got hurt. Like, oh, well, maybe that explains it. This isn't such a bad thing, which feels a little ghoulish, I guess. But here, Dave Roberts is showing expressing the same sentiment. So I think it's maybe it is normal. Maybe it is a normal way to feel. Maybe I'm not a ghoul after all.
Speaker 1If you lost Edwin Diaz and Tanner Scott is not available. There were two names who picked up saves here on Tuesday that I wanted to bring up as options. Mason Montgomery for the Pirates. He got the ninth with a three-run lead. He struck out two for his fifth save. And he has the last three saves for the Pirates, including two since the team has traded for Luke Weaver. And presumably, Luke Weaver should have been available for this game. So I'm starting to think that Mason Montgomery, and I had a few Pirates fans in the mentions telling me this, that Mason Montgomery is just the closer for the Pirates now. And I did not realize he is disgusting this year, Scott. He has a 14.6K per nine, 53% ground ball rate. His FIP and XFIP are both below 250. He is. He has been disgusting. He is 23% rostered. The other name I wanted to mention was Ben Joyce, who also picked up another save. Sammy Natera Jr. last pitched on August 11th. I have no idea what's going on there, but Joyce has each of the last three saves, and I kind of just think he's the guy. So if you lost Edwin Diaz, you missed out on Tanner Scott, I think Montgomery and Ben Joyce are in the mix. As is Kodai Senga, Scott. How would you rank those three? Kodai Senga, Mason Montgomery, Ben Joyce.
Speaker 4I think I'd put Montgomery number one. Now, I do think with Luke Weaver there, he's probably on thin ice, and you may say, oh, well, with how dominant he's been, how could that ice break? There was a point in June where his ERA rose close to five. It was about the same time where Gregory Soto was losing his grip on the closer role, and it's like, oh, we could just install Mason Montgomery. But he was falling apart, too. However, in his last 18 appearances prior to Tuesdays, 18 appearances prior to Tuesday, Mason Montgomery had a 108 ERA, had allowed only four hits in those 18 appearances.
Speaker 1He's filthy, man.
Speaker 4While striking out 34. So, I feel pretty good about him. But it did happen earlier this year that he got an ERA close to five. Okay. So, that would be my number one choice. And then I think I'd go Senga over Joyce. Though Joyce genuinely has looked better. I mean, he's always had the fastball that would have hit 103, 104 at times, but he wasn't as much of a bat misser as you'd expect, considering. So far, in the small sample this year, he's been missing bats aplenty. So, he may be legitimately emerging as a closer caliber reliever.
Speaker 1One more Dodgers note here. Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen on Tuesday, which appeared to go well. Ohtani added that his knee did not bother him at all. So, perhaps the next, you know, we'll get the next steps in his pitching progression. And, you know, could perhaps return as a pitcher, as a starter, hopefully, before the end of the season. Bunch of Yankees updates. Aaron Judge will begin a hitting progression this week. He's already been playing catch and running. There was a quote recently from Aaron Boone that they hope that he could be back in the next month. So, maybe mid-September. That is assuming no setbacks. So, not a sure thing there for Judge. Max Freed apparently could face just a minimum stay on the IL. Apparently, this injury is much less serious than the previous one. And the move was precautionary. So, yesterday I was much more worried. I thought it was, you know, kind of that same severity and he's just basically done. But, I guess don't drop him just yet. Max Freed could be back pretty soon. And, Cody Bellinger will start his rehab assignment at AAA on Thursday. He'll play at least two games before returning to the Yankees. Hunter Goodman was placed in the IL with a left shoulder strain at Retroactive 2 August 15th. Just brutal timing, Scott. I think some people might have been stuck with Goodman in their lineups. Because he was in the original lineup yesterday for the Rockies or on Monday. And then he was scratched, like, right before the game started. And then placed in the IL. So, hopefully that didn't happen. But, he's been one of the best catchers in fantasy this year. And six games in Corses field this week. It's just bad timing.
Speaker 4Yeah. I will. You know, obviously it's late in the season. We talk about every player who gets hurt. It could be a season ender. I think we're talking a minimal stay for Goodman. In this case, they delayed putting him on the IL for four days. And, it really became an issue of they need to make sure they had healthy catchers. That's obviously a position where you don't want to put somebody who's not used to playing it. In fact, I think their backup catcher is normally their designated position player mop-up pitcher. And, they couldn't use him in that role because he was the healthy catcher. So, that's part of the reason why Goodman went on the IL.
Speaker 1All right. Continuing on here. Cattell Marte, who was placed in the IL on the restricted list, excuse me, on Monday, returned to Arizona to undergo an MRI on his left knee. So, we still don't really have very much news here. It's kind of cryptic with Cattell Marte, but I hope he's all right. AJ Smith-Shauver will rejoin the Braves rotation. on Wednesday and is expected to stick beyond just the one spot start that we see from many other young pitchers. So hopefully, sounds like he will stick around. Seven starts in the minors, 157 ERA, .98 whip, 10.7K per nine, 54% ground ball rate. I mean, he's done everything he could do down in the minors, and he is 27% rostered. So, Scott, what is your interest level in A.J. Smith-Shawvert?
Speaker 4Moderate, I would probably, I'd probably put him over Clausen, though not by much.
Speaker 1I think so, too.
Speaker 4I am interested in seeing if his fastball, big bat misser it was in the minors, yes, but we haven't seen much evidence that it could be that in the majors and in his one start with the big club this year. For everything he was doing well in the minors, let me double-check here. I think he just had one whiff on the fastball. It was... He had two whiffs in the entire contest on 69 pitches against the Mets. So, it made me a little uneasy, made me wonder, okay, is the arsenal in its current form going to translate to major league lineups? Ultimately, it was a sample of one. And there's enough reason for encouragement here to, you know, if you need pitching help to pick up Smith-Shawvert. But he has something to prove.
Speaker 1All right, continuing on here, Jacob deGrom threw a bullpen Tuesday and apparently felt good. It sounds like he could start on Thursday for the Rangers. CJ Abrams' agent said, Abrams is uneasy about the move to second base, but is eager to put the team first. I don't really understand the wording here because clearly they wanted to voice some kind of frustration about this move, but then in the same sentiment said that they want to put the team first. So, Abrams has yet to appear at second base since the Nationals said they were going to do that. So, kind of weird.
Speaker 4Look, he wants to put the team first, but he's not quite there yet. You know, the head wants to put the team first. The heart says, I want to keep playing shortstop. So, he's got to work that out. It's a bit of an internal struggle. And, eventually, he'll get there, I think. Because he'll have to.
Speaker 1I think so, too. Continuing on, Tyler Soderstrom will undergo season-ending hip surgery on Friday, and his season ends with a .245 batting average, 19 homers, 810 OPS in 109 games. Overall, it was a pretty good season for Soderstrom. Pretty much just, like, picked up where he left off last year. I think this is the player he's kind of settling into as a .250, .260 hitter with around 25 home runs. That appears to be the Tyler Soderstrom experience. Bryce Terang returned to the lineup after missing the weekend with left knee discomfort. Vlad Jr. participated in a light on-field workout on Tuesday. He is on the seven-day concussion IL. Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said that Roman Anthony is expected to serve as their everyday leadoff hitter once he is back from the IL. And in Anthony's first rehab appearance on Tuesday, he reached base in all four plate appearances. He went two for two with two walks and a mammoth home run. So, I'm pretty excited, Scott, to see what we get from Roman Anthony the rest of the way.
Speaker 5He's ready. Let her rip.
Speaker 1I want to see what his... I imagine his roster rate is still pretty high here. But, Roman Anthony, 87% on CBS. And that number is 74% on Yahoo. So, yeah, he was being drafted as a top five or six-round player this season. And if he's available in some shallower formats, I would change that for Roman Anthony. The Cubs are expected to activate Daniel Palencia in the coming days. Does he retake the closer role? Jacob Webb has been pretty awesome. He pitched another scoreless ninth inning, and he wound up with his sixth win. What do you think, Scott? Who do you think emerges here? Is it a... Maybe it's a bullpen by committee kind of thing. Palencia and Jacob Webb.
Speaker 4I think Palencia emerges. I don't know if it'll be in his very first appearance, especially since he spent so much of the season on the I.L. But if he looks like himself after a couple appearances, maybe after one appearance, then I suspect they'll be happy to have Jacob Webb as their setup man. Took so long for them to come around to him as the closer. But, ultimately, yeah, I think it'll be Palencia.
Speaker 1All right, Griffin Jacks will make a rehab start at AAA on Sunday. Felix Bautista could begin a rehab assignment within the next week. Treya Savage resumed throwing from flat ground Tuesday. It's a positive step after meniscus surgery last week. Justin Martinez made his return to the D-backs. He pitched in the eighth inning with the D-backs down five runs at the time. He threw a scoreless inning. He walked one. He averaged 100.5 miles per hour on his fastball. And his usage is one to watch. Him versus Brandon Garcia. Obviously, Garcia has been very good. I think he's earned that closer role. I think they stick with him for now. But if he falters, perhaps Martinez gets thrown back into that role as well. The Reds optioned Noel V. Marte to AAA. And I'm just not sure it's ever going to happen for Noel V. Marte. This year, hitting 190 with six home runs and seven steals. And the Cardinals also optioned Quinn Matthews back to AAA. Some waiver wire hitters from Tuesday's action. And Joe Adele, massive game here. Three for four with his 19th home run. Six RBI, three hard hits in this game. The home run, 111.9 miles per hour, 455 feet. He's just, I don't really know what to do with this guy. He's 79% rostered. Could be out there in some of the shallowest formats. But I kind of feel like Joe Adele is probably over-rostered at 79%.
Speaker 4Yeah, I agree. He looked great in this game. But hadn't so much since joining Cleveland or really all season. So, I am surprised that his roster rate is that high.
Speaker 1I did want to, because I have the splits here for this year. Drastic splits. Against lefties, 319 batting average, 973 OPS. Against righties, 204 with a 582 OPS. I don't remember those being as drastic in previous seasons here for Joe Adele. But, I mean, they kind of are what they are this year. And he's already sat out against a few righties since being traded over to the Guardians. And I am just filibustering until I get to 2025 splits. And last year for Joe Adele, it was a 931 OPS against lefties, 744 against righties. So, yeah, not nearly as big of a cap between the two last season. Trent Grisham stayed hot, 2 for 4 with his 17th home run, 3 RBI. And in 15 August games, he's hitting 281 with 6 homers, a 989 OPS. He's been very hot and cold this season. He's had some very good months, some very bad months. 70% rostered. 7 home games next week, I think, is a little intriguing there for Trent Grisham. You know, in 3 outfielder points, Lee Scott, I could see being in on Grisham with the 7 games at home next week and with him playing as well as he is right now.
Speaker 4Yeah, and we pointed out all season that he was one of the biggest underachievers by the data. So, it is gratifying to see him correct that. He, coming into Tuesday, believe it or not, 2.77 for the year. 2.77 head-to-head points per game, which, to give you a comparison, let's see, Carson Binge is 2.68. Riley Green is 2.67. Jack Caglione, 2.64. So, for the year in points leagues, Trent Grisham has been better than all three of those guys on a per-game basis. And he's just a little behind Jackson Merrill, who's at 2.80.
Speaker 1Would you rather add Trent Grisham or Zach Geloff? They're both between 70% and 80% rostered.
Speaker 4I think, split the baby here, Grisham in points, Geloff in categories.
Speaker 1Yeah, I think so too. What about Grisham or Veen?
Speaker 4Oh, Grisham. I mean, Veen's still a theory. And even in a best-case scenario, I'm not sure they're going to let him play against lefties right now. So, that definitely limits the upside.
Speaker 1All right, moving on. Alejandro Kirk, 3-for-6 with his sixth home run, 3 RBI. Last 21 games, he's hitting .378 with four homers, 15 RBI, and OPS around 1,000. He is 58% rostered. So, it's really just a one-catcher conversation. Scott, can I interest you and Kirk in any one-catcher leagues?
Speaker 4It's not a high price. Like, he's not the sort of player in a one-catcher league that you pick up excitedly. I think it's like, well, he's the best I can do off the waiver wire. It doesn't strike out much, so that helps his cause in points leagues. But... The upside is just not that exciting for Alejandro Kirk.
Speaker 1Yeah, to me, I think there's still a pretty clear top 10 in my catcher rankings, which ends with Gabriel Moreno, Adley Rutschman, and William Contreras. I dropped Contreras quite a bit last week just because he's been slumping quite a bit, and these other catchers have been really good. But after you get to Contreras, I have Salvador Perez, Cal Raleigh, Francisco Alvarez. If you just wanted to say, all right, you know, if I am in the back end of that top 12 and I just want to ride the hot hand, I mean, Kirk is one of the hotter catchers right now. So I see an argument for it there if you just want to stream him while he's playing well. Sure. All right, moving on. We have big night for a big night for Willie Castro. Two for three with two walks, a sock and a shoe, his 14th home run, his ninth stolen base. And here in the second half, 278, seven homers, 20 runs scored, three steals, 916 OPS. 54% rostered. We know he's eligible everywhere except catcher. The problem, seven road games next week. Man.
Speaker 4Well, that's what happens when you play six home games in one week. You don't like the split weeks for the Rockies. You got to take the vegetables with the plate of carbs that we're enjoying right now. Big plate of spaghetti.
Speaker 1I would like home games. I could eat pasta every night for dinner, Scott. I would love to do that. You should. What's stopping you? If there were no repercussions.
Speaker 4What are the repercussions, Frank? Tell me of your repercussions.
Speaker 1I don't know. Just what everyone tells me that you can't eat pasta every day. But maybe I shouldn't listen to them and I should just do it. You know? Just do it. I mean, I don't know how many years.
Speaker 4YOLO, as the kids say.
Speaker 1I don't know how many years I'll be hosting this podcast if I eat spaghetti every day for dinner.
Speaker 4I think there are worse things you could eat every day than spaghetti. That's fair. I'm sure there are tons of people who would argue that. But you know what? There isn't a ton of consensus in the nutrition world. And I think there's worse things you could eat every day.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 4Everything in moderation, right?
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 4Every day, but in moderation, if that makes sense. Now, that is the other hard part, is the moderation. It's how much spaghetti you're eating on those days, maybe.
Speaker 1Scott, I can eat spaghetti every night for dinner and have like two or three bowls of spaghetti. I really enjoy pasta.
Speaker 4I had some spaghetti tonight.
Speaker 1You just, you know, you've got to limit it a little bit. Willie Castro does have the big home road split, so I'm not as interested. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4I was getting around to that.
Speaker 1Thank you. We got there. It was a long-winded way of getting there on Willie Castro. Josh Bell, he's having himself a big August. Two for four with his 17th home run. And in August, 362, four homers, 13 RBI, a 1034 OPS. First base has been loaded all year, but there have been some injuries that have taken place. There have been some guys that have slowed down over the past month. So just another hot hand approach. I think more as like a corner infield type, but, you know, kind of niche. But if you play in a deeper points league, I think Josh Bell is still pretty good in that format. He doesn't really strike out all that much. So what do you think about Josh Bell? He's got 43% rostered. I think that number could be higher.
Speaker 4Yeah, it's a little low. Obviously, it is stifled by the enormous number of rosterable first basemen, and that being the only position where you can use Josh Bell. In a normal, in a season with normal position distribution, I think Josh Bell may be more like 77% rostered at this point rather than 47%. But I did have him as a sleeper hitter this week, just like I had Willie Castro.
Speaker 3Boom!
Speaker 4Sleeper hitters are making good. Some of them, anyway. That's it. That's the analysis.
Speaker 1I like that. What about Griffin Canning? Do you like that? Two for four with his 14th home run. Griffin Canning? Griffin Conine is who I meant to say. Two for four with his 14th home run. He is having a big second half. 289, 379 on base, nine homers, 990 OPS. The problem here, six games next week. As of now, looks like there are five lefties on the schedule. So, I like Griffin Canning, in theory. Very good daily lineup player.
Speaker 4You even like Griffin Conine, in theory.
Speaker 1Wow, that is bad. My brain is fried. Yeah. I like Griffin Conine, the player, Scott. I don't like him for next week.
Speaker 4Agreed. And it's a needle, it's a tough needle to thread. Unless you're in a daily lineup league and you can choose to sit Conine. I almost did the same thing. You could choose to sit Conine in the weeks, on the days when a lefty's on the mound, then he's going to be hard to use. Maybe in a five outfielder league, you don't mind playing him in those weeks where there's two or three lefties on the schedule and still four righties, let's say. But in a three outfielder league, certainly in a points league, it's not doable.
Speaker 1All right, let's take our final break. And when we return, I do have some waiver wire pitchers, then the worryometer and the drop home meter. We'll do all that right after this. Remember waking up on Saturday mornings, pouring a big bowl of sugary cereal and drinking every last drop of the sweet milk at the bottom? Nothing beats that feeling of pure nostalgia, which is why I am completely obsessed with Cachava's new cinnamon French toast flavor. It gives you all those warm, comforting morning feels, but with incredible benefits instead of a sugar crash. Made with real cinnamon bark, it honestly tastes like a warm slice of French toast in a glass. Just two scoops gives your body a massive upgrade with clean plant-based protein, fiber and greens to support your energy, digestion and whole body health. It's packed with superfoods, completely non-GMO and contains zero artificial sweeteners, fillers or nonsense. Whether you love classic vanilla, rich chocolate or this amazing new French toast blend, it's the easiest way to give your daily routine a serious boost. Treat yourself to a childhood favorite. Go to Cachava.com and use code FANTASY for 15% off your first order. That's Cachava, K-A-C-H-A-V-A dot com, code FANTASY. Welcome back, Fantasy Baseball Today and sliding over to the waiver wire pitchers. We already spoke about George Clawson, who we agree is kind of an intriguing option right now, but some names in shallower leagues, if you're playing a 10-teamer, shallow points league, whatever it might be, Kyle Leahy, another strong outing for him, five shutout innings with six strikeouts. At the Reds, he is up to 78% rostered and he gets the Pirates next week. They are really good against right-handed pitching. Shane Boz, another quality start. This one against the Yankees, six and a third, three runs, but had 10 strikeouts, 16 whiffs on 104 pitches, 72% rostered. He gets the Rays this weekend in a revenge game. And then he's at the Athletics next week, who have no Nick Kurtz and no Tyler Soderstrom. Andrew Abbott, a quality start against the Cardinals, six and a third, two runs, six strikeouts to two walks. He's been pretty bad overall lately. He's at the D-backs this weekend. He gets the Cubs next week, so I don't really love that. And then Tyler Malley, another quality start, this one at the Twins, six and two thirds, two runs, only three strikeouts here, but only walked one. Last seven starts, 255 ERA, .99 whip for him. And he lost his second start for this week with A.J. Smith-Chauver getting bumped in the rotation, but it looks like he'll have two, one against the Dodgers, one against the Rockies in Atlanta. So that's kind of intriguing for next week, Scott. Yeah. How would you rank those four? I think they're all kind of streamer types. Perhaps Leahy has moved on past that streamer moniker, but it's Malley, Abbott, Shane Boz, and Kyle Leahy.
Speaker 4Yeah, I've been banging the drum for Kyle Leahy for a couple weeks now, and he continues to validate that POV. Just became a different pitcher. 11 turns ago, throwing a lot more strikes, became an elite strike thrower, while also improving his ground ball skills so that he's now a plus ground ball pitcher, and it's led to 170 ERA, .99 whip, and more than a strikeout per inning as an elite strike thrower with a high ground ball rate. Very good combination of skills there for Kyle Leahy. Wish he wouldn't have five inning starts like this. That's a little frustrating, but overall, I'm happy to have him on any team. Tough call between Shane Boz and Tyler Malley. I mentioned earlier that Malley continued, has stuck with the new approach he took. I know you gave the numbers for what, the last seven starts? Yes. But really, this new approach has been a three-start phenomenon. Since all three of his starts with the Braves, he's cut down on his cutter usage considerably, and it's his worst pitch, so he's really focused on his strengths, and he's looked good. And when there's a change in approach that coincides with an improved production, I'm more inclined to take it seriously. So, yeah, I'll have Malley edge out Boz, who's had... A number of ups and downs. Interestingly enough, he actually eliminated his cutter in this start, so kind of took a page from Tyler Malley's book there. Not that his cutter has been so bad on its own, but his curveball was playing up in this start against the Yankees. It was up a mile per hour, got 10 of his 16 whiffs. It's just we've had moments like this from Shane Boz in the past where it's like, oh, maybe this is the key to him living up to his potential, becoming more consistent, and it never lasts. I'll put Boz behind Malley, and then rounding it out is Andrew Abbott, who had a good start, but I think he's still basically Andrew Abbott, just a streamer type.
Speaker 1All right, and then I have two other deeper league names here. Zebby Matthews was solid against the Braves, five and two-thirds, one run, four strikeouts here, and he was going through it before this, so it seems like kind of an oddity to have a good start here against the Braves. And then Cal Quantrill was great against the Nationals, seven shutout innings with five strikeouts in nine starts this season, a 264 ERA 106 whip, 34 strikeouts over 44 and a third. He's not going to get you any strikeouts, but he is pitching well to his credit, 15% rostered. He's a spark for those who play in points leagues. Gets the Angels this weekend at the Brewers next week, so you don't love that matchup. Any interest got two deeper names, Zebby Matthews and Cal Quantrill?
Speaker 4Not a lot, not a lot. If you are big into streaming and don't mind playing Hot Hands and getting burned when they eventually go cold, which is kind of a weird turn of phrase, but if you don't mind that, then Cal Quantrill, I mean, his numbers look great overall. I just don't think there's any sustainability to it, so you will eventually get burned. You're just kind of crossing your fingers. It lasts long enough to justify it. And I doubt it will. I think he's already sustained this for long enough that that other shoe's going to come down soon, and you don't want to get cold caught holding the bag when it does. Ooh, I'm mixing so many metaphors here. Yeah, that's where I stand on Quantrill. These look good, but I just think it's high-end.
Speaker 1All right, let's fire up the Worry-O-Meter here on Wednesday. And I mentioned I do have this new little interactive game graphic thing where I can adjust the meter to see how worried we are. Look at this. Not worried at all, a little worried, very worried, panic mode. There you go. Got some graphics, we'll work it in, so trying to add a little bit.
Speaker 4I think there needs to be a little more, like, when it's panic mode, there needs to be, like, red sirens going off. Need to play it up a little more. But it's a good first step. It's a good, I don't want to, I can be a little critical.
Speaker 1I didn't make it. I'm stealing, you know, another producer's work behind the scenes. But it is, we're happy to use it here. So, first up here on the Worry-O-Meter. I think he's been on the Worry-O-Meter for, like, three straight starts. But he's not really getting better. He's just kind of stuck in this malaise right now. And that is Zach Wheeler, who, up against the Marlins, five innings, two hits, two runs, four walks, seven strikeouts. The velocity was fine across the board, so that's the good thing here. But over his last five starts, it's a 664 ERA, 162 whip, 4.9 walks per nine, and his ground ball rate is way down. Scott, where is Zach Wheeler on the Worry-O-Meter? One to ten.
Speaker 4Probably, you could just leave it right where it is. I think it's about a five. And the only reason it's that high is because he was coming back from a major procedure that doesn't have the best track record, and we were very worried coming in. But he was flat-out dominant for his first 16 starts, half a season's worth of starts. And I think that was enough to prove that the surgery's a non-issue. So I don't think that's what's going on here, but it's just that little sliver of doubt that has me 50% concerned. Most likely, it's just a rough stretch, and Zach Wheeler, borderline Hall of Famer that he is, will work through it. But yeah, the injury aspect has me a little concerned.
Speaker 1All right, next up here, we have Ranger Suarez, who had another subpar outing against the D-backs. Five and a third innings, four hits, four runs, two walks, only three strikeouts here. And five starts since returning from injury. It's a .450 ERA. It's a .127 whip. He has not completed six innings in any of those five starts. Scott, where is Ranger Suarez on the Worry-O-Meter?
Speaker 4I mean, I'm not exactly worried. I kind of want to go five again. I'm not letting you play with your new toy here. I'll go six, just so we can see what that looks like. Oh, yeah, 61%. Oh, it's a percentage now. It's not a one through 10 scale. That's, man.
Speaker 1I could find it. I could find it somewhere on there. It's going to take me a little time, but we've got it.
Speaker 4I think he just has a history of kind of losing his location, and that's what he's going through here. The walks we see, they're elevated. And he gets hit harder when he's not as precise with this location, because it's not like he's a big badmiss, or he doesn't have that blow you away type of stuff. So it's a little rough patch, not unlike we've seen from Ranger Suarez before. Sometimes those rough patches for him can be bigger rough patches, and so that's why I'm willing to go six. But ultimately, I'm not giving any thought to dropping him, and for the most part, I don't even think I'd sit him.
Speaker 1And the last name on the worry-o-meter, before we get to the drop-o-meter, that is Nick Martinez. How could you do Nick Martinez? He's coming off a complete game. Well, he's had two very bad starts in his last four. He's allowed four or more runs in three of his last four. And in this one, it was six runs, nine hits allowed, over three and two-thirds innings. His velocity was down a touch across the board. In this one, it seemed like a pretty normal start under the hood. And there are times when, you know, if someone throws a complete game, the previous start, or no hitter, or they go super deep into a start, that next time out, a lot of times, winds up being a down start here. But, you know, we've been expecting regression for most of the season for Nick Martinez. So, where would you place him on the worry-o-meter after this one?
Speaker 4I mean, you summed it up with that sentence. We've been expecting regression all season. His expected ERA is 4.43. It was coming into the start. And now, over his past four turns, he's got a 5.92 ERA. Three of the four, as you said, four in runs or more. So, I think this is a solid nine on the worry-o-meter.
Speaker 1Panic mode!
Speaker 4Panic mode. Oh, yeah. Which we now know is from Super Smash Bros. The original Super Smash Bros.?
Speaker 1No, I think it's from any of, I think it's like the N64 one and beyond. That is the sound that plays.
Speaker 4Well, this N64 one is the original one.
Speaker 1No, there's one before that, isn't there?
Speaker 4No, there wasn't. N64 started it all, baby.
Speaker 1I don't know, Ben. Maybe GameCube and beyond. I literally went on YouTube and I watched all of them. There was like a progression of the Super Smash Bros. New Challenger approaching, and that's what I watched.
Speaker 4Okay. And you found your favorite.
Speaker 1It was mostly this sound drop for all of them. So, I'm like, all right, they've been using it for a while. So, whatever.
Speaker 4I'm most familiar with the N64 one. My kids and I have started playing the Wii one. But those are the only two I know.
Speaker 1Well, you need to find some new challenges approaching. That's what I think you need to do.
Speaker 4Well, I just have two kids.
Speaker 1Fair enough.
Speaker 4You'd like to bring a friend over. I don't know.
Speaker 1So, all right, we left off with Nick Martinez. So, 9 out of 10, we spoke about it. We've been expecting a regression for most of the season. It seems like that is now starting to rear its ugly head here a little bit. Now, we move over to the drop-o-meter, and I have Bryce Miller, who imploded once again. Four and two-thirds innings, six runs, five of those earned, and a tale of two seasons, Scott. First nine games for Bryce Miller, 171 ERA, .66 whip, 14% swinging strike rate. His last seven starts, 657 ERA, 157 whip, 10% swinging strike rate. Still 86% rostered. Where is Bryce Miller on the drop-o-meter?
Speaker 410. Yeah, is the graphic on? No, no, I'm just... You're loading it? I'm pulling it up. I'm pulling it up. Hit the siren. It's good that there's a breaking sound at the start there, because I think Bryce Miller...
Speaker 110! Dropping on! All leagues!
Speaker 4Dropping all leagues, yes. And I think the clearest evidence that he don't know what's going on, his pitch selection in this one, oh my goodness, it was wild. 17% cutters, 16% curveballs. Normally, he just throws those two 5% of the time. So, barely used pitches, and he's making them a big part of his arsenal. His fastball dropped from 43% use to 14% use. This is a guy who was out of answers, and he's searching, and the search is leading him nowhere. And it's sad, because he looked like he had it for about a month there, midseason. Lost it again.
Speaker 1All right, that was Bryce Miller. We move on to the next name, and that is Kevin Gaussman. Another clunker here. Four and a third inning, seven hits, three runs allowed against the White Sox. He did have 16 whiffs on 86 pitches, but his last, this has been going on a while now, last 14 starts for Gaussman, 593 ERA, 149 whip. All of his ERA estimators are in the low fours during that span. So, I don't know if it's, is it unlucky? Is it just, I don't know, this is what Kevin Gaussman does. Where is he on the drop-o-meter?
Speaker 4Maybe like a four. I'm still not that interested in dropping him. It's frustrating, because I don't think he looks as bad as he's been, and he is yet another pitcher who was moved at the trade deadline, and the acquiring team immediately had him start doing something different. The Cubs, in his three starts with the Cubs, he's thrown his splitter more like 50% of the time, and it only worked really in the first start. The other two haven't been so good. I don't even know why it's worth bringing up then, but, you know, sometimes you're just looking for things to talk about. Gaussman's trying to do something different, and in theory it should work. I think he's endured enough of these rough patches in his career, even in recent years. I mean, the first half, second half splits were pretty, there was a sharp dichotomy there. Figured it out eventually. I'm hopefully will again. That's why I'm only putting him at a four.
Speaker 1All right, and the last name that I have on the drop-o-meter is Robbie Ray. This is a weird one. He's coming off a good start. Six innings, three hits, one run, only four strikeouts here. Every start feels like you are walking a tightrope with Robbie Ray. It's nine hard hits in this one. 58% of his pitches for strikes. I know he's been able to outperform the ERA estimators and all that stuff for a large majority of the season, but I just feel like this is going to end very poorly for Robbie Ray. I would drop him personally for like George Clawson or A.J. Smith-Schauber, but where is he on your drop-o-meter?
Speaker 4Oh, man, that's tough to say because his starts prior to this one. His 10 starts prior to this one. He has a 185 ERA, and obviously this was another good start. So I don't disagree with what you're saying about how it seems fake and it's all going to fall apart. I'm fearful of that too, but he's been money. He's actually been money so far, and how do you throw out money? Do you make a habit of throwing out money, Frank? Because I don't. No. It's dirty money. It's corrupted money. It's counterfeit money. Maybe that's a better word for it. Counterfeit money. But it's still spending. You know? They haven't alerted the authorities yet. Play the siren, Frank. They're coming, but not yet.
Speaker 1Yeah, I didn't even hear. You know, I'm trying to figure out this Super Smash Bros. thing because it's bothering me now. Where was Robbie Ray on the drop-o-meter? Did you just leave it at a five?
Speaker 4I don't know. I was talking about money. Let's put it at a four.
Speaker 1Four! We're thinking about it. We're thinking about it with Robbie Ray. All right. That was our Worry-O-Meter drop-o-meter. Let us know in the comments or tweet at me. Let me know what you think of the new graphics, the new interactivity. Let's wrap up here with some leftovers. On the hitting side, a welcome back to O'Neal Cruz. One for three with his 15th home run. And it was 107.7 miles per hour off the bat, 422 feet. Did not look good in his rehab games, but obviously returned here with a bang and was finally having that breakout season. So hopefully we can get a strong finish here from O'Neal Cruz. Gabriel Moreno, one for three with a walk and hit a grand slam. It was his 10th home run. And since the start of June, he's hitting over 300 with an OPS over 900. Seven home runs during that stretch. It's not massive power, but he's just a legitimately good hitter. I think Moreno is a good hitter and even better in points leagues. Adley Rutschman is on the board with the Red Sox, two for four with his first Red Sox homer. It was his ninth of the season. Still working his way back from injury. And Drake Baldwin, two for four with his 21st homer. His first home run since July 24th in 22 games between homers. He hit 284 with four doubles, a 673 OPS. The problem here is the ground ball rate over 50% during that span. So that has limited some of the power. Scott, any thoughts on a welcome back to O'Neal Cruz, Gabby Moreno, Adley Rutschman, and Drake Baldwin?
Speaker 4Yeah, obviously, Cruz must start. Happy to see him back. Happy homered right away. Despite the poor showing on the rehab assignment, that doesn't really count for anything. Gabriel Moreno, looking like a must-start at catcher. Adley Rutschman, I never doubted he'd be a must-start at catcher, even with the slow start with the Red Sox. And Baldwin, Baldwin hasn't looked quite right. Since all that time he missed with the oblique injury, it seems like he'll show signs of coming back. Remember, there was a lot of strikeouts early on, and now you're pointing out the ground ball issue more recently. I just think it kind of threw him off mechanically, and it's been a struggle to get back to a good place as he's playing through it. As he's trying to fix it while on the job. But I still have a lot of confidence in him in the long run, and hopefully this home run is the start of him being at his peak form again.
Speaker 1I do finally have an answer to the Super Smash Bros. question. So that sound drop has been used in every Super Smash Bros. game from the Nintendo Wii on.
Speaker 4Like I said, we've been playing that one, but I don't know that we play a mode where there are challengers entering.
Speaker 1All right, well next time you do.
Speaker 4We pretty much just do team battles. My two kids ganging up on me with stock lives as opposed to a time battle. Because that gives them the best chance of beating me. And they do sometimes. Yeah. Sometimes. All right.
Speaker 1Well, if you hear the sound drop, I want you to text me and let me know, all right? Pitching leftovers. Carlos Jordan was okay in his return at the Orioles. Four innings, two hits, one run, four strikeouts. He had nine swinging strikes on 66 pitches. Kyle Harrison bounced back against the Mariners. Five shutout innings with eight strikeouts for him. Though I will point out the velocity was down quite a bit. Again, the fastball velocity down 1.4 miles per hour in this one. And he did have that elbow forearm injury, you know, last month. And Foster Griffin pitched well against the Giants. Six innings, one run, six strikeouts for him. Ten swinging strikes on 101 pitches. And nice to see the whiffs bounce back a little bit here for Foster Griffin. Anything on him, Kyle Harrison, or Carlos Rodon?
Speaker 4I mean, obviously, the fact that Rodon's velocity, the last time we talked about him, last time we had the data, it was down on the first of the two rehab starts. We didn't know about the second one at AA. We didn't have the data. But then he comes back, and his velocity seems normal. So I feel pretty good about Carlos Rodon using him in his next turn. I don't like the way Kyle Harrison's velocity has been trending. Obviously, this was a great start. It was against the league's worst offense. And the first of the two starts with the velocity being down was no bueno. I still think you're starting Kyle Harrison, but it is notable. It is notable what we've seen from the velocity in the past couple turns. Good to see Foster Griffin bounce back. He was getting pretty close to Dropsville, I feel like, but now avoids it for at least one more turn.
Speaker 1All right. Let's get into the call to the bullpen. We already mentioned what's going on with the Pirates and the Angels. For the Phillies, Yohan Duran was unavailable. Brooks Raley got the ninth inning and picked up his first save. For the Athletics, Hogan Harris got the ninth with a two-run lead, and he was charged with three runs. Two of those earned on a walk and three hits. He took his sixth blown save and second loss. Feels like he is pretty much the guy. I think it's probably going to stay that way. There's not really many other options for the athletics. I was watching this appearance too. The nine hitter in the lineup for the Royals had a check swing that actually should have been strike three. And instead it was not called strike three and it turned into a two run single. So that was pretty annoying there for any other Hogan Harris managers out there. I am one of them, unfortunately. For the Twins, Yoindris Gomez got the ninth with a three run lead. He allowed a hit but picked up his 19th save. For the Yankees, David Bednar struck out two for his 28th save. For the Cardinals, Riley O'Brien, a clean ninth for his 32nd save. And for the Padres, the Reaper, Mason Miller struck out two for his 31st save of the season. To stream or not to stream on Wednesday, we have Will Warren at the Orioles, Chris Bassett against the Yankees, Jackson Jobe is at the Pirates, A.J. Smith-Shauver at the Twins, Clay Holmes against the White Sox, Aaron Nola against the Marlins, Walbert Arrhenia at the Astros.
Speaker 4Walbert Arrhenia, I just think he's very reliable. And George Klassen just handled the Astros. I think Arrhenia can. Are we struggling to scroll in the notes here? Are we having a scroll battle in the Word document? I don't think so. Are we? No? Okay. You were moving it up and I was trying to move it down. I was having a little tug of war. I forgot what I was talking about. Oh, yeah. Walbert Arrhenia is the best choice to stream Wednesday. You just did that, didn't you?
Speaker 1Oh, no, no. You know what's happening is I'm writing in names for Thursday, so it's forcing your page to move down to where I'm writing. Because I forgot to write the names. I can't see the list of names. I forgot to write the names in for Thursday, so I'm trying to do it now. All right, go, go, go.
Speaker 4I thought you were pranking me. Okay. Walbert Arrhenia is the top choice to stream Wednesday. Second choice, let's go with Aaron Nola against the Marlins. And third choice, Clay Holmes against the White Sox. We'll add a fourth, AJ Smith-Chauver at the Twins, but that is the fortune favors the bald pick.
Speaker 1I would flip Nola and Holmes, so I would have Holmes second on that list, but I do agree with those as the top four. And then on Thursday, we have Michael McGreevey at the Reds, Brady Singer home against the Cardinals, Landon Roop is at the Guardians, Shane Bieber is at Tampa Bay, Grant Holmes is at the White Sox, Robert Gasser home against the Mariners, and Andrew Alvarez is at Texas.
Speaker 4Okay, let me scroll back down here.
Speaker 1Wait, I got one more for you. Stop typing. I got one. Grayson Rodriguez at the Astros, last one.
Speaker 4Okay. Let's go with, ooh, this is kind of tough, actually. I want to say Landon Roop at the Guardians. Yeah, no, he's burned us a lot lately, but I still like the data, and that's a great matchup. It's got to come around eventually. After him, probably Michael McGreevey at Cincinnati's, who I feel best about, and then maybe Brady Singer against the Cardinals. Yeah, those would be my three. Robert Gasser against the Mariners isn't bad, but I don't love him. It's just a really good matchup, and he's been okay.
Speaker 1Yeah, I would say Roop, McGreevey, and Singer, and then if those are gone, because they're kind of shallow league names, I agree with you on Gasser, and Andrew Alvarez has actually been okay, and the Rangers lineup is pretty bad right now, so I could see that one, probably won't give you more than five innings, but I could see that being okay for Andrew Alvarez. We are going to wrap there. For Scott, I am Frank. Thanks as always for tuning in to Fantasy Baseball today. Please make sure to follow, and leave a five-star rating on Apple or Spotify, and we will be back again tomorrow. Bye-bye!
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